Page 36 - CinemaRecord #82
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FAMILY AFFAIR
Town Hall Theatre – Port Augusta
Between 1984 and 1990 with the help of their
now grown up children, June and John kept
both the drive-in and the cinema running in
Port Augusta. John, Bruce and Peter looked
after the projection side of things. Phillip and
Town Hall Theatre – Port Augusta Grant didn’t have the projection bug (although
Phillip did give it a go for a short while), so
Grant and Phillip became car attendants. Diana,
Due to the devastating effect of home video on Julie and Debra did the ushering, cleaning and
attendances, Greater Union sold off many of canteen duties - along with June who was also
their drive-ins and cinemas in 1984. June and caretaker and did the advertising run and was
John took the opportunity to purchase the Port an all round roustabout!
Augusta Drive-in and also ran the local Town
Hall Cinema. In 1986 with the help of Mick Dundee, June and
John took on showing movies at the Flinders
On the closing night at Port Pirie Drive-In, Theatre at Port Lincoln with the screening of
John was invited to be guest projectionist and Crocodile Dundee. John’s cousin Ron Burford
show the last program - Young Doctors in had worked at the theatre previously and his
Port Pirie Drive‐In as John wife Ronda, Pat & Taffy Owen, Peter & Luana
runs the last reel. Love and Class. At the end of the night when
the movie finished John had a special treat for Richmond along with June and John took up
those present. The first piece of film shown showing movies at Port Lincoln every week for
Flinders Theatre about 4 years, as well as their existing locations
– Port Lincoln when the drive-in opened was the God Save
the Queen trailer. John was the projectionist at Port Augusta.
who screened it on that night in 1957; he then
screened the very same print. In 1990 due to the Port Augusta Town Hall
Cinema structure being unsafe, the cinema
Bruce left Whyalla in 1984 moving back to was relocated to the Brian Evans Theatre at
Port Augusta to be a projectionist for his mum the local TAFE College.
and dad. When the Whyalla Drive-in closed,
Bruce was the projectionist on its last night.
John at the new Cinema
Flinders Theatre Augusta located in the TAFE
– Port Lincoln auditorium.
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