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Marvellous Memories

YOUR PERSONAL MEMORIES & REMINISCENCES OF AUSTRALIAN THEATRES

Earlier this year, during the Borovansky Ballet. There was always Later there were Saturday
CATHS “Gippsland Tour” we visited a new show to see - Evie Hayes in afternoons as well - I was a typical city
the hall at Toora that had been the ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ and ‘South child growing up in the forties - with
local picture show. Our visit Pacific’ in the first week of its run. occasional trips to the St. Kilda’s
prompted Shirley Westaway from the We lived within walking distance Memorial Theatre (the Memo) in
Toora Hall committee to send in a of the Palais and Victory theatres at Acland Street for the horror shows.
few of her childhood recollections… St. Kilda where Friday night was Don't know why I went because I spent
★ From Shirley Westaway, Toora: family night. The program always most of the time sitting on the floor
began with a newsreel, and at the end with my eyes shut. At interval we'd
It was great meeting you all at
of 1939 there were graphic films of head for the Tientsen Café to buy dim-
Toora and my memory box has been
the war in Europe. We sat in the stalls sims with pickled onions from the deli.
ticking over ever since. Reading your
of the Palais Theatre in St. Kilda. My
magazine CinemaRecord, sent it in to
mother, my father and me - seven
overdrive as more and more memories
years old. The only sound in that huge
came flooding back of all the
theatre filled to capacity was the film
Melbourne theatres I remember and
showing the sinking of the mighty
the shows I'd seen.
German battleship Graf Spee. In the
My mother (born 1905) had a
awful human silence I clapped my
starstruck grandmother who took her
hands and shouted hooray. After all,
to all opening and closing nights of
the Germans were the baddies. My
every show - sixpenny seats in the
father turned to me and without
gods - until she married and it's not
lowering his voice, growled “Those Padua Theatre
surprising that my mother introduced
ships are filled with men like me who
me to the same experiences.
have little girls like you. Don’t ever Staying with a loved Coburg
So I saw Viola Tait in ‘The
do that again!” cousin, there were matinees at “the
Dancing Years’, Gladys Moncrieff in
A few months later he sailed from Proee”, the (West Coburg) Progress
‘Rio Rita’ and ‘The Merry Widow’, the
Port Melbourne to chase Rommel’s Hall and occasional visits to the
wartime shows for the troops at the
forces back and forth across North Brunswick Padua - very swish and
Melbourne Princess Theatre and later
Africa and became one of the innovative with a crying room for
every change of program of The
legendary Desert Rats. babies - and the Coburg Plaza or
Grand in Sydney Road.

Victory Theatre

28 2002 CINEMARECORD