Page 34 - CinemaRecord #82

FAMILY AFFAIR

John Harvey from Pine Point was revamping At the age of 14, Bruce was working one
the old Ideal Theatre in Graves Street evening, when he was asked to help Les
Kadina and it was to be reopened as the Ascot Wheeler, a local who was about to sit for
Cinema. He also ran theatres at Maitland and his operator’s licence. He wanted to run
Yorktown. through what would be expected of him at the
examination.
John was contacted by John Harvey to manage
the Ascot when it opened in October 1967. John went downstairs to check on the ticket
He was also involved with the installation box, leaving Les to practice change-overs with
of the projection equipment. With this new Bruce. They were screening The Bible and it
opportunity, John left Kadina’s drive-In for was coming up to the first change over and Les
Kadina’s hardtop cinema… and June followed prepared himself for it. The cue went through
and Les started the projector, when the next
soon after.
cue went through, he changed over - to a blank
Ascot Cinema, Kadina. June, assisted by Diana, Bruce and the other screen. There was sound but no picture. Les
took off running down the back stairs, Bruce
children - along with projectionist Jack David
had worked out straight away that he had
and his wife Melva, kept screening on Saturday
nights at Snowtown until it didn’t pay enough simply not opened the dowser. After restoring
to make it worthwhile. the picture, Bruce then took off after Les to let
him know that all was okay.
June and Bruce then worked with John at the
In November 1970 John Richmond came home
Ascot Cinema. June would do anything from
cleaning to selling tickets to operating the from work telling June that he had missed a
candy bar. Bruce worked as an assistant in the great opportunity to manage the Flinders
projection room. Drive-In Theatre at Port Augusta. John had
seen the advertisement in the newspaper but
John Richmond at the applications had closed two days earlier.
the Ascot – Kadina. As John was still working for Hannan Bros. June talked John into ringing cinema owner,
during the day, during school holiday times,
John Harvey would act as manager and Lance Gliddon to get an interview, which
projectionist. June would sell tickets and Bruce resulted in him getting the job.
was John’s assistant.
The drive-in was under the control of Northern
Cinemas who operated both the Port Pirie and
Bruce was only 13 years old when John
Harvey left him in the projection room doing Whyalla cinemas as well as the drive-ins. At
20-minute change-overs on his own, while he this point in time Northern Cinemas did not
have control of the Town Hall Theatre at Port
went to the newspaper office in the next street.
Augusta; it was run by Snow & Jean Austin
Bruce managed perfectly and this became a
regular occurrence. and their son, Kym.
By December 1970 the Richmond family had
June and Bruce at packed up again and moved to Port Augusta.
the Ascot – Kadina.
For a change, June was not pregnant!
John was appointed Manager/Projectionist
(seven days a week) and Bruce worked
Tuesday and Thursday nights as an assistant.
Two years after John started with the Port
Augusta Drive-In his workload was reduced
to six days a week, but when John took holidays
he was invited to go on maintenance trips with
Kadina Drive‐In technician Lou Short to all the theatres on the
Eyre Peninsula including the Drive-in and the
Flinders Theatre at Port Lincoln.

They had a wonderful time visiting all the
different locations; John really had his eyes
opened and could tell some stories about what
they saw. Like when visiting Tumby Bay
Theatre, John and Lou opened the projection
room door to find a trail of empty “cool drink”
bottles lining the walls. Many of the bottles
had to be removed so as to gain space to work
on the projectors. He said there were about 44
dozen empties!

Kadina Drive‐In

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