"Thar She Blows" - a film history of Cook Strait Whaling

BACKGROUND

The 21st of December 2024 marked exactly sixty years since the last humpback whale was harpooned in Cook Strait by the Perano whalers. That marked the end of whaling in Aotearoa, an industry that flourished in Marlborough for 130 years.

The time has come to make the definitive documentary film telling the remarkable story of Cook Strait whaling – an industry that enthralled a growing Marlborough province and contributed significantly to life in the Sounds, Picton and Blenheim through much of the twentieth century.

The film will tell from the earliest days, when Jacky Guard brought the first whale back to his Tory Channel base, through to the 21st of December 1964, when the last whale was harpooned by gunner Trevor Norton. Between those times are so many rich stories, including –

• The shipwreck, kidnapping and rescue of Jacky’s wife Betty Guard;
• “Black Jack” White and the American whalers in Cloudy Bay;
• The demise of whaling in  the 1840s as numbers dwindled;
• The introduction of motorised whale chasers in 1911;
• The establishment of the Perano whale station in Tory Channel;
• The bitter 1920s whaling feud between Perano brothers;
• Wartime whaling as an essential industry;
• The remote life of whaling wives and children;
• The innovative whale processing machinery built by Cuddon Engineering;
• The whaling ships “Tuatea” and Orca”;
• The decline and eventual end of whaling in 1964;
• The whaler’s return for the annual DOC whale surveys;
• The restoration by DOC of the abandoned Perano whale station;
• The legacy of whaling today in Picton and the Sounds.

These and other tales will weave into a fascinating and important Marlborough story.

Dr Paul Davidson of Bytesize Productions is well placed to make this film. Paul is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with several hundred productions to his name, many of these on Marlborough subjects.  He has also spent several years filming the annual whale survey on Cook Strait, researched and acquired rights to rare archival footage, and himself shot many hours of unseen interviews with past whaling men and women of Marlborough. He is also the current President of Marlborough Historical Society, with excellent contacts and access to local historians and whaling families.

Well-known local historians John Orchard and Barry Holdaway will ensure historical integrity, while talented filmmaker Keelan Walker of Loud Noise Media will assist with cinematography, drone footage and a Maori perspective. Other crew will come as required from the many talents of the TOTS (Top of The South) Film Collective.

Resources available include the late Don Grady’s comprehensive book “The Perano Whalers of Cook Strait” which is a principal reference, plus rights to excellent 1950s colour footage shot by the Peranos’ accountant Owen Webb.  Other information and support will come from Captain Paul Keating of Sounds Eco-Tours, John and Robyn Cuddon and the Heberley, Norton, Keenan, Guard, Perano and other whaling families.  Marine Biologist Nadine Bott will contribute much from the whales’ perspective and discuss the impact of past whaling.  The production will also call on the knowledge and support of Marlborough Historical Society, archivist Wendy Simonsen, the Te Papa Tohora project and the Picton Whaling and Heritage Museum. The project also has the blessing of Screen Marlborough.

FILM FUNDING

Due to the large stock of existing film footage, the major part of the production cost is in research, editing and release, with a relatively small amount of new filming required. The overall cost is estimated to be some $42,000 expended over 5 months.

This submission seeks a grant of $10,000 from the Arts, Culture and Heritage budget of Marlborough District Council as a contribution to the cost of this important and over-due telling of a significant Marlborough story.

The balance of funding will be sought from community funding bodies, grant providers, commercial sponsors and private funders with an interest in the project.

 "Thar She Blows" will be a fascinating and engaging story of great interest to Marlburians of all ages - and to a general New Zealand audience. The time has come to do it.

The story of Cook Strait whaling has been documented in a number of books. Several short films from the National Film Unit newsreels have also touched on the daily life of whaling men. 

However the whole story from the 1820's has never been told, especially not in filmed form. It is time to do that - especially as the number of persons who actually worked in the industry is rapidly decreasing - and will soon be gone forever. Their first-person stories, if lost, can never be regained.

Paul Davidson of Bytesize Productions is well placed to make this film. Paul is an award-winning documentary filmmaker with several hundred productions to his name, many of these on Marlborough subjects.  He has also spent several years filming the annual whale survey on Cook Strait, researched and acquired rights to rare archival footage, and himself shot many hours of unseen interviews with past whaling men and women of Marlborough. He is also the current President of Marlborough Historical Society, with excellent contacts and access to local historians and whaling families.

Paul’s formal qualifications include a Doctorate in Visual Arts and a Masters Degree in Media Production from Queensland College of Arts in Brisbane.  Significant feature-length documentaries he has completed include “Giving It All Away” – the biography of philanthropist adventure Sir Roy McKenzie; “Mining Women” – about a bitter Queensland industrial dispute; “Helen’s Story” – a bicultural story of cancer, courage and whanau; “The Furthest Lantern” – five Irish Nuns and their Kiwi legacy.  Specific Marlborough productions include “The Final Flight” – the unique Safe Air story; “VintageMarlborough” – the world famous Wine Festival; “The Kaikoura UFOs” – those world-famous events of 1978; and most recently “Making Marlborough” – an acclaimed look at the diverse migrants, past and present, who make up this special place.

We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you at the World Premiere of "Thar She Blows" later in 2025 – all going well!