Page 12 - CR

By
Ross King

A Centennary In The Suburbs

ome eight kilometres north-west of football. In 1897 at the age of 16 years books of Victoria. When in Kalgoorlie Mr
Sthe Melbourne CBD along Mount and 321 days, Harry played his first and Gyles was invited to attend a meeting of the
Alexander Road (so named as the only senior game with the Carlton club, A.N.A (Australian Natives Association)
route to the Mt Alexander goldfields) a as Number 22, there-after holding the branch there to sing White Australia and
busy junction is reached where Mount record for some 30 years as youngest to was accorded a flattering reception.”
Alexander, Ascot Vale and Pascoe ever play at senior level.
Vale Roads intersect with Dean and Prior to this at Carlton on the 16 April,
th
Puckle Streets. Other interests followed, and as he 1903, Harry married Eva Hope and
developed, so did his baritone voice eventually they had five children – four
This is the centre of the suburb of and musical ability - a life on the sons and a daughter
Moonee Ponds, where in days gone stage beckoned.
by at the (now) Queens Park pond, Travelling biograph, variety and lantern
gold diggers would camp and where His performance took him interstate shows had exhibited at the Moonee
the Burke and Wills expedition made and by 1910 he was touring with Ponds Town Hall since the 1890’s. By
their first camp on their ill-fated trek the Anderson Pantomime Company, the end of 1910, Westonia Illustrated
north. As Dame Edna Everage, Barry managed by Beaumont Smith (Smith Moving Pictures were screening 5000
Humphries has placed Moonee Ponds became one of Australia’s foremost feet of ‘the most up-to-date pictures’ at
on the world stage. silent film directors). the Town Hall.

The first established picture show to In April 1910 the company was playing In the same year a large barn-like
open in the district was the Moonee in pantomime with Nat Clifford, as theatre for the showing of moving
Ponds Picture Gardens on the 3 the “Dame” at the Crystal Theatre, pictures opened on the opposite side
rd
December, 1909. This was an open-air in Broken Hill. of town, in Chapel Street Prahran, the
show on the site now occupied by the first of the three Lyric picture-theatres
Foxtel building. In notes of the Barrier Miner newspaper to be established in Melbourne suburbs.
it was reported “Mr. Gyles is a songwriter, The success of this show was closely
In keeping with the times, the program and has written a patriotic song entitled observed, by others keen to establish
was a mixture of short films and variety White Australia, which may yet become purpose built suburban picture theatres.
acts. Roy Rene (Mo) performed there the national song of Australia. The words
as did two popular vocalists, Robert have been printed in the monthly school In late March 1911 the Mayor of
McLeish and Harry Gyles. Both Essendon Cr.A.F.Showers, was advised
McLeish and Gyles had worked with that a large block of land, the site of the
travelling bioscope shows over a number dilapidated stables of the Puckle Street
of years, and had seen the growth in – Flemington Bridge horse-drawn
popularity of this new medium. omnibus service, had been purchased
for 1,880 pounds by Mr. F. Hayes,
Harry John Wilmot Gyles was born at to erect a brick theatre including
Carlton in 1880 and developed a four shops fronting Puckle
keen interest in sport, becoming Street to cost between 4000
very proficient at junior Prahran Lyric and 5000 pounds.

12 2011 CINEMAREC ORD