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YACKANDANDAH CINEMA

By Grahame Hutchings

According to Charles Jones, one of
the cinema’s draw cards is ‘the
ambience... including the supper room
and the regular group of cinema goers,
mostly local, that allows for in-depth
discussions about films and other local
issues’.
Indeed, one of the most remarkable
achievements of the Swanpool Cinema
is it’s capacity to function as a social
facilitator without the help of alcohol...
excluding Edna Murray, who admits to
Yackandandah, set in the hills of After an enormous amount of
sneaking the odd drop in!
north -east Victoria, is one of those old publicity, our first show had its debut -
Shirley and Kevin decided to enrich
towns that tourists from Melbourne Antz, an animated feature from
one Bollywood double feature by
delight to explore when they leave the Roadshow. It was a success, with all of
serving Indian food for supper. In a
Hume Freeway to take in a trip to the thirty locals in the audience. Audiences
small, homogeneously Caucasian rural
High Country. Only 30 km from continued to grow for the next few
town this was an exotic treat and the
Albury/Wodonga, the permanent months, and despite a few problems
night received rave reviews. Though a
population is 700. with sound and projector failures, we
few stomachs may not have been
The Yackandandah Cinema managed to keep afloat.
prepared for the side effects of curry,
located in the Memorial Hall in High
many likened it to being welcomed into
Street had been operating 35mm
the proprietor’s home.
equipment up until the early 1960s,
Shirley and Kevin are cinephiles
with fortnightly shows. Television
who want the audience to share their
forced its closure and the equipment
pure enjoyment of films. Their personal
was removed to an unknown location.
touch is one of the features settings this
It was not until mid-1998 that films
cinema apart from its multiplex
came back.
competitors. The approach is very
Following my retirement from the
thoughtful - human centred - such as
Victoria Police force, I moved from
encouraging visitors to bring their own
Walwa to Yackandandah with the Following ‘September 11’, access to
mugs to cut down the time that
family. It was then that Ron Hamel, 16mm feature films began to decline.
volunteers have to spend cleaning
who was a projectionist at the Army’s Finally, I had to make a decision on
dishes - giving them longer to also
enjoy the show. ★ Bandiana Area Cinema in Wodonga whether or not to close the cinema, or
and who also lived in Yackandandah, install a 35mm plant.
came to me with an idea. After a ‘drought’ of almost six
Alice Stratton’s interest in the Ron thought it would be a great months, I was able to purchase two
Swanpool Cinema goes back to idea for the cinema to be again up and Kalee 21 machines from Halls Gap and
growing up in nearby Benalla. running. He was aware of my previous together with Ron Hanel and another
This is an edited version of a final history of running 16mm film projectionist from Albury, we managed
year assignment for a media degree. screenings at a public hall in to get some funding and commence
The original title was Cinema as Sandringham during the 1970s. 35mm screenings. This time we had a
Community: How a Small Rural Town After a meeting with the Memorial perforated screen - 6.5 m. x 3.0 m.
and the Swanpool Cinema Sustain One Hall committee, it was decided to try One thing I was ignorant about until
Another. some current feature films in 16mm, on almost the last minute was that special
All but one photo are by the author. a fortnightly basis. After a lot of something called a ‘bond’, so necessary
The exception is the night scene, a research, Ron and I acquired a couple if I was to do business with the five
web-page image. of Bauer 16mm arc-light projectors film distributors. Some $8,000 later and
from Melbourne, plus sound equipment a very sick looking credit card, we were
and a double-sized bed sheet for a away.
screen.
CINEMARECORD 2008 25