Page 34 - CinemaRecord #79

Take Me to the Towers!

By Crosley Carpenter

ewcastle, New South Wales is located 150 kilometres north of Sydney and is
NAustralia’s 7th largest city. When the Greater Union organisation opened their
new three-screen Tower Cinemas Newcastle complex to the public on Thursday April
29, 1976, the era of multi-screen cinemas was a fairly new concept in Australia

At that time, Newcastle was a bustling city brightened the atmosphere outside the cinema
boasting five other operating cinemas, all single as young ladies wearing costumes from the
screens, in its central business district. The film arrived in horse-drawn carriages and
existing cinemas were the Strand (capacity formed a guard of honour inside the foyer.
1,055), also operated by Greater Union, Hoyts’
Theatre Royal (capacity 962) and Theo and A committee to receive official guests included
Margaret Goumas’s independently operated Greater Union “royalty”, Sir Norman and
Kensington (capacity 418), Roma (capacity Lady Rydge, Mr and Mrs Norman B Rydge
217) and Lyrique (capacity 600 over two and Managing Director David Williams and
levels) theatres. With the exception of the Mrs Williams.
Lyrique, they were all in the main street of First official guests to arrive included
Newcastle, Hunter Street. one of the stars of the film Helen Morse,
In the years since, each of those five cinemas producers Hal and Jim McElroy and the Right
have closed, leaving the “Towers”, as they Honourable The Lord Mayor Joy Cummings
are known locally, as the sole operating city and Mr Cummings.
cinema.
The official opening ceremony began with
Prior to the public opening, a charity screening a speech by David Williams. To officially
of Picnic at Hanging Rock was held, with open the cinemas he introduced “not only
$3500 being raised for the N.S.W. Institute for Newcastle’s first, but N.S.W.’s first Lady Lord
Deaf and Blind Children. Mayor, Alderman Joy Cummings”
Clearly this was a big occasion for Newcastle Following the screening, a champagne supper
and Greater Union pulled out all stops on was held.
the night. A brass band and marching girls

Below: Construction underway in October 1975.

34 2013 CINEM AREC ORD