janey33 I can't believe I've finally found others that have seen this excellent movie. Like almost everyone else here, I saw it as a B-movie feature when I was nine years old, and no, I cannot remember what the other film was! I was blown away by this, as was the rest of my family and I have been searching the internet for ages for any other references to it. I too, thought it was an Australian film and the images that so many of you remember, such as the leaflet drop and the ostrich egg still make me shiver when I think of them. I have never seen this film on any British television channel but as the title had been changed, I would not have noticed it in the TV listings as I had forgotten the boy's name. I'll be looking to buy a copy to show to my son and my husband and maybe I'll write to the TV companies in the hope that they will show it again soon. A truly memorable film that definitely deserves a wider audience!

owen-170 I saw this film as a double bill with 'The Golden Voyage Of Sinbad' back in 1974, with my father when I was growing up in Sutton Surrey. As an 8 year old it had an enduring impact on me. I then remember seeing it again in 1980 one Monday afternoon on TV - which confirms it was broadcast on British television at least once. I'm still searching for a copy on DVD which I believe is available now after all these years. It's a shame that this film of a boys survival & a fathers determination to find him has been largely forgotten now. It was powerful as a children's film, but certainly rises above a lot of the pointless movies made for children these days. I'm looking forward to finding a copy very soon. Regards

wolfgirlkorky I watched this film as a 5 yr old and as i grew up i thought i'd dreamt it yrs ago,it had so affected me, and as an adult i tried to find it and like so many others i didn't no what it was called. so i searched for it for about a year and was so happy when found it, i was 38, so my search was finally over,i bought it from a south African shop thru the internet,it was quite good as i had to pay in rands and i had never done that before . it was on video and i couldn't wait for it to arrive, i think you can now but it on DVD,it was totally weird watching it as an adult and i loved it so much i watched it twice...back to back. i am so glad i am not the only person who was thoroughly affected by this film ... my daddy loves he'll come and find me ( that sentence still sends shivers thru me) thanks ... and it was doubled with oliver twist ...

wayne-324 I have just finished watching the film "Duma" on one of the movies channels on Homechoice in the UK and throughout kept having flashes of a film I half remembered which I saw as a kid. At first I thought "Duma" must be a remake but there were too many deviations.After a phone call to South Africa and a lot of arguing my Mother reminded me that as a kid we saw a movie called "Dirkie" at the drive-in in Joh'burg. I wasn't even at school and she has never yet managed to remember both plot and title. I was sure she was wrong. I'd never heard of "Dirkie" and then I looked up the title on the Internet and had a great time reading all the comments. I too remember this poor kid being chased by ostriches and getting stung by a scorpion. And walking for ever through the sand. Were the chapped lips and mouth that was stuck together the reason there was so little dialogue? Or was it that the boy was Afrikaans-speaking and the movie was being sold outside of SA?So if you want to watch something similar (or perhaps you're a home-sick South African sitting in a freezing cold London) I recommend "Duma". It is a kid's movie but very touching. I think I'll have to find an excuse to watch it again.