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Draft:David Donaldson (film advocate)

  • Comment: Thanks for submitting. Issues: 1. The Sydneyan links are broken. 2. Please remove IMDB and LinkedIn. 3. Please ensure that ALL claims supported by WP:PRIMARY sources (like interviews) are also supported by a WP:RS. 4. All sources authored by Donaldson can only be used for WP:ABOUTSELF. Remove other claims. 5. The claims about Donaldson's business are all based in WP:PRIMARY sources, such as a classified advertisement. Please find secondary sources. 6. None of the sources present appear to be a reliable, secondary sources that has WP:SIGCOV of Donaldson. A bio of a living person usually requires two such sources. Please find those and submit. 8. Please fix broken categories. CopyleftEverything (talk) 23:24, 17 June 2026 (UTC)


David Robert Napier Donaldson
Born1930 (age 95–96)
EducationUniversity of Sydney (grad. 1952)

David Robert Napier Donaldson (1930–) is a retired Australian academic, who worked in adult education at the University of New England, Armidale, the Administrative College of Papua New Guinea and TafeSA in Adelaide.

Involved in film societies since student days, he became the first director of the Sydney Film Festival and held this position from 1954 to 1957. Until 1961 he operated the non-theatrical film distributor Filmart Associates, importing 16 mm prints of classic films into Australia. Donaldson was Secretary and later President of the New South Wales Federation of Film Societies (1952–1962), and also held offices in the Australian Council of Film Societies (1954, 1957–1961, 1971–1973) and the Australian Film Institute (1958–1974). Filmart Associates was re-established in the 1970s, in collaboration with his wife Rose Donaldson.

In 1953 Donaldson and the Sydney University Film Group were instrumental in the preservation of the silent film The Kid Stakes (1927). For many years he campaigned for the search for the early Australian feature film Captain Thunderbolt (1952), which was eventually discovered in the Czech Republic in 2024.

He is a life-long advocate for screening 16 mm films and collects film prints and associated ephemera, as well as magic lantern slides.

Early life and education

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Donaldson was born in 1930 and spent much of his early life in Broken Hill, before leaving for Orange. His father Robert Gotthard Donaldson was the Police Magistrate and also acted as coroner.[1][2] His mother Maud Mary Donaldson (neé Elgie)[3] had a degree from Aberystwyth College in Wales[4] and was on the secretarial staff of Winston Churchill before her marriage.[5] In 1935/36, he accompanied his mother and younger brother Michael on an 18 month trip around the world.[6]

He spent his high school years at Sydney Grammar School where he was awarded numerous academic prizes, including for Latin and English.[7] He was also a member of the Debating Club.[8] He finished high school in 1947 and started studying at The University of Sydney the following year. In 1951 he was a resident of Wesley College.[9] He graduated in 1952 with a Bachelor of Arts degree.[10]

Career

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In 1952 Donaldson started working as a research assistant in economic history at the NSW Institute of Technology.[11] From 1961 to 1964 he worked at the University of New England in Armidale[12].

In 1965 he took up the position of Registrar at the Administrative College of Papua New Guinea[13][14] in Port Moresby, now the Somare Institute of Leadership and Governance[15], preparing the country for independence. Donaldson later moved to Adelaide, to the newly established TafeSA and worked there until retirement[16].

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While studying at the University of Sydney Donaldson joined the Sydney University Film Group (SUFG) in 1951[17][12][18]. A year later, Donaldson attended the inaugural film festival in Olinda,[19] which was to become the Melbourne International Film Festival. This prompted the SUFG and other organisations to establish the Sydney Film Festival. Donaldson agreed to be the first director of the festival, responsible for programming, with D.J. McDermott appointed as a second director responsible for business management[12][19][20][21][22][23]. The first Sydney Film Festival was held in 1954. Donaldson held the post of director until 1957[24]. He is now an Honorary Life Member of the Sydney Film Festival[25].

At the same time, Donaldson was Secretary (1952–1953) and later President (1954–1962) of the New South Wales Federation of Film Societies.[9][26] and also held offices in the Australian Council of Film Societies (Secretary 1954, 1971–1973; President 1957–61; and also Overseas Information Officer)[26][27] and the Australian Film Institute (1959–1974), as one of three Governors from New South Wales[28]. In 1997 Donaldson was secretary of the short-lived South Australia Federation of Film Societies[26] (re-established in 2016[29]) and later an office holder at the Photographic Preservation Society of S.A.[30][31].

During his time at the University of New England, Donaldson programmed the Armadale Arts Council Film Group; in Port Moresby, he also started a film society.[12] From around 1975 he organised the Prospect Neighbourhood Film Group[32] in Adelaide.

Donaldson also played a role in the rescue of early Australian films. In 1953 he and other members of the SUFG initiated the preservation of The Kid Stakes (1927). They reconstructed the film to its original form and raised funds to create screening prints[17][18][33][34].

Since having seen Cecil Holmes' film Captain Thunderbolt (1952) during its initial release, Donaldson recognised its importance and advocated for its rescue.[35][36][37][38][39] The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia only held a shortened 53 minute TV version of the movie on 16mm film, until archivist and researcher Michael Organ located a complete 35mm print of the film in the National Czech Film Archive, Prague.[39][40][41]

Donaldson is also a long-time advocate[42][43][44][38] for the recognition of J.P. McGowan, who was born in Terowie, South Australia, and became Australia's first Hollywood star and later Executive Secretary of the American Screen Directors Guild.[45] Donaldson is described as "a McGowan fanatic, collecting movies, slides, magazines, photos, anything that gives him a glimpse of JP".[46] He was also involved in the Terowie Days of Rail and Screen (2000–2010), where McGowan's films were celebrated,[47][48] and presented a program of McGowan films at the Eveleigh Railway Film Festival 2012[49][50].

While in Sydney, Donaldson also operated Filmart Associates, a small distribution company providing imported 16 mm prints for non-theatrical exhibition. Films for hire included Riefenstahl's Olympia (1938), Carné's Le jour se lève (1939), Comencini's comedy Pane, amore e fantasia (1953) and Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953) by Jacques Tati[9][51][52][53][54]. In the 1970s, Donaldson and his wife Rose Donaldson re-established Filmart in Prospect, Adelaide, lending 16mm films[55] and later also distributing DVDs.[47][56]

An advocate for screening 16mm films, he is also a collector of film prints and traded films, equipment and ephemera with other collectors[57][58], frequently advertising in collectors' magazines.[59][60]

Donaldson has an interest in magic lantern slides, has attended conventions of the Magic Lantern Society of the US and Canada[61] and contributed to its newsletter.[62] In 2018, at the conference The Magic Lantern in Australia and the World, he presented the 16 mm documentary Reg Perry remembers (1977)[63], about the Salvation Army's Limelight Department.[64]

Other interests

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In 2024, to celebrate his 94th birthday, Donaldson donated $94,000 to Climate 200, supporting independent candidates for parliament and environmental policy[65][66].

Personal life

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Donaldson was married to Rose Mignon Williams (1931–2013).[67] They have four children[67].

References

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  1. ↑ "News from Broken Hill: Coroner's finding". The Recorder (Port Pirie). 14 July 1936. p. 3.
  2. ↑ "Farewell to Magistrate". The Recorder (Port Pirie). 16 January 1939. p. 4.
  3. ↑ "Maud Mary Donaldson". Geni.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Mrs. R. Donaldson to visit England". Barrier Miner (Broken Hill). 21 September 1935. p. 7.
  5. ↑ "The Churchills of England: Mrs. Donaldson's address to C.W.A. conference". Dubbo Dispatch. 25 September 1942. p. 4.
  6. ↑ "Mrs. R. Donaldson back from 13 months' tour: Heard guns mark opening of of Abyssinian war". Barrier Miner (Broken Hill). 30 November 1936. p. 1.
  7. ↑ "Prize List, 1947" (PDF). The Sydneyan. 321: 10. July 1948.
  8. ↑ "Debating Society" (PDF). The Sydneyan. 320: 53. November 1947.
  9. 1 2 3 "9. David Donaldson interviewed by Bruce Hodson". National Library of Australia Oral History and Folklore collection. 15 July 1994.
  10. ↑ "Report of the Senate of the University of Sydney for the year ended 31st December, 1952". Calendar of the University of Sydney for the year 1954. Sydney: A.H. Pettifer Government Printer. 1954. pp. 949–1071.
  11. ↑ Donaldson, David (October 2014). "Hearing from John Flaus". Senses of Cinema (72).
  12. 1 2 3 4 Turner, John (2018). "David Donaldson". The history of Australian film societies and their contribution to Australian social and cultural life: A body of worshippers. Park Orchards: Australian Council of Film Societies. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-0-646-98532-9.
  13. ↑ Ryan, Peter Allen (1972). "Administrative College". Encyclopedia of Papua and New Guinea. Vol. 1. Carlton: Melbourne University Press in association with the University of Papua and New Guinea. pp. 2–3. ISBN 9780522840254.
  14. ↑ "People: Mr. David Donaldson". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 35, no. 11. 1 November 1964. pp. 128–129. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Why choose Somare Institute of Leadership and Governance". Silag.ac.pg. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Toner, Jim (December 2005). "News from the Northern Territory" (PDF). Una Voce Journal of the Papua New Guinea Association of Australia. 2005 (4): 6–7.
  17. 1 2 Ollivain, Hope (9 November 2021). "Magic and McCarthyism: The forgotten history of campus film societies". Honi Soit. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  18. 1 2 Turner, John (2018). "Sydney University Film Group". The history of Australian film societies and their contribution to Australian social and cultural life: A body of worshippers. Park Orchards: Australian Council of Film Societies. pp. 139–147. ISBN 978-0-646-98532-9.
  19. 1 2 Webber, Pauline (2005). History of the Sydney Film Festival 1954–1983. MA Thesis. University of Technology Sydney.
  20. ↑ Donaldson, David (2013). "The Films of the First Festival". Sydney Film Festival Living Archive. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  21. ↑ Stevens, Kirsten (2016). "Enthusiastic amateurs: Origins of Australia's film festival movement". Australian film festivals: Audiences, place, and exhibition culture. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 17–46. ISBN 978-1-137-58637-7.
  22. ↑ Kaufmann, Tina (May 2003). "Looking Back, Looking Forward: The Sydney Film Festival at 50". Senses of Cinema. 26.
  23. ↑ Hope, Cathy; Dickerson, Adam (30 December 2014). "'Films for the intelligent layman': The origins of the Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals (1952-1958)". Screening the Past. 19.
  24. ↑ Turner, John (2018). "Sydney Film Festival". The history of Australian film societies and their contribution to Australian social and cultural life: A body of worshippers. Park Orchards: Australian Council of Film Societies. pp. 382–383. ISBN 978-0-646-98532-9.
  25. ↑ Sydney Film Festival: 4–15 June 2025. SFF: The bigger picture (PDF). Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  26. 1 2 3 Turner, John (2018). "Appendices". The history of Australian film societies and their contribution to Australian social and cultural life: A body of worshippers. Park Orchards: Australian Council of Film Societies. pp. 500–516. ISBN 978-0-646-98532-9.
  27. ↑ Tomsic, Mary (2004). "Letters, Films and Friends: Women's involvement in the Victorian film society movement". Lilith: A Feminist History Journal. 13: 80–92.
  28. ↑ French, Lisa; Poole, Mark. "Cinephiles and true believers: The AFI in the 1950s and 1960s". Metro Magazine. 160: 110–118.
  29. ↑ "Committee and Founding Members". South Australian Federation of Film Societies: Adventures in motion. 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  30. ↑ "Office holders". Journal of the Photographic Preservation Society (S.A.) Inc. 1: 3. 1998.
  31. ↑ Moorhouse, John (1999). "Presidents report - to A.G.M. September 8, 1998". Annual of the Photographic Preservation Society of S.A. Inc. 2: 3.
  32. ↑ Turner, John (2018). "South Australia". The history of Australian film societies and their contribution to Australian social and cultural life: A body of worshippers. Park Orchards: Australian Council of Film Societies. pp. 267–270. ISBN 978-0-646-98532-9.
  33. ↑ Donaldson, David (4 August 2015). "How They Rescued 'The Kid Stakes' – The Story of an Australian Silent Saved by Students in the 1950s". 4:3.
  34. ↑ Brady, John (14 December 2012). "The history of silent classic The Kid Stakes". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  35. ↑ Lambert, Anthony (2014). "The search for Captain Thunderbolt: An interview with David Donaldson". Studies in Australasian Cinema. 5 (1): 81–87.
  36. ↑ Donaldson, David (February 2014). "Looking for Captain Thunderbolt (Cecil Holmes, 1953)". Senses of Cinema. 70 (published March 2014). Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  37. ↑ Maguire, Danielle (8 September 2015). "Gallery: Finding the lost Thunderbolt films". The Armidale Express. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  38. 1 2 Harris, Paul (23 February 2018). "23- Stephen Sondheim / David Donaldson [interviews]". Film Buffs Forecast. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  39. 1 2 Organ, Michael (18 September 2023). "Captain Thunderbolt 1951". Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  40. ↑ Groenewegen, Stephen (27 September 2024). "Captain Thunderbolt rides again". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  41. ↑ Donaldson, David (June 2025). "How they discovered the print of Captain Thunderbolt". Reel Deals. June 2025: 8–9. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  42. ↑ "The railroad man" (PDF). City of Prospect Magazine: 8. March 2014.
  43. ↑ "Wed February 2th – A Friends' 'SPECIAL': JP McGowan: Hollywood's first Australian" (PDF). Friends of the National Film and Sound Archive Inc. Newsletter. 33: 6. October 2015.
  44. ↑ Donaldson, David (15 February 2016). "The career of Hollywood pioneer JP McGowan". National Film and Sound Archive. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  45. ↑ Mayer, Geoff (December 2017). "The Railroad Man: Hollywood's First Australian. The Adventurous Life of J.P. McGowan by John J. McGowan". Senses of Cinema (85). Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  46. ↑ Black, Elisa (27 February 2011). "The Terowie tearaway". Sunday Mail (SA). Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  47. 1 2 "Stunt love: Press kit" (PDF). Closer Productions, South Australia. 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  48. ↑ "Terowie's Days of Rail and Screen Easter 2006". Reel Deals (Advertisement). September 2005: 10. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  49. ↑ Kaufman, Tina (22 February 2012). "Cinema Heritage: Eveleigh Rail Film Festival". REDWatch. Retrieved 14 July 2026.
  50. ↑ Eveleigh Railway Film Festival: Program. Sydney: Rail, Tram and Bus Union of NSW. 2012.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  51. ↑ "Records of the Canberra Film Centre: Correspondence (File 8a) (NLA MS 1751)". National Library of Australia. 1957.
  52. ↑ "Classified Advertisements. Film–30 good 16mm films". Nation: 19. 23 May 1959.
  53. ↑ Hope, Cathy. A history of the Sydney and Melbourne Film Festivals, 1945-1972: Negotiating between culture and industry (Thesis). University of Canberra. p. 25.
  54. ↑ Tuart, Adrienne (2022). "Putting Italy back on the map: Diasporic cinema audiences in post-war Sydney". Schermi: Storie e culture dei cinema e dei media in Italia. 4 (12): 55–73.
  55. ↑ Donaldson, David (1 December 1980). "Alternative to the Box". The Prospecter (Fitzroy, SA). p. 10.
  56. ↑ Donaldson, David (December 2000). "Filmart Adelaide". Reel Deals (Advertisement). December 2000: 8.
  57. ↑ "Information Sheet 32 – Films and Projectors Marketplace" (PDF). Federation of Victorian Film Societies. December 2024. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  58. ↑ Day, Eric. "Adelaide Photographic Market 1996". Photographic Trader. 62.
  59. ↑ Donaldson, David (December 2000). "Features - Shorts for Summer". Reel Deals (Advertisement). December 2000: 38.
  60. ↑ Donaldson, David (December 2025). "Aust Classic Doco [...]". Reel Deals. December 2025: 28.
  61. ↑ "Convention 2018 highlights: Victoria BC". Magic Lantern Society News: 2. June 2018.
  62. ↑ Donaldson, David (November 2016). "Archive in the Spotlight: The Malle (sic) Scrub series". Magic Lantern Society US and Canada News: 5.
  63. ↑ "Reg Perry Remembers – Title Version". National Film and Sound Archive Catalogue. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  64. ↑ The Magic Lantern in Australia and the World (PDF). National Film and Sound Archive & Australian National University. September 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2026.
  65. ↑ McIlroy, Tom (1 February 2025). "A 94-year-old among the biggest financial backers of Climate 200". Australian Financial Review. p. 3.
  66. ↑ "Donor profile: David Donaldson". Political gadgets: Australian political transparency tools. Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  67. 1 2 "Rose Mignon Donaldson (Williams)". Geni.com. Retrieved 17 June 2026.

Category:Film Category:Cinema Category:Film Festival Category:Sydney Category:Australia Category:Adelaide Category:Broken Hill Category:16mm film Category:University of Sydney alumni Category:Papua New Guinea

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