Beach Inspectors' 'Battle of Bikinis'

Models show the latest swimming costume fashions at the first annual beach inspectors' dinner in 1955.

Stan 'Mac' McDonald, head lifeguard and beach inspector at Bondi Beach from the 1910s to 1933, features in this newsreel segment. He was known as the 'King of Bondi'.

The commentary in this clip is laced with innuendo; at one point, the narrator likens swimsuit models to 'dishes on the menu'. The clip also references the practice of beach inspectors ordering bikini-clad women off the beach.

Bikinis were invented by French engineer Louis Reard in 1945. The style caused a big stir when it was first worn in Australia by 22-year-old showgirl Patricia Niland in Sydney's George Street several months later.

This newsreel segment comes from Cinesound Review No 1227.

Notes by Beth Taylor