This amateur film shows one of the calendar highlights for York's River Ouse- the summer rally that is attended by boat owners and spectators alike. Title - Institute of Amateur cinematographers. Title - A member's film. On the exterior fence to the Museum gardens in York, a sign has been erected that reads, 'June 12 - Mystery plays - July 3'. A close up shows a souvenir programme to the 'Northern waterways association summer rally, York. 22nd to 28th June,...

This amateur film shows one of the calendar highlights for York's River Ouse- the summer rally that is attended by boat owners and spectators alike. Title - Institute of Amateur cinematographers. Title - A member's film. On the exterior fence to the Museum gardens in York, a sign has been erected that reads, 'June 12 - Mystery plays - July 3'. A close up shows a souvenir programme to the 'Northern waterways association summer rally, York. 22nd to 28th June, 1960', and the book opens up reveal a page with pictures of several boats taking part in the event. Lines of boats are moored against the banks of the River Ouse, and people in bathing costumes and summer wear wave to the camera. There are then views taken from Lendal Bridge, capturing a boat moored against the bank and a railway bridge further down the river. Still along the water way by Lendal Bridge, a woman in a blue summer dress stands on the deck of a wooden panelled motor boat as it turns round and pulls up to the bank to moor up. Further shots capture other boats coming in, and people sitting on the banks. Three men then stand together on the bank by their boats, leafing through the souvenir programme. A boat pulls in with a man waiting to jump off with the rope, while a dog lounges on the cabin roof. From the railway bridge opposite Lendal Bridge, the filmmaker captures an expansive view of river bank, where boats and people are starting to grow in number. Two bespectacled men in light summer wear walk towards the camera deep in conversation and, in the next shot, one of the men holds a large, cumbersome wooden clipboard. Again more views of the banks from Lendal Bridge, before boats begin to moor up between Bridge Street and Lendal Bridge, and a sign on the bank reads, 'River trips here'. Three men and a woman wearing swimming costumes stand on two square rafts lashed together in the middle of the river, with the following shots capturing people swimming in the river. From the river bank, the filmmaker captures views of people sitting on the grass watching as a five crew row boat goes by, and other shots show a row boat with a nine man crew speeding away from Ouse Bridge. A large family, spread out across the deck, drift past on another wooden panelled motor boat. The filmmaker shows a rowing crew taking a breather out on the river and a young couple talking in a dinghy. A wide view captures more rowing crews of various sizes going past, with a decent sized crowd assembled on the opposite side of the bank. Two boys dressed in sailors outfits eating ice lollies pose for the camera, before one boy hands his mother a copy of the programme. More shots capture rowing crews as they shoot past the camera under Ouse Bridge, which is busy with traffic. As more boats come in to moor up, shots capture the event organisers on the banks talking, while a crowd can be seen sitting on the grass behind. Views then show children swimming in the river, before a sequence captures the crowds in significant detail along the bank. Two men then have a play fight in the water; one of the men wears a policeman's uniform. A man is dragged using a lifesaving manoeuvre through the water by a male companion. More boats gradually begin to drift beneath Ouse Bridge, and a brief shot captures a man in a dark suit speaking into a microphone. Canoeists in fancy dress paddle in circles, before row boats packed with children - dressed up to look like savages - fill a small section of the river and board each other's boats, with one boy being knocked into the water. Boys in sailors costumes row a boat past the camera, towing a group of boys dressed as savages. A navy barge then progresses through the waters and pulls up alongside the bank by a crowd of people. The rope from the barge is tied to a tree and soldiers clamber along the rope to board the ship. Young women dressed in early 20th century garments, such as colourful blouses and large bonnets, pose on a boat for the camera, before young men and women pose for the camera in more American style clothing from a similar period. The filmmaker captures various portrait shots of the people in fancy dress on board the boat enjoying the day, and the boat drifts past the camera with the girls in costume waving at the crowd, who can be seen in large numbers along the grassy bank. On board the boat, the filmmaker captures the people in period clothing, and from the bank, as they drift past again. A naval officer talks to two women while smoking a cigarette and holding some documents in his other hand. A black Rolls Royce then drives past the camera carrying VIP's. Two women exit the vehicle wearing posh dress suits and hats, and are greeted by the lord mayor of York and some other local delegates; they stand around talking and greeting one another for a period of time. The VIPs then sit on wooden chairs set on an elevated bank above the river, and the following shots show boats travelling past Lendal Bridge and past VIP section, where the Lord Mayor of York tips his cap to them. A long series of boat pass by, and the people on the boats are visible as they stair back at the VIP box, some also wield cine cameras. The captain of a large motor boat with a pastel blue hull stands by the cabin and salutes as his vessel passes. From the perspective of a passing boat, the filmmaker captures the VIP section, before cutting immediate back to the view from the VIP box. A close up captures the Lord Mayor of York and a senior Naval officer chatting, before the special guests return to their Rolls Royce, with a chauffeur closing the door. The final shot shows the view from a stern of a boat that drifts beneath Lendal Bridge. Title - The end.