Dorothy M. Maxey at Brisley School, 1964. Courtesy of Christine Roos
1967-1985
Female
Teacher
Dorothy Maxey was a schoolteacher and keen amateur naturalist whose filmmaking combined elements of her career in education and interest in the natural environment. As a member of the Women’s Institute, Maxey often shared her passion for nature and the environment with fellow members, giving a series of talks illustrated with images and recordings of birdsong.
After moving to Norfolk in the late 1950s, Maxey became a member of the Norfolk & Norwich Naturalists' Society, serving as President from 1977-78. Throughout this period, Maxey continued delivering lectures to local societies, often accompanied by her own Super-8 films, many of which are now held at the East Anglian Film Archive. The Maxey collection also contains several untitled reels depicting Maxey’s interest in breeding and showing Welsh Cob ponies, documenting the various stages involved in the breeding process.
The films Dereham Church Infants School 1971 (1971) and Children in their Environment (1978) document the day-to-day activities at the school in Dereham where Maxey worked. The latter film is educational in both form and content, resembling similar professionally made instructional films of the period. Accompanied by a voice-over provided by Maxey, this film combines footage of classroom-based activities, sports lessons, rehearsals for school plays, with trips to a local church, farm, fire station, and wildlife park. The film is indicative of others made by Maxey which draw upon her skills as an educator and keen amateur naturalist.
University of East Anglia (2023). 'Dorothy Maud Maxey.' Accessed 24 January 2023. https://www.uea.ac.uk/web/groups-and-centres/projects/women-in-focus
Amateur Cinema