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HMAS DIAMANTINA Interactive DVD At long last! I am writing to you to advise you of the completion of the filming of the DVD on HMAS DIAMANTINA. I would appreciate it if you could give this some publicity on the web site. I firmly believe that we have managed to produce something that is well worthwhile. We were assisted, when we carried out the filming, by members of my own Sub-Section of the Naval Association and cadets from a local Naval Cadet Unit, T.S. Walrus. The staff of the Naval establishment here in Brisbane were also involved, helping us to dismantle the awnings that provide shade to visitors to the ship and helping us to erect them again once the filming was completed. I contributed a great deal of my own time and money to the preparation of this DVD, even before I began the task of finding the funding for its completion. Sponsorships from the Greenbank RSL Sub-Branch, the Services Club, individuals and ex-service groups in our region gained us $10,050.00 towards the cost of filming. Then, with the help of a grant of $35,000.00 from the Brisbane City Council's Community Grants Scheme, I engaged a very professional and enthusiastic film company, Video Media Productions, to do the filming. The result is a DVD that really brings the old ship to life. The Governor of Queensland has expressed her support for this initiative and I have had excellent responses to the viewings I have conducted. The completed DVD runs for approximately 32 minutes and the package contains a 22 page booklet which provides additional information about various aspects of Navy. The Queensland Maritime Museum has indicated that whey will purchase stocks for sale and I am approaching other outlets now with offers to resellers. I have also made an approach to the Queensland Minister for Education to ask for the Government's help in getting copies out to as many Queensland Schools as possible. The cadets who helped to bring the ship to life are of school age, so it will have appeal to the younger generation as well as those who have been associated with the ship at some time in the past. I wonder, also, if Governments in the other states might consider the DVD worthy of a place in the libraries of their schools. As you will see when you view the DVD, the film company gave this project enthusiastic support and managed to overspend the budget quite significantly. They have agreed to accept a share of the sales of the finished DVD to recover those extra costs. However, to just find sufficient funds to purchase the first 1,000 copies of the DVD, I have had to contribute a further $9,000.00 myself. That is on top of the time involved in the research for material and the costs involved in visits to other Museums here and overseas that I had already made, firstly to make contact and secondly, to gather ideas on how I should approach the subject. I am so confident that we have a very saleable product that I feel that the extra expense will be well justified in time. What makes this a valuable resource is the fact that through the DVD, even those who may never have an opportunity to come to Brisbane to view the ship in person, can now enjoy the chance to see her and go through her. Of course, just viewing the DVD may persuade those who may not have considered the idea until then to make the trip and see the old ship for themselves. As this ship is the last remaining example of this class of ship anywhere in the world, we expect that it will also find a ready market in places like the United Kingdom, Canada and America. I have already established connections with Maritime Museums in Britain and with an ex-service organisation in the USA. It was the ships from those countries that Hitler's U-Boats were targeting in mid-Atlantic and the losses were a threat to Britain's ability to carry on the fight. These River Class ships were designed to counter that threat and they succeeded, so there will be many old seafarers and relatives overseas who will have had reason to appreciate the experiences of those who sailed them. These ships also did sterling work in our own theatre of operations, the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Diamantina was, for many of our sailors, the first ship in which they experienced life afloat. Her service life was longer than that of any other ship so far commissioned into the RAN, so there will be many who have relatives and friends who knew her or served aboard her. This DVD provides a vivid reminder of what Navy and our service is all about. This DVD also serves as a reminder of the significance of our maritime heritage. As a committee, we are offering the finished DVD, through our Greenbank NAA Sub-Section, at a recommended retail price of $34.95, a price that is in line with the cost of most quality DVD's. As an alternative, if the Association wishes, they can purchase bundles of 50 of the DVD's for $17.50 each, so that they can then resell them at whatever price they think is fair to the members. Direct orders can be sent with payment by cheque or Money Order to myself, Brian Berry, PO Box 823, Browns Plains Q 4118. I look forward to your response. Yours sincerely
(Brian J. Berry)
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