Page 19 - untitled

1966 CAPRI INTERIOR

33a. Addition to "N-E Cinemas and Halls" by Stan Gunn

The following is additional information to the article in the last issue of CinemaRecord by Gerry Kennedy and
crew.

If anyone has anything further to add please do so. It all helps to put together the total picture. We are after all
an "Historical Society" and every little bit helps.

Nagambie Mechanics Institute: The front hall is the oldest hall and still has the original silent film bio-box in
it. At the street end of the hall there are two rooms. The left hand room is the silent movie box and has one
porthole. There is a doorway through to the newer hall at the back, and the old hall was used as a candy bar for
the new one which was built in the late 1930's or early 1940's. The new hall was built with a 3 port bio-box and
an extra rewind room beside the box. Access was by a vertical ladder. The new hall was a single level with a flat
floor and a high stage and movable seating. The hall was also used for dances, having one of the best dance
floors in the district. Films were shown until the late 1950's. I had the honour of showing the last films there, in
16mm.

Numurkah: The projectors were positioned on swivel plates, and could be rotated 180 degrees, projecting
through the other set of portholes on the back of the bio-box for open-air showings outside the back of the hall.
Benalla Open-Air: Situated at the back of the old Regal. The front door of the Regal is where the gate for the
entrance to the open-air theatre was. All exits were lit with kerosene lamps, and the screen was off to the left
and the bio-box was off to the right, parallel to Bridge Road. The bio-box and screen were freestanding.

Benalla Town Hall: There was a balcony and the bio-box was on the right as you entered, above the balcony.
The floor was flat and the seating movable. The ticket box had an outstanding neon sign above it. The open-
air and the Town Hall stopped showing when the Regal was built by the McMillans of Shepparton

NEW MEMBERS

Since the last membership update in CinemaRecord No.6 (Feb '95) the following members have joined.
Horrle Randall Tim Armstrong Marjorie Powell Andrew Buttner Peter Garwood
Ron Toe Veronica Toe Jackie Pelhon Russell O'Regan Les Williams
Gordon Evans Simon Benz Robert Rogers Robert Heupt
Membership has been extended to T.O.S.A. (Vic. Division) and N.Z. Vintage Projection & Broadcasting
(Peter MacQuarters) on a magazine exchange basis, and to John Freeman, proprieter of the Carlton
Moviehouse. We hope you all have a long and happy membership.

19