Page 19 - CINEMARECORD-98

THE HISTORY OF CINEMA IN PETERBOROUGH, SA

by Colin Flint

he town of
TPeterborough is in
wheat country in the
mid-north of South
Australia, just off the
Barrier Highway some
220 km from Adelaide.
It lies at the junction of
the East-West railway
linking Port Pirie and
Broken Hill, and the
North-South railway
linking Adelaide to Alice
Springs via Quorn, (the
original Ghan route). It
was first named
Petersburg after the
original settler, Peter
Doecke, but was one of
69 places in South
Australia to be renamed
in 1918 due to anti-
German sentiments
during World War 1. The
population of
Peterborough appears to
be declining. The 2006
Census reported a
population of 1689, but The original town hall. (2012 Image: Gerry Kennedy collection)
the 2011 Census showed
a reduction to 1486.
The Capitol Theatre, located at 227-231 Main decided to construct their own theatre for the
The original town hall was built in 1884 as the Street, was the town’s first purpose built purpose of showing films.
Petersburg Institute, becoming known as the cinema. Prior to its construction, pictures were
(old) Town Hall in 1889. It was used by shown in the (old) Town Hall but, with only The Capitol was officially opened on
travelling picture showmen, eventually being 350 seats, it had become inadequate because of 15 May 1926 by Mr. A.R.G. Hawke, local
the home for regular screenings until 1926. The the large number of people flocking to see the Member of Parliament and later Premier of
two storey façade was added in 1894. pictures each week. A larger town hall was Western Australia. (He was the uncle of former
being planned, but the proprietors of the picture Prime Minister, Bob Hawke.)
The building was upgraded in 1981 for the show, brothers H.W. and Thomas Rees, grew
Spencer Institute of TAFE, and became a tired of waiting for the new building, and so The Times and Northern Advertiser reported
private residence in 1994. the occasion, as follows:
“On Saturday evening the new Capitol Picture
Theatre was officially opened by Mr. A. R. G.
Hawke, MP, when over 1,000 persons were
present. The sign ‘House Full’ was exhibited
long before 8pm and hundreds were denied
admission. Mr Hawke stated it was a great
privilege to him to have the honour of declaring
such a fine building open, because the building
was what the town had required for years. The
local council had the opportunity of so doing,
but they could not decide whether to build a
new hall or enlarge the old one. Time went on,
and as the population of the town and district
was increasing, it was patent to all that
someone would have to move in the matter, and
it was left to a private firm to do so ... Messrs
Rees Bros.

"The town could now boast of a hall second to
none in the State (cheers) ... that night were
over 1,000 persons comfortably seated, and yet
many were turned away. He wished the
proprietors every success, and had great
pleasure in declaring the theatre open (cheers).
The new town hall. (2017 image: John Kleinig)

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