Page 8 - untitled

CINEMARECORD

However, Ringwood's first hall was the Mechanics Institute, built The hall was later to be demolished to make way for a modern
in 1909 on the same site, the corner of Whitehorse Road and community centre. While I never had personal acquaintance with
Melbourne Street. This was later replaced by the much more tbe original hall, 1 have screened films in the modem venue that
substantial Town HaLl building in 1927 with the addition of a new replaced it and which boasts an extraordinary and quite unique
theatre and smaller concert hall in 1936. It was in this theatre that raked seating structure that can be wheeled to the rear of the hall
regular film screenings were later held. The theatre had a seating and actually folded up out of the way for other functions!
capacity of 753. By the start of the 1960s regular shows were still
occurring, the last operator being a "W. Baker··. Over the years, Progress Hall , Boronia
as an independent, Ringwood was linked ro the Box Hill cinemas
who ··switched .. films with it and. it"s believed. actually operated
its screenings for some period of time. Roscoe ·Roc· Kirby (of
R.H. Kirby Theatres and later, founder of Village Roadshow) ran
Ringwood at one stage. his brother Kingsley actually working the
theatre for a while.
Mechanics Institute, Warrandyte

Today the local Rotary Club manages the old Progress Hall on
Boronia Road close to the railway station. Despite vandals'
attempts to burn it down several years ago, the old hall still
survives in all its relative magnificence. a substantial tin1ber and
plaster hall that was ofticially opened for duty on 5th February
1926. Inside today, it has been carefully restored and is a worthy
reminder of what picture-going would have been like many years
ago. Complete with a stage and projection box it would doubtless
Although it's rather off our route of theatre exploration, brief have seared around 400 or more in its heyday.
mention might be made of the old Mechanics Institute Hall which
Today the biobox is inaccessible. the original internal stair having
still stands as a reminder of the typical, fairly primitive venue that
been removed to prevent intrepid climbers reaching it. Having
served its small rural community as an all-purpose entertainment
projected tilm in the Progress Hall. I can attest to its auractiveness
centTe.
as a venue for both screening and viewing films. After the demise
More commonly known as the Warrandyte Hall. the Mechanics of the Boronia Hall as a cinema. tilm shows were transferred to a
Institute is a weatherboard structure built on Warrandyte's main purpose-built cinema in the fonn of the Electra. built across the
road near to the river crossing over the Yarra. The Wanandyte railway line in Dorset Road and opened in 1952. The Electra.
Hall was never more than an occasional home for film shows for which is outside the scope of this history of early cinema~. would
the cinema had to compete with everything from public meetings last until its redevelopment as the Village Twin Cinemas in 1979.
to amateur dramatics, the latter being its chief activity in later
years. The Loyalty, Upper Ferntree Gully
The picture shows were operated by an independent exhibitor
using. it's believed. only 16mm projection gear. The hall seated
something in the order of 180 people.
Public Hall, Ringwood East

Once again, with an independent exhibitor operating it. the Public
Hall was adjacent to the railway station and was only an
occasional venue insofar as film shows were concerned. The hall
saw more activity with live theatrical shows and community
events in its later years, ending its days early in the 1960s (when I
acquired one row of its much worn and decrepit theatre seats:
original batten-mounted, iron framed dating from around 1925!).
Public Hall , Bayswater
From personal acquaintance I can recall the Loyalty screening
The Bayswater Public Hall was situated on Mountain Highway in
films in the middle 1960s: in fact it was not to close until 1973.
Bayswater. close to the rai lway station. It was operated by an
The Loyalty was situated at 3 Rose Street, Upper Ferntree Gully,
independent exhibitor and seated 150 or so. It ceased film
just off Burwood Highway. It was opened in 1939 and was a
screenings in the early 1960s. At the end it was being operated by
stadium-type building. Jt was owned and operated by Laurie
a ·'w. Baker and Mrs A.E. Haynes". Little seems to be known
Peters who also r.an the cinema at Upwey. In 1961 Film Weekly
about its operations.
recorded the exhibitor as Roy Farmer. T he Loyalty offered
8