Page 33 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2003 #41

Merino - Town With a Difference

A hotel/theatre is a very old, and
now rare, combination. It’s been
revived in one of the smallest towns in
Victoria’s south- west. Located about
40 km west of Hamilton it’s easy to
guess how Merino got its name, but the
palmy days were long ago, and some
people now unkindly refer to it as a
ghost town.
Determined to change that image,
former Melburnian Ian Whalley bought
the pub last year and set up a 50-seat
cinema in a back room.
Mr Whalley saw the potential to
build a business - and a social hub for
the community - with a point of
difference. His other plans for the town
(progressing well) include resurrecting
the local newspaper and the footy team.
The hotel had screened films in the
past, and Mr Whalley has some Publican Ian Whalley outside the Merino hotel/cinema.
artifacts to prove it. His screenings have
been special events for the locals,
including meetings of the local history
society.
Merino was established in 1837,
when Francis Henty, brother of
Victoria’s first pastoralist Edward
Henty, established Merino Downs
station. In today’s changed world, Mr
Whalley has been hailed as Merino’s
good shepherd. ★
- Weekly Times/Kate Dowler

Additional reporting and photos John Found on the floor:
Fitzsimons a tattered label
from a Warner Bros
film can.

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