| Bungala Boys | |
| Director: | Jim Jeffrey |
| Producer: | Otto Plaschkes |
| Based On: | novel The New Surf Club by Claire Meillon |
| Starring: | Peter Couldwell |
| Music: | Edwin Astley |
| Cinematography: | Carl Kayser |
| Editing: | Terry Trench |
| Runtime: | 61 minutes |
| Language: | English |
Bungala Boys is a 1961 children's film directed and written by Jim Jeffrey.[1] It was the second Australian based film made by the Children's Film Foundation, following Bush Christmas and was the first non-documentary film to focus on surf clubs.
Brian is a newcomer to Bungala Beach, near Sydney. He forms a new Surf Life Saving Club which wins first prize in a surf boat race.
The film was based on Claire Meillon's children's novel The New Surf Club (1959). Meillon was formerly assistant fiction editor of The Australian Women's Weekly. The book was based on her brother's founding of Newport Surf Club, on Sydney's Northern Beaches. The name "Bungala" is a combination of "Bilgola" and "Bungan",[2] which are also northern beaches of Sydney, and located near Newport Beach.
Jimar Productions made the film at the request of the Children's Film Foundation.
The film was shot on location at Bungan Beach and at Artransa Studios in Sydney in April–May 1961. Many of the child stars had never acted before.[3]
The actors were given brief training in surf lifesaving.[4]
The film was released in the United Kingdom, Canada and Europe before Australia.[5]