Noel Monkman Explained

Noel Monkman
Birth Date:	1896
Death Date:	1969
Nationality:	Australian
Occupation:	Filmmaker, underwater photographer

Noel Monkman (1896 - 1969) was an Australian filmmaker, born in New Zealand,^[1] best known for specialising in underwater photography.^[2] He was a press photographer in New Zealand before moving to Australia and jointing the Orpheum Theatre orchestra.

He established Australian Educational Films with F.W. Thring, directing a series of educational nature films about the Great Barrier Reef.^{[3] [4]} He later made several documentaries as well as two dramatic feature films. He collaborated throughout his career with his wife Kitty.^[5]

He and Kitty lived for a time on Green Island, acting as a volunteer air observer during World War II.^[6]

Selected filmography

• Secrets of the Sea (1931) - director (documentary)
• The Cliff Dwellers (1932) - director (documentary)
• Coral and its Creatures (1932) - director (documentary)
• Typhoon Treasure (1938) – writer, director
• The Power and the Glory (1941) – writer, director
• Marvels of Miniature (1950) - documentary
• King of the Coral Sea (1954) – underwater photography
• Deep Down Under (1956) - director (TV documentary)
• Coral Kingdom (1958) – director

Writings

• Escape to Adventure (1956)
• From Queensland to the Great Barrier Reef : a naturalist's adventures in Australia (1958)
• Quest for the Curly-Tailed Horses (1962) - autobiography

External links

• • Noel Monkman at Trove
• Noel Monkman at National Film and Sound Archive

Notes and References

1. nfsa.gov.au
2. http://classicdivebooks.customer.netspace.net.au/oeclassics-a-monkman.html Biography at Classic Dive Books
3. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/thring-francis-william-frank-8803 Frank Thring's Biography at Australian Dictionary of Biography
4. http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/summary/summary.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;page=0;parentid=;query=Organisation%3A%22%2FOrganisation%2Fkey%2F14660-1%22;querytype=;resCount=10 Australian Educational Films
5. http://colsearch.nfsa.gov.au/nfsa/search/summary/summary.w3p;adv=;group=;groupequals=;page=0;parentid=;query=Person%3A%22%2FPerson%2Fkey%2F14189-1%22;querytype=;resCount=10 Kitty Monkman
6. http://www.green-island.com.au/history.html History of Green Island