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us to handle on our own. Jossie and I have to have everything that opens and them. When those camps closed our
went to see him. When we put this shuts or they would be no good to us. theatre went with them.
proposition to him he finally agreed. He So in 1954 we did up Pakenham and We also suffered a bit of a set back
sold his house in Ivanhoe, bought a big Berwick. We spent a lot of money, at Traralgon when we had a fire in
block of land at Traralgon, built on it raked the floors, put in heating February 1956. That was just at the
and moved there with his family in systems, new carpets, Dunlopillo seats, time a new theatre opened at Morwell
October 1951. The new Valley Theatre curtains, light fittings, everything. The and from that time things started to go
opened on 19 December 1951. We only thing that wasn't done was the down hill. A drive-in opened at
rushed to get it open before the toilets. The ground was too low for a Frankston and that cut into
workmen went on holidays. septic tank to work, so people still had Mornington, then another one opened
Traralgon was such a success, such a to go out the back to the toilet. I was at Dromana. Colour television took the
howling success, that we were spurred very disappointed about that. bottom right out of it. Perhaps we
on to do the same thing at Mornington. stuck on too long, I don't know. If we'd
In 1952 we asked architect Gordon been better business men perhaps we
Murphy to re-design the place: new would have seen it coming and sold
carpets, curtains, Dunlopillo seats, and a out while we were on top. But we got
new name The Mathew Flinders. And out of it in the end fairly well when all
that went with a bang too, a big bang. was said and done.
We couldn't count the money that was Mornington continued to make
coming in. The only trouble we had reasonable money, but the others,
there was with the curtains. When including Traralgon were no good.
Gordon Murphy was doing the place up (Berwick and Pakenham were
he rang me one day. "It's pretty hard to closed first, then Valley Theatre (1973)
get material for the curtains, and it's (re-opened as The Latrobe and
expensive. But I've got on to some stuff operated until 1978). Closure of the
at a warehouse." It was upholstery Mornington Theatre, also 1973, was
material but the colour blended in so we hastened by an Order from the
bought it, and we had the curtains made Department of Health. At issue was the
up at a little factory at Ringwood. But stability of a wall.)
that material was heavy, far too heavy
A chap from the Council looked at
for the tracks he used, and we soon
the side wall and couldn't find any sign
started having trouble with them. Half of
of a sag or cracks. "I'll report that the
the time we ran the show with no
place is sound except for this bit at the
curtains at all. I couldn't find anybody
back, but there's no hurry for you to
who would fix them. They'd come along get it done." So we did nothing; well, I
to have a look and say. "Oh no, I can't do Promotion for the opening of the
Valley Theatre. Traralgon Journal 17 did get a quote and that frightened the
that, I can't get up there, it's too high." I
December 1951. hell out of me, so I didn't do anything.
ended up having a go at it myself. Image courtesy of State Library of Victoria Eventually the building was knocked
Down at the back of the theatre there to the ground. It was built of Oregon. I
was a big ladder, the type used by the The effort was a success up to a found out that it was as solid as a rock.
S.E.C. to get to the top of poles. I had a point, but they didn't boom. Just after It would never have fallen down.
hell of a job to shift it, but I managed to we got Berwick going a drive-in
get it into the auditorium and manoeuvre opened at Dandenong. Down went our Years before when things were
it into position. I nailed cleats to the business. The same thing at Pakenham. good we had bought an excellent block
floor for it rest against, I didn't want it to Then television really put the killer on of land in Moe, and we were going to
slip while I was up there. Finally I us. When the business started going build a theatre on it; in fact I've still
climbed up the damn thing, believe me, down we tried to fight it out. We cut got the plans for that theatre. We didn't
it was a long way from the floor. costs by cutting performances. try terribly hard. Then Jossie had the
Working up there was difficult because I Now take Traralgon for instance. idea of a bowling alley. But one thing
could only work with one hand. I had to We used to run six nights a week there, after another happened; bowling alleys
hang on with the other one. packed to the doors every night, and weren't going as well as everyone
We finished with the circuits we had good matinees on Saturday thought they would, so it was time to
shortly after Mornington got going. afternoons. Employment in the area stop and take stock.
We sold the cars and equipment to the diminished when the S.E.C. finished We looked into building a drive-in
fellows that were running them. We their expansion, and the paper mill at Moe. I came back into it because
more or less gave them away, sold camp closed. They had a camp of over pictures were my business. We had the
them on very easy terms. By this time two thousand men, those men used to designs drawn up, even bought a block
there were drive-ins and television was come to the theatre as often as there of land, but one day Jossie came to me
on the way. We had to make a was a change of program, just for and said, "We're too late, we're not
decision. Sell up and get out? Or stay something to do. The Friday nights going to make anything out of it."
and fight it out? We decided to stay, were always good, we used to put on We found a buyer and sold him
but we knew we would have to spend cheap westerns and gangster movies, everything; the land, plans, the plant we
money on our theatres. They would and they came along in droves to see were going to put in there, the lot. ★

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