Page 12 - CinemaRecord #10R.pdf

39. FROM MECHANICS INSTITUTE TO MULTIPLEX by Denzil Howson

The Border Cities of Albury and Wodonga are today a single complex with a combined population of more than
75,000, but it wasn't always so. According to Adeline Mims, the one time Silent Cinema pianist who addressed
CATHS at the Carlton Cinema recently, at the turn of the Century there was intense rivalry between the two
towns. Albury had a population of approximately 5,500, so Wodonga with 700 at that time was definitely the
poorer sister of the two, and the Murray River and the swampy River Flats were a practical barrier to crunch
commercial intercourse between the two towns.

As Adeline Mims says, "We lived in Wodonga. I never went to Albury!" If you can gauge the prosperity and the
growth of a centre by the size of its leisure activities and its amenities, then the Cinema history of Albury-
Wodonga is a window on the emergence of what today is one of Australia's most important and prosperous
business centres described as Australia's National Growth Centre.

The Mechanics Institute

So let's go back to the beginning. In 1862, the first Mechanics Institute Building in Albury's Dean Street was
opened. It was added to in 1882 and 1908, see accompanying photo.

The 1908 "new look" Mechanics Institute was opened in that year by Dame Nellie Melba, who at the time
suggested how wonderful it would be for Albury, if the building was re-named "Melba Hall" a suggestion which
apparently the Albury Council of the time forgot to follow up.

But in addition to the self-effacing Nellie, many other famous performers trod the boards at the old Mechanics
lnstiute (which at various times was also known as the "Plaza" and the "Civic Theatre"). Jasha Heifitz (then the
boy violinist), operatic soprano Amy Castles, Sydney born Leon Errol, who later achieved fame in Hollywood in
comedy character roles opposite Lupe Velez the Mexican Spitfire, and "Wee Willie Kerr': the Child Star, who as
Bill Kerr the Boy from Wagga Wagga had great success on the London Vaudeville stageand in British films,
who is now firmly established in our local film scene, all trod the boards at Albury's Mechanics Institute.

As the "Civic Theatre" the old Mechanics was still being used for professional stage presentations up to 1965,
when it was demolished to make way for the "Civic Square". In 1964, I saw a production of the Australian
Musical, "The Sentimental Bloke" with a J.C. Williamson cast at the Civic, and shortly after that, as the most
"un-famous" person to work there, I played Colonel Pickering in a production of "Pygmalian". I can assure you
the back-stage facilities were pretty basic.