Page 38 - CinemaRecord #81

Roy.

t was around August 1981 when I started working for Roy Denison at the South Coast
IDrive-In Theatre at Port Elliot. Roy also owned the Victa Theatre at Victor Harbor
and the Riverview Drive-In at Murray Bridge.

Roy was a friend of my father and generously :KHQ VXI¿FLHQW FDVHV KDG EHHQ SROLVKHG WKH
offered me work at the South Coast Drive-In front and backs would be laid out at about 70 a
assembling drive-in speakers. This involved time along the cafeteria counter which was lined
¿QLVKLQJ WKH FDVHV WR UHPRYH DQ\ VSUXH OHIW DIWHU with old one sheet posters and newspaper.
Port Elliot aerial. moulding, then polishing the cases on the buffer
with a wire brush. I could manage about 100 I would then go along and punch in the grills
cases a day. using a tube spanner. Next the volume control
was inserted and tightened with the tube
7KLV ZDV GLUW\ ZRUN $OXPLQLXP GXVW ZRXOG À\ spanner. The speaker cone was then inserted and
everywhere and by the end of the day you would soldered to the volume control. The hanger was
be covered in it. screwed to the back of the case, the link cable
2Q WKH ¿UVW GD\ , GLGQ¶W ZHDU DQ\ JRJJOHV DQG was pulled through the hole in the back of the
the dust got into my eyes. I must have looked a speaker and soldered to the volume control, a
real treat by the end of the day covered in silver small spring was placed between the back of the
dust with eyes as red as beetroot. speaker cone and speaker case and then the front
and back were put together with two screws.
All this work was done in what we called
“The Lube”. The Lube was our workshop and In one day we could turn out 140 speakers.
was stacked to the ceiling with old projectors, These were then sold through Greater Union
UHFWL¿HUV DQG HYHU\WKLQJ \RX HYHU QHHGHG WR Theatre Supplies and sold throughout Australia.
UXQ D GULYH LQ :KHQ WKH GULYH LQ ¿UVW RSHQHG
a service station operated on the site - hence the
nick-name “The Lube”.

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38 2014 CINEMAREC ORD