Farms In The Making (1959)

This 16mm film shows the activities of the War Service Land Settlement Scheme in Western Australia. Seen are methods of land clearing which by today's standards are considered to be extremely destructive environmentally and very wasteful of resources. The final preparation of partly-cleared land and the planting and harvesting of various crops is also outlined. Some cleared areas became wheat and sheep farms, others were set aside for dairy farming. orchards and viticulture. Few of today's young West Australians would be aware of this aspect of the State's development post-WW II. The way it was achieved is something we may nowadays be ashamed of, even though at the time it seemed the right thing to do. This documentary was produced in 1959 by the West Australian Government Film Unit.