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The Nulty Family

Reproduced with permission from the Ouyen District History and Genealogy Centre

rancis Murray James Nulty married Ethel
FMay Bell on 30 May 1917 at the residence
of the bride's father, Mr. Thomas Bell,
Farmer, of Paignie, near Walpeup, Victoria. It
was a Methodist wedding.

Jim Nulty, as he was known to everyone,
became a family butcher in Walpeup and Mrs.
Nulty was a dressmaker. Three children were
born to the couple - Carol Bell Nulty in 1918,
Eric Thomas (Mick) Nulty on 22 August
1919, and finally Leonard Murray Nulty on
the 6 April 1925.
From the beginning of their married life, both
Mr. and Mrs. Nulty were involved in music
and local entertainment. Mrs. Nulty was an
accomplished pianist and Mr. Nulty was a
cornet player who, in due course, played in the
local brass band.
Whilst at Walpeup, Mrs. Nulty became an
organist at the local church, and the family
home was a place where many people
congregated for musical evenings. Anyone
who had a musical talent was, in due course,
invited along to participate and show their
wares.

In time, Mr. Nulty became a motor dealer and
secured a motion picture projector as payment Nulty’s Roxy Theatre, Ouyen, 1968
of a debt. This eventually led him to decide to Another person joining the group was In the 1930's, the firm of Nulty's Pictures
show silent motion pictures in the local hall. Mr. Ronald Edwards, who was also a motion started touring at places nearby in the Mallee,
picture projectionist and engineer. He was such as Underbool, Linga, Murrayville, and
Mrs. Nulty was then able to play the very useful because he could play a clarinet even at Pinnaroo in South Australia. Other
background music for the silent films, and and, in due course, there were enough towns were Birchip, Quambatook, Gunbower,
was assisted by a farmer/violinist named musicians to form a dance band. Speed, Woomelang, and even in the so-called
Clarrie Neville. new Millewa area, where screenings took
I can well remember one of these silent place at Werrimul, Meringur, Merrinee and
In addition to the screening of the pictures, movies - the original Rose-Marie (1928), Karrawinna.
because of a lack of other entertainment, starring Joan Crawford, when the song “The
dancing was held after the pictures were over Indian Love Call” was sung by a local vocalist Around 1933, talking pictures arrived and this
for a short period. named Miss Nellie Eagle. is where the big move was made to purchase
a new Bedford panel van incorporating a
generator in the back. This could be connected
to the “take-off” from the gearbox of the
Bedford engine, providing power to run the
pictures. From this time, regular screenings
were held all over the North-West of Victoria.
In most cases, the power was supplied from
the van although, wherever it was available,
local AC power was able to be used. The van
was used for everyone to sleep in while
travelling around, saving the expense of
booking into hotels and boarding houses.

Because of the size of the township of
Pinnaroo in South Australia, the shows were
so successful there that one of the motion
picture plants was sent to Pinnaroo, where
Mr. Ronald Edwards eventually left the firm
and ran a picture show himself for a number
of years. It was at this time that the Nulty
family moved to Ouyen and operated their
picture shows from there.

Right up until the talkies started, it was a
Ouyen Roxy, 2011 regular thing for Mrs. Nulty to play the piano

22 CINEMARECORD # 91