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Cinema

in Mansfield

By Eddie Revell

Gateway to Victoria’s famed ‘High
Country’the township of Mansfield
escaped to the Movies in a Variety of
Venues. Mansfield Public Hall.

MANSFIELD PUBLIC HALL In an issue of the Mansfield outright in 1930 and it then became
Courier in June 1913, M.F.Malouf known as the Soldiers Hall.
The Oddfellows Hall at 26
and Co. announced that they intended
Highett Street, Mansfield (Vic.), had In 1931 Doug Burns and Ern
to hold “picture shows” every
been built for the Manchester Unity Hornby, who were in partnership in a
Tuesday, showing “10,000 feet of new
Independent Order Of Oddfellows. motor garage in Mansfield, took over
and up to date Moving Pictures”in the running of the Returned Soldiers
Constructed on land donated by
the Public Hall. Seemingly, it was a Pictures.
the Smith Brothers of the nearby
great success, as subsequent
Mansfield Hotel, the foundation stone With the introduction of “talkies”,
advertising soon after thanked the
was laid on July 21, 1891 and the hall Doug Burns proved his adaptability to
people for their liberal patronage.
was finally opened on November 17, the new era, and became somewhat of
Again, after the First World War,
1892. a pioneer when he perfected the
an advertisement appeared in October adaption of a sound head to operate on
Around the turn of the century the
1919, announcing that from the silent projectors.
Oddfellows Hall changed its name to
November, film would again be
the Mansfield Public Hall.
screened in the Hall.
Mr. F.J.Fowler came from
Geelong and under the name of
Fowler’s Pictures commenced
screening on November 1st 1919 with
a Grand Opening program featuring
“Wild And Wooly” with Douglas
Fairbanks and “Her Own People” with
Lenore Ulrich. Prices were: 1/- and 2/-
reserved. With Council supplying the
electricity for the showing of pictures
every Saturday night, Fowlers Pictures
continued operating in the Public Hall
until 1923.
After the war, the R.S.L. was
formed and their meetings were held in
the hall. In October 1923, the R.S.L.
took over the running of the pictures
and purchased the plant and rights for
£175, and they became known as the
Returned Soldiers Pictures. The
Doug Burns at the
Returned Soldiers Pictures. R.S.L. finally purchased the building
20 2002 CINEMARECORD