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THE JACK SCOTT

NORTHERN VICTORIA CIRCUIT

by Pat Tallent (née Scott)

The town of Cobram (pop. 5200), is located on
the Murray River, some 260 km north of He made his own marquees in
Melbourne. The town formed the hub of the the empty shops opposite the
circuit operated by the late Jack Scott shortly house, then erected them at
after the war. the Bonegilla and Bandiana
army camps to show films to
y parents, Jack and Muriel Scott, started the troops. He had been
Mtheir married life in a home built by my rejected by the army because
father in the Melbourne suburb of Bentleigh. of his very low blood
Then came the Depression, when they lost pressure, so he felt he was
everything but their old Dodge sedan, in which doing his bit by entertaining
they lived and travelled around the the troops. To my knowledge,
Gippsland area looking for work, Dad was the only civilian who
finally settling in Maffra. It was ever allowed in the
was here that my older army camps. I know there
brother, Max, and was a special Canteen
I were born. Fund to which he
contributed.
During this time, Dad
used to work as a carpenter
from 7 am to 5 pm and had
D a d two lads apprenticed to him.
used to buy After work, they would go
and sell bobby home to change, have tea and Muriel and Jack Scott
calves, radios or then leave by 7 pm for the
anything else he could find army camps. When they arrived home, Mum surprise, won the tender. Then came the
in order to generate an income. He would have scones ready for their supper and mammoth job of pulling the large theatre
was a master builder but, in the then off to bed. This was their work from down. He stored it, partly on the vacant block
Depression, nothing was being built. Later, Monday to Friday, except for Thursday, when and partly in a shed which he rented. At first
they moved to Seymour where my mother’s they would go to Chiltern, to the old Star he intended to build a theatre in High Street,
brother, Doug Burns, had a theatre, as well as Theatre behind the pub. They also showed Wodonga, but later changed his mind. The
others in Yea, Mansfield and (later), Eildon. briefly at Kiewa, Springhurst and Bethanga, Wodonga Melba was sold to Abe Bounder in
where he had to take his own lighting plant, as 1947, who operated it until 1968.
Dad decided to try the film industry, starting the town had no power supply. Mum ran
by showing films to the troops at Puckapunyal Wodonga on Saturday nights. At that time, Dad had been renting the
army camp, near Seymour. They moved to Numurkah Town Hall, trading as Town Hall
Wodonga in 1940, where they rented a house. At the conclusion of the war, many of the army Pictures. Later on, in 1955, after a dispute with
Dad then rented the Wodonga Hall, which he buildings were being pulled down or the Shire over noise from dances in the supper
called the “Melba Theatre”, after Dame Nellie auctioned. My father put in a bid for the room, he quickly leased the Skyline Ballroom
Melba. Bonegilla Area Theatre and, much to his which, at the time, was under construction at

The Numurkah Town Hall, operated by Scott as the Melba from 1947.
Note the projection ports in the upper section for outdoor movies prior to the extension in the foreground being built.

28 CINEMARECORD # 88