Production still of young Greg Rowe as Storm Boy sitting in his darkened humpy. His face is lit by a lamp.
https://nginx-develop-nfsa2.govcms7.amazee.io/sites/default/files/article/hero_image03-2017/memory_of_storm_boy_blog_hero.jpg

Memories of Storm Boy

BY
 Beth Taylor

 

BY BETH TAYLOR

WARNING: this article contains names, images or voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Some films have the power to stay in people's hearts, long after the credits roll. Storm Boy is undoubtedly one of those. Decades after its release in 1976, multiple generations are still moved by the beautiful friendship between Storm Boy and Mr Percival, the pelican. Many saw it as a child - in school on a rainy day, or at home on television. They can recall the beauty of the Coorong wilderness and the tears they shed when Mr Percival was... well, you know what happens.

We're celebrating Storm Boy with an online curated collection. Explore them and enjoy behind-the-scenes materials, interviews with Greg 'Storm Boy' Rowe and David Gulpilil on The Mike Walsh Show, and even a brand new interview we did with Greg from his home in Toronto.

https://nginx-develop-nfsa2.govcms7.amazee.io/sites/default/files/11-2016/pelians_beingfed_539985_cropped2.jpg
“

It was a life-shaping moment and it'll always be a part of me.

Greg Rowe, Storm Boy
”

Why we love Storm Boy

Greg Rowe was 11 years old when he played Storm Boy and remembers the whole experience fondly. He says 'The film is timeless. The wilderness and overtones of native Australian culture give it a spiritual quality'.

Was it the beauty of the scenery? The childhood sense of freedom and endless possibilities? The melancholy that lurks behind Storm Boy's seemingly happy life?

It's hard to tell, but the film was a run-away success. It sold to 100 countries and grossed $2,645,000 in Australia alone (which is equivalent to over $14 million today).

As well as being popular with people of all ages, the film is a dream come true for educators who have used it as a way to ignite kids’ interest in studying the ocean.

Storm Boy
Australian Flim

More to explore