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Picture Theatres in the Westernport District where he took photographs, was in Arthur Street. [Fred
Bryant] Then he invested in the talkies and bought a
From notes prepared by Bruce Bennett Names in brack- system on disc when it first came out but this separate
ets refer to source of information. sound-disc method was discontinued as amongst other
problems it was so d ifficult to synchronize and the sound
Sydney Herbert Edwards was born on 3 May 1866 at came to be put onto the fi lm. This outlay of money meant
Wrexham in Wales. He man·ied Louisa Christina Secritin he could not commence again and the machinery was too
from the house of Secritin in Lucerne and she was dis- cumbersome to transport. The Lawrence Brothers who
owned by her family. [J.Kippe] had a chain of movie halls using fast cars to convey the
He was a photographer in England prior to emigration in reels from one theatre to another in turn. Thus they could
1888 on the "Oruga". On arrival in Australia he serried run four halls at one time and the competition forced Sid
in Dandenong. He bought a horse and van and using the to retire. [J.Kippe] Sid died in 1951, aged 83.
camera , phonograph and records he brought out with
him from England he toured East Gippsland putting on
displays in local halls which he hired and takeing por-
trait photographs.[J.Kippcl He lived in Dandenong,
Raymond Island off Paynesville, Alberton and then Mel-
bourne Road in Hastings near the turn off to the cemetery
and then in Arthur Street where he named bis home
"Wrexham'· after his birthplace.
He worked at anything from a navy to a builder, from
making picture frames to making wireless sets. He came
to Hastings and worked on the construction of the
Cerberus Naval Depot in the 191O's, riding around each
day on his bike. He was local registrar of births and deaths
and caretaker of the hall.
He then went into black and white moving pictures at the
hall and expanded into Somerville and Pearcedale using
their halls. Wben Sid Edwards introduced moving pic-
tures to Hastings he brought "Skeeter" Sweet or Bedford
down from the city as projectionist. In his spare time Hastings Hall c 1940's
Skeeter opened the hairdressing business. [J.Kippe] There
was a Little pie shop in front of the theatre for a time in Sid's daughter Kate Gertrude was the supervisor of the
the 1930's. Sidney Edwards was working at the depot Sunday school in Hastings for many years. Sid's other
when he built the theatre opposite the hotel on a block he daughter Winnie took over from "Toots" Romeo and
bought in 1933 from Daniel Hoban. played piano at the pictures for many years.
Winnie Walker was born in Hastings in 1909. She was a
talented musician and played the piano at the silent films
and at dances and concerts all over the district. She was
still in demand in her eighties and died in her 90's re-
cently. She wrote that the "Golden days of my ·other life'
started on 27 March 1925 - the day I met VaJ St.Ciair.
one month and two days before my I 6th birthday.
l had just started a year·s comract playing for dances every
Saturday night with the bandmaster Frank Coxhead, of
F.N.O.l was also playing for the silent movies my father
ran two nights a week, Wednesday at Somerville, and
Friday at Hasti11gs. I also played on Wednesday and Sat-
urday afternoons at the dancing class. held over the road
from us, at the only boarding house in Hastings." She
lived in the first house after passing Graydon·s Road go-
ing south and husband George still lives there.
Lot 8 section A [title vol 665 fol 89G j. with its sawdust George Walker used to turn the handle of the projector, a
or wattle bark floor. which sloped down from tbe street job which had to be done properly or the projector would
towards the screen at the back. Fleas used to really come vibrate and this required standing there the whole time.
out of the seats which were just a frame of 4 x 2 timber They went to Somerville fortnightly. bur used the hall
and hessian [Bryant] ·'Grurf' Edwards. an iJTitable old post WW I LGee Walkerj There was a picture theatre in
bloke, was a photographer and had his house and theatre the drill hall at the Naval Depot run by Joe Sefton of the
on the site of the old bicycle shop. [Fred Bryant) He built Navy who was the projectionist. He used to dress as a
there rather than continue to pay rental at the hall where Chinese magician and show tricks. There was a big box
up to then he had been caretaker. His residence, ·'Pathe". of minties suspended above tl1e kids and he pulled a string

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