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QUEENSLAND Norwood At a cost of $45,000, the 156 solar panels have
More screens are to be added to the Hoyts been fitted in such a way that they spell the
Redbank Complex. This time the new Lux small word "Palace" when viewed from the nearby
The Reading Redbank complex closed early cinemas. hill.
in October. Cineplex will take over the
premises in the new year and start the massive North Adelaide "The building has an enormous roof space and
rebuild mentioned in CR#87. Planning is underway for a ten screen cinema the idea of harnessing the sun to produce
complex at O’Connel Street, North Adelaide electricity was too tantalising to pass up", Mr
Newmarket for Wallis Cinemas. Zeccola said. "This is the first one but we're
Reading has announced a new complex in planning to do the same thing with our other
Brisbane for 2017 at Newmarket. They have Prospect cinemas with appropriate roof space and
wanted cinemas there for about 15 years. Work on a new $18m cinema complex is due orientation".
to start in a matter of weeks. The Maras Group
The current shopping centre (Coles etc.) has is building the new four storey art deco cinema, Northcote
always had the Reading logo out the front on which will include restaurants and offices. The complete facade of the Northcote Plaza
street signage, but no cinemas. Theatre has now been demolished, making
way for new apartments. q
VICTORIA
Springfield Lakes
Event Cinemas Springfield Lakes are due to Port Melbourne
open their new complex by the end of this year.
The former Port Theatre was severely
damaged by fire on Sunday 30 August 2015 at
around 7 am. It took 60 firefighters one hour
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
to tackle the blaze. The estimate of damage
was over $2 million. The building had been
Everard Park used for retail for a number of years, and was
The former Roxy Theatre which has been a housing a Telstra shop at the time. The Port
video shop, and prior to that a supermarket, is opened in 1913 and closed in 1952 due to
to undergo another change. Plans are before intense competition from the nearby Hoyts
the Unley Council to allow the premises to be Theatre. q
used as a boxing fitness gym. q
Melbourne
The current situation with the former Palace
Theatre / Metro Bourke Street has all the
intrigue of the best mystery movie. The on
again - off again demolition continues, often
under cover of darkness and against interim
orders issued.

Northcote
The Westgarth Theatre has become the first
Norwood cinema in Australia to go solar but it won't be
The Norwood Town Hall celebrated its 100 th the last, according to Palace Cinemas Chief
birthday on 31 August 2015. Dame Nellie Executive Benjamin Zeccola. q
Melba was one of the celebrated stars to grace
the stage at the town hall.
Regular movie screenings ceased on 18 June
1960. It is now used as a concert hall, theatre,
show room and now again films with digital
equipment. It is a very popular venue and is Plans to refurbish the front of the former
occasionally used for amateur film festivals. music venue were announced recently, as a
stoush over whether to demolish the building
continues. The site's owners, Jinshan
Norwood Town Hall 1986 (Image: Les Tod) Investments, had received a building permit
for "strip-out works" to prepare the theatre for
a retail space. The revelation came after
reports tools were heard operating in the
building, prompting fears of a repeat of the
Over the past two weeks, a 39 kilowatt events of November last year, when workers
photovoltaic system was installed on the roof controversially stripped the century-old
of Melbourne's oldest operating purpose-built
interior from the theatre.
cinema (built in 1921).

4 CINEMARECORD # 88