And Their Ghosts May Be Heard

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1975, 50 Minutes.

The story about a group of disenchanted Australian workers who sailed to Paraguay in 1893 to set up a utopian society.

In 1893, leaving workers' strikes, a bitter depression and unemployment behind, a group of more than 200 Australian workers set sail for Paraguay, South America under the charismatic leadership of trade unionist William Lane. Their dream was to set up a utopian society, to be run along true communist lines and Australian principles of mateship and equality.

Through interviews with the descendants of those first settlers And Their Ghosts May Be Heard tells the story of how that dream floundered and ultimately failed. It also explores the strong Australian identity that has been passed down through the generations and follows the journey of the youngest grandson Peter Wood, who has returned to live in the land of his forefathers.

A Film Australia Production. © 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.