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THE BALLARAT MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE by Earl Martell

hat does Britannia Theatre at the
WBallarat Mechanic’s Institute have in
common with the Ballarat Observatory?
Answer - Frank Jelbart! Located at 117-119
Sturt Street, the Institute opened in 1860 with
a seating capacity of 600.

In 1911, Frank and his brother George, started
an engineering firm (Jelbart Bros.) in Dana
Street, Ballarat, producing ‘oil’ engines
(presumably diesel) and ‘made to order’
tractors. (Jelbart tractors can still be found
today). In 1916, they produced and donated to
the Ballarat Observatory an ‘exceptionally
fine’ 5” brass refractor. In honour of that
donation, the dome housing the telescope at
the observatory is named the ‘Jelbart Dome’.

As well as engineering, Frank Jelbart
obviously had an interest in motion pictures.
In 1919, he and two others (Messrs J. Clemens
and C. Gemmola) took out the lease on the
Mechanic’s Institute hall and began showing
silent films in what they then called The
Britannia Theatre, (described by the Ballarat
Historical Society as “Ballarat’s most loved
picture theatre”!). A bio box and 375 new
seats were added, giving an audience capacity
of 614 in the stalls and 150 in the gallery,
which was ‘raked’ to provide a better view for
the upstairs patrons.
The Ballarat Mechanic’s Institute itself began
in April 1859 in a little wooden house in Main
St. between Humffray and Barkley Streets.
The first stone of the Sturt Street building was
laid on 28 September 1860. Designed by
J.H. Jones, at the time it was the largest and
most handsome building in Ballarat. The four
storey frontage was added in 1869.

The theatre section was designed as a lecture
hall, not for live performances. There were no
dressing rooms, and the small stage and
upstairs gallery were added in 1869.
(Mark Twain gave a lecture there during his breach of the Theatre Act 1928, in that he In 1958, the theatre’s name was changed to
famed visit to Australia). In July 1887, a failed to include the words “not suitable for the Odeon (the neon sign out front and the
cinematograph and phonograph exhibition children” in his newspaper advertisement for newspaper advertisements at the time had it as
was held there and was reportedly “very well the film Only Yesterday. This was despite the the Odeon Star which indicated GU was in
attended”. During the early part of the fact that the editor of the paper admitted the control). With the name change came
th
20 Century, the hall was used for picture advertisement had included the wording, but extensive renovations and the installation of
shows by many travelling showmen. In 1909, it was cut off to fit the space required. CinemaScope.
Bioscope Pictures used the hall and, in 1917,
the Austral Photoplay Company screened By the mid 1930s, the Britannia couldn’t In 1962, Britannia Pictures sublet the Odeon
films there. have been in too great a shape. In his article on to businessman, Bob Paps.
the Embassy Malvern (Cinema Record
As well as being part of the syndicate holding No.91) Hartley Davey said when he went to On 11 September 1965, without any
the lease on the theatre, Frank Jelbart was also the Britannia in the 1930’s, it was just a announcements, the theatre was closed, the
the manager and, in the mid 1920’s, took over “huge tin shed with daylight coming through final program being the MGM film The
the lease on his own. In 1930, he oversaw the the holes in the roof!” (Ballarat’s most loved Savage Gun along with Disney’s Moon Pilot.
installation of ‘talkies’ equipment, which did picture theatre?). However, on 11 December that year, it
away with the need for a small theatre reopened with another name change, this time
orchestra in front of the stage. Frank Jelbart remained at the Britannia for the Vegas 70 (the ‘70’ bit was dropped after a
32 years, dying in 1968 at the age of 82. In year or so and it was just called the Vegas
From 1931 until 1957, ABC orchestral 1951, he relinquished the lease to ‘Britannia after that, possibly because it gave the
concerts were held at the Britannia. Pictures’ (which was either part of, or had an impression 70 mm projectors had been
affiliation with Greater Union). The movies installed). The Ballarat Courier at the time
In 1934, The Argus newspaper reported that shown during this period were direct from described the ‘new’ venue as a noble new
Frank Jelbart was fined one pound for a GU’s Melbourne theatres. theatre venture inside the historic Mechanic’s

22 CINEMARECORD # 93