Page 30 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2002 #37

Tom Atkinson:

Life on the Road For

Lawrence Brothers Talkies

here was just one fortnightly
T circuit when I joined Lawrence
Brothers Talkies and we were using
the old A model Ford. I tried to add
Somerville to the first circuit for the
Monday night. It wasn't quite a
payable concern, so we switched to
Hastings. I arranged transport in
private cars for people from Somerville
to come down there and see the show.
I also arranged for the ferry from
French Island to come into Hastings on
the night we were showing. The show
was packed every night that ferry came
across, but the trouble with that was Tommy Atkinson somewhere in Gippsland
that we had to run a bit of a dance
Father and that's all. We did the show was to jump them, so I trod on the gas
after the show because they had to wait
anyhow, as an advertisement. and over we went. It was an absolute
for the tide before the boat could come
We had to get from Briagalong to nightmare, but we got through to the
back for them. Hastings proved to be a
Welshpool. I'll never forget that edge of Yarram.
good thing and was later moved to a
nightmare drive. We tried to beat the Water was flowing four to five feet
Saturday night show.
water at the bridge at Sale, to get onto deep over the road near the butter
I tried to get Maffra; the chap
the Sale/Yarram Road, but we were too factory. We couldn't get past so we
running a show there had died and I
late. A new culvert had been put in to pulled off the road. Three of us were
went to see if we could take it over. I
take the water under the road. When on board that trip: a fellow from
arrived right in the middle of the
we got to this culvert it had been Berwick called Adams who lived next
funeral. I thought he'd been dead for a
washed out, there was a tree across the door to the saddler's shop had come
while.
road. We thought the tree had been with us for a bit of a holiday, and
When the third circuit was bought,
washed down so we put a rope on it George Bray was there too. We hadn't
Lawrence Brothers were running forty
and pulled it off the road to get past. eaten since early morning and we were
four shows every fortnight. Erica and
We knew when we saw the culvert getting a bit peckish, so Adams and I
Walhalla were part of the third circuit.
flooded why the tree was on the road decided to try to wade through the
When we were showing at Walhalla I
it. So we had to put it back then run water to go into Yarram and get
used to send the billing up to
the car up on to a log to get it out of something to eat, and to telephone
Aberfeldie and they'd send a bus down.
the water so we could wipe the Welshpool to let them know we
We used to think of Walhalla as a rest
distributor. At times the water was up couldn't make it. Adams stripped to go
night because it was only eight miles
to the seat. Our only hope was to go through the water, but I left all my
from Erica. Oh, but what miles they
up the Stradbroke Track where they clothes on, I pinned my overcoat up so
were. We'd have to ring up before we
used to drive the cattle up to it wouldn't get tangled.
left to see if anyone else was using the
Gormandale, and down into Yarram. It was hard to walk straight because
road, then we'd toot our horn all the
We came to a new concrete drain, with the current was so strong it swept one
way around the bends.
no sign or anything to warn us of it. I leg across in front of the other all the
Briagalong was on the third circuit suppose the usual traffic along there time. There were pieces of barbed wire
too. I'll never forget our first night would only be one car a day, or a few and Lord knows what swirling about in
there. It was December 1934 and there horses. Down we went to the sump, all the water. Over against a tree there was
were floods. There was a foot of water four wheels. It was pouring; we had to an upturned butcher's wagon left there
all around the hall. We pulled into a walk to a farm for help. The ‘cocky by the flood water. We found out later
shop to get something to eat and a brought his horse and some shovels, that a fellow had been swept away
kiddie in there said "You're not going and we were able to jack up the car trying to wade across. However we
to put on a show tonight are you?" I and pull it out. That horse did a made it, and went to get something to
said, "We'll show if the people come. damned good job. We got through to eat at D'Astoli's place. We used to call
You get around and tell everyone and Gormandale, then we had to go around there every time we were in Yarram.
I'll give you a 'buck-shee' ticket." He the bends. There were big cracks in the When Mrs. D'Astoli saw us she nearly
got around, he got his Mother and road, the only way we could get across fainted. "Where'd you come from?" I
30 2002 CINEMARECORD