![]() They express their contempt for the Brits during a rugby game near the Pyramids. Moving forward to a few months later in July 1915, Frank and his three mates are in Egypt for training, encamped near the Pyramids, and spending their free time in Cairo, drinking, haggling with local merchants and visiting brothels. At this point, Frank and Archy are separated as Archy goes off on one transport ship with the Light Horse, and Frank and his three friends board another ship. Many of the motivations that compelled young men to join up appear: the propaganda associated with German atrocities in Belgium, the sense of adventure, the attraction of a smart uniform and the pressure from society to "do your bit." After enlisting, they are quickly embarked on a transport ship bound for the Mideast. ![]() He cannot ride, so he joins the infantry instead with three old mates in similar straits: Billy (Robert Grubb), Barney (Tim McKenzie) and Snowy (David Argue), who used to work with him along the railway line. ![]() Frank, who is of Irish descent, has little desire to fight for the British however, bonds of mate-ship make him try for the Light Horse with Archy. After meeting a camel rider who points them in the direction of Perth, Archy and Frank stop for the night at a nearby cattle station, and from there they travel by train to Perth itself where they shack up with Frank's father who still resides there. Archy immediately sets off while Frank chases behind in an attempt to persuade him to stay, reminding him that they could die in the desert much as members of the Burke and Wills expedition did. The station attendant informs them that they could either wait two weeks for the next train or walk 50 miles across the dry lake bed to reach a location with more frequent service. However, as they awoke the next morning, they discover the train had stopped at a remote desert station instead of Perth. As Archy and Frank are penniless, they secretly hop on a freight train. Unfortunately, since Archy is underage, Frank suggests they travel to Perth on the west coast, where he is unknown, in order to enlist. At a local tearoom, Archy meets with Frank and explains to him that he wants to join the Army and get involved in the war. Archy goes to a recruiting station to enlist, but is rejected by the local recruiter (who knows him) as he is underage (men have to be 21 or older to enlist). Jack reluctantly lets Archy go to enlist, but tells him that he does not expect him to return home. He gives Jack all the prize money that he won, but keeps his winning medal as well as Jack's stopwatch. After the race, Archy tells Jack that is is not coming home, but wants to enlist to flight in the war. He's a fast runner though, and tries to get some prize money at the athletics carnival race, but is defeated by young Archy, coming in second. Meanwhile, Frank Dunne (Mel Gibson) is an erstwhile railway laborer who is definitely down on his luck. ![]() Eventually, Archy and Jack journey to the athletics carnival in the nearby town. Archy's political beliefs are influenced as well, as he hears several conversations taking place that convince him of the need to join the military. A passage where Mowgli reaches manhood, loses his innocence, and must leave the family of wolves that raised him is given particular prominence. During this time of recuperating at home, Jack reads 'The Jungle Book' to the younger children of the family as a bedtime story, when Archy walks up and listens at the door. Les falls off his horse and Archy wins, but his feet are horribly mangled by the trek, with only a few days to recover for an athletics carnival. One day during a cattle roundup, Archy gets into an argument with a local rival and bully, Les McCann (Harold Hopkins), and they soon race against each other, under the condition that Archy will run bare-foot, and Les will ride his horse bareback. In the opening scene, Archy runs a 100-yard sprint while timed by Jack and comes in at 9.58 seconds. Since he can ride, young Archy wants to enlist in the Light Horse and be sent abroad to fight in the war as a duty of honor for his country. World War I has has been raging for a few months, and Australia is putting together regiments to help the British war effort. He is trained in sprinting by his uncle Jack (Bill Kerr) and idolizes Harry Lascelles, the world champion who ran a 100 yard sprint in less then 10 seconds. 18-year-old Archy Hamilton (Mark Lee) is an idealistic young Australian rancher with a talent for running sprints.
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