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(Had they not been able to use
the Vegas again, Village had
negotiated to use the Ballarat
Civic Hall for screenings
until the Regent was again
available).

The Vegas reopened on
Thursday 29 April 1988 and
closed again on Saturday 25
November.
In 1993, Ballarat Cinemas
(formerly Village Drive-ins
Ballarat), whilst preparing to
add another three screens to
the Regent, took over the
Vegas lease once again,
refurbished the old theatre
and re-opened it on
28 September 1994 as the
Sturt Cinema, with the claim
that no ticket would cost
more than $5!
With the new, six screen
Regent multiplex now open,
an attempt was made to turn
the Sturt into a ‘movie
house’ screening older
releases, but even offering $2
tickets did not pull in the
customers and the Sturt
eventually closed at the end
of the January school
holidays in 1998. Ballarat
Cinemas retained the lease
until 2004 when it expired
and they removed all the
Institute. The paper said the Village Drive-in in 1978, there was no longer sufficient projection, audio equipment and even the
Group (Ballarat)*, had remodelled the old patronage for the two theatres and so, on screen. The hall then reverted back to the
Odeon Theatre to give Ballarat a fine centre Saturday 26 January 1980, the Vegas held its Mechanic’s Institute.
of entertainment. The Courier went on to say final screening with the movie Star Trek
the Vegas had been completely redecorated which had been brought over from the Regent Major renovations to the Institute after that
and refurbished with a ‘Royal Reserve’ luxury where it was previously showing. saw the theatre become the Minerva Space
section on the ground floor, along with the where all seats, the balcony section and the
stalls and an upstairs lounge, creating a The Ballarat Film Society continued to use the bio-box were removed. The venue now has
smaller and more pleasant cinema compared theatre for its monthly screenings and Village portable seating, a roll up screen and digital
to the ornate, larger theatres (Ballarat Regent again reopened the Vegas for about seven rear projection, although films are only shown
and Her Majesty’s). The opening program (at months in 1988 while the Regent was closed every so often now.
4:00 pm and 7:45 pm) was the Richard Burton for conversion to a three screen multiplex.
– Elizabeth Taylor film, The Sandpipers. There was a delay in reopening the Vegas due Despite all the name changes, older people
to the fact that the lease was now held by the still fondly remember it as The Brit. During
The Vegas lasted for 15 years but, after Ballarat Lyric Theatre and the Light Opera an open day in September 2016, a couple
Village took over the Regent and re-opened it Company was using the theatre for rehearsals. looking around the Minerva space said to me,
“Whatever happened to The Brit?”. I had to
The Mechanics’ Entertainment Hall 1869
explain that the theatre had been restored to its
original Mechanic’s Institute Hall status. ★

* Village Drive-ins Ballarat was a joint venture
between local businessman, Jack Anderson and Roc
Kirby of Village Theatres. They had started together
screening films at the Ararat Town Hall before
opening the Village Drive-in (later called the
Southern Drive-in in the Ballarat suburb of
Delecombe) and went on to take over the former
Hoyts Regent, Ballarat.
Credits:
The Ballarat Mechanic’s Institute (BMI)
The Ballarat Courier (back issues from the BMI)
Images:
Cinema & Theatre Association (UK).
CATHS archive.

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