Cinesound Review: Kidnap!

This 1960 newsreel, narrated by newsreader Brian Henderson, was made shortly after the kidnapping of 8-year-old Graeme Thorne, who was taken not far from his family home in Bondi on his way to school. This case of child kidnapping and ransom was the first in Australia and had people across the country, particularly in Sydney's surrounding suburbs, horrified that something like this could happen so close to home.

The boy's father, Basil Thorne, had just won £100,000 (equivalent to around $3 million dollars in 2018) in the Sydney Opera House Lottery. Privacy laws protecting the identity of lottery winners were not yet in existence and so Basil Thorne's photograph and personal details were printed in the newspaper at the time of his win.

After the kidnapping and murder of Graeme Thorne, the rules of the lottery were changed so that winners could opt to remain anonymous.