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THE STARGAZER DRIVE-IN, THURGOONA, NSW

(PART 1) by DAVID ScOTT

In CinemaRecord #88, we featured an article
about Jack Scott’s Northern Victoria circuit of
theatres, written by his daughter, Pat Tallent.
Pat’s younger brother, David Scott, became
involved with the Lakeside Drive-in theatre at
Yarrawonga, (see CinemaRecord #90) and
the Stargazer Drive-in theatre in Thurgoona
(North Albury). David has written a book
about these two theatres and his time in the
industry. In this edition of CinemaRecord, we
are pleased to feature those parts of David’s
book relating to his construction of the
Stargazer Drive-in. - Editor.
ummer holidays, when tourists flocked to
SMulwala and Yarrawonga, were boom
times but the rest of the year was a slack time
at the drive-in theatre. At those times I
dreamed of running a drive-in theatre at a
more populated area, setting my sights on Two years passed while I untangled ribbons of degree error and fresh earthwork was needed,
Albury. red tape, along the way gathering restrictions cutting across what was already dug.
like the city council’s demand that I bore the
Friends within the industry told me I was mad cost of widening the bitumen seal of almost a The giant screen was the first in Australia to
to try, as a local family as well as Hoyts mile of road that ran past the site. be entirely built and painted while lying on the
Theatres controlled movie product in that ground; previously the facing was welded on
area. Another problem was the strict My resolve was wavering, until the owner of after the framework was raised.
guidelines New South Wales imposed on the the local indoor cinema asked me to meet him
building of drive-in theatres. Being in my at his country house. It was a civil discussion Excitement was at fever pitch on the day it
twenties, I refused to listen and continued with over a few beers, ending with a polite threat. was to be elevated. Even people from the local
my plans, my accountant stirring me on with "Son, you haven't a snowflake's chance in hell press and TV station were teed up to cover the
the advice, "You won't know if you don't try." of opening your drive-in. I'm going to object event.
to you gaining a licence, you know.”
I found a suitable site in Corrys Road, Its back legs were hinged to heavy metal
adjacent to Albury's airport, and contacted my His challenge was a tactical error, as it spurred plates bolted into the concrete so that two
close friend, George Christie, who had me on with renewed determination. Within a trucks, with ropes attached to the top of the
installed the projectors and underground month I flew to Sydney, armed with a swollen screen, could pull it up while a tractor at the
wiring for the Lakeside Drive-in at portfolio of paperwork, all with the I's dotted back, also connected by rope to the top,
Yarrawonga. "Oh, my Gawd!" was his stock and the T's crossed. steadied the lift.
expression, so I wasn't fazed and George drew
up the plans for my Albury dream. The licensing bureau was set in an old My stomach churned as, inch by inch, the
Projectionist Ron Hanel hard at work Victorian building with high ceilings, tall mammoth structure lifted off the ground, the
doorways and echoing corridors - an tractor behind edging forward as the two in
atmosphere guaranteed to intimidate. front moved away. At around sixty degrees
the creaking metal-screen loomed above the
Two objections were received when my man in the back tractor, casting its shadow
application was gazetted - one from each of over him. "I'm outa here!" he shrieked
the local exhibitors. The one from the man I’d unnerved, unhooking the rope from his
spoken with failed due to being incorrectly machine and driving out of harm's way. The
filed. The other, from Hoyts Theatres, was loss of back tension sent the screen
thrown out because their drive-in theatre was plummeting forward and it crashed down onto
in Wodonga, across the Murray River in the front foundation with such force that it
Victoria. bounced back up.

Construction took place during the winter of "Holy cow!" someone yelled, the most
my content, despite a bleeding bladder printable exclamation around me. “Holy shit!”
infection and frosts cracking my hands until I thought, my feet glued to the spot as I
they bled while I made speaker stands by imagined a twisted pile of iron lying on the
hand-mixing cement which, when poured into ground. "Run! Everyone get out of the way!"
moulds, supported three feet lengths of pipe. hollered the foreman, his gaze fixed on his
teetering masterpiece of engineering.
One day Ron, my future projectionist, Dreamlike, it seemed to hover for ages but, in
declared, "Hey! These are skewiff to the bio reality, it was probably only a second or two
box." He was helping shore up the 100 feet before the front legs dropped back down,
long, man-deep trenches that were to become landing inches askew of the plates to which
concrete foundations for the screen legs and, they were to be bolted.
when the projection room framework was
erected, he noticed it didn't directly face the "Where's that bloody idiot!" The foreman
excavations. The surveyor had made a twenty screamed, peering around with murder in his

12 CINEMARECORD # 92