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In 1983, Ballantyne of Omaha Inc. Casterton: Coleraine - Mechanics Institute
purchased the Simplex Projector Town Hall Pictures and Casterton
Company and Simplex production was Theatre
relocated to Omaha, Nebraska. Strong No cinema equipment was found in
International then assumed the the bio-room of the well maintained
marketing of the Simplex. Town Hall.
Penola - former Institute
The building is now a museum and
visitor information centre. When it was
a cinema the equipment was a
Raycophone J3 plant originally
installed at Robe in 1939 (below). All evidence of film projection
When Chevron Cinemas, which ran the facilities are gone, although one might
Institute also opened a drive-in in suspect the projection ports have
Penola they closed the Institute. The merely been covered by the Honour
drive-in itself closed in 1974. Roll boards.
At one time the equipment here was
1920 model Hahn-Goerz projectors,
with Melbourne-made Vocaltone sound
attachments, an economical but crude
‘talkie’ conversion for silent projectors.
Hamilton:
Former Regent, Performing Arts
Image: Roderick Smith Centre and James Ness Cinema
The Regent is now a disposals
The now demolished Casterton
store. At closure, this rather grand
Theatre (above) used Kalee 8
theatre was equipped with Bauer plant,
projectors with Raycophone E6 sound.
ex the Rialto Box Hill, which then
These particular machines (one shown
went to St.Patrick’s College, Ballarat.
below) were never converted for
CinemaScope.

Naracoorte - former Rivoli

Exhibitor Reg Boulter hosted our
inspection of the Hamilton Performing
Arts Centre and James Ness Cinema.
The P.A.C is the former Town Hall and
is equipped with a modern Ernemann,
Opening Night 18 December 1935. mounted on castors and moved into
Image: Tim Rowe place when required.
This big building is now an arcade, James Ness Cinema across the
with the dress circle and bio room intact, foyer is equipped with an almost
although empty. On the internal wall the Both Casterton Theatre and Town miniature Chinese projector utilising a
sliding change-over bar is still in place. Hall Pictures were originally operated 12,000ft tower (opposite,top). Reg
One of the bio entrances leads by local businessman and assured us that the results were truly
directly from the dress circle, without a Cinematograph exhibitor, Jonas Faroe. amazing, comfortably filling a good
smoke-lock. Under the State of Victoria size screen. This machine was
Cinematograph Regulations 1928, purchased after the 1926 C&W Model
smoke-locks were mandatory. A smoke- E, formerly from the Croydon (Hall)
lock is a fireproof door leading from Theatre, finally expired.
the bio-box into a small room where a
second fireproof door exited into a
public area, thus isolating the bio-box
from the auditorium. Clearly there was
a difference between South Australian
and Victorian regulations.

14 2008 CINEMARECORD