Page 30 - CinemaRecord #85

Movies at the Memo

by Roger Seccombe

ocated in the scenic Yarra Valley, some
L50 km north east of Melbourne,
Healesville (pop. 7000) is well known for its
animal sanctuary and is a popular tourist
destination.

Known to locals as the Memo, the Memorial
Hall Theatre, has long been a focus of
entertainment for residents of the town. As we
describe in our book “Way Out East” the
present venue was opened in 1924 to replace
a small Mechanics Institute which dated from
1892. Right up until 2011 movies at the
“Mechanics” had been a long tradition but all
this changed in that year.

For some fourteen months the venue was
closed for renovations - a re-building that
radically changed the appearance of the old
cinema. The pair of 35 mm projectors were
shipped off to the committee of management
which was now operating the Swanpool
Cinema and a digital projector replaced the
nostalgic ambience of the old biobox. But this
was only the start.
Above: The new entrance. The pillars of the original entry can be seen at the extreme left.
The original flat-floored auditorium (with a Image: Royce Harris
small circle situated each side of the biobox)
was replaced by one of those raked, folding- seating is level with a small circle. This request of local Healesville groups particularly
seating structures beloved of many municipal comprises a couple of rows of seats in front of for schools, seniors and disabled audiences.
councils. The seating structure can be extended the new lighting and video projection box. Projecting on 16 mm from beneath the upstairs
from the rear of the hall up to the apron of the biobox, we used to achieve an Academy
huge floor-level stage or folded back to leave Over a number of recent years (while the format image-width of not much more than
the auditorium clear for events which require venue was still operating on 35 mm) we had four metres. We employed the stage curtains
a flat floor (like dances.) The rear of the raked been putting on periodic film shows at the to act as moveable masking.

With the conversion of the
venue to digital we thought
the days of movies on film
were definitely over. This
was until recently when the
Yarra Ranges Council (in
conjunction with the local
film society and Eastern
Access Community
Health) asked us to stage a
special show to celebrate
the 150 Anniversary of
th
Healesville. The show date
was scheduled for 8
October 2014.
How we would cope with
the changed projection
conditions at Healesville
was the first consideration:
the digital image now
extends almost the entire
width of the auditorium
(whereas the old 35 mm
widescreen was only some
six or seven metres in
width.)
Left: The original entrance to
the Memorial Hall.
Image: Royce Harris.

30 CINEMARECORD # 85