1 min 18 sec

Taken from the historical footage Naming of the Federal Capital of Australia: The Ceremony (1913)

Original title classification not rated – this clip chosen to be G

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Please note: this clip is silent

Curator’s clip description

Lady Denman, the wife of the governor-general, officially announces the name of Australia’s capital city as Canberra. Rounds of applause and cheering can be witnessed from the crowd.

Curator’s notes

Lady Denman announced the name of Australia’s capital city at midday on March 12, 1913. The etymology of the word Canberra comes from the language of the Ngunnawal people (the traditional Indigenous people of the region), and means ‘meeting place’.

Men in the on-looking crowd can be seen lifting their hats in celebration, and seem to do so at the prompt of a ‘three cheers’ from the MC.

Lauren Williams, curator

australian screen