Page 20 - CinemaRecord Edition 3-2003 #41

Of Kiwis, Crows And Celluloid Strips:

South Australia’s Projector Pioneers

Part One - Master & Pupil

by Peter Wolfenden

Talkies have become the world’s medium of entertainment, and will stick
to the movie fans as a leach sticks to one bathing in a billabong.
- Everyones 6 May 1931

Benbow Amusements Limited was a Garvie was a New Zealander, born
company that older citizens of South in Oamaru on the South Island, but by
Australia, particularly country residents, his early 20s, he had worked in
would recall with some respect; for Scotland, England and Chicago as an
Benbows brought talkies to regional engineer in the growing automotive
centres, where they regularly screened industry. He was employed by the
almost exclusively at institute halls. motor engineering firm Duncan and
David Garvie, Biograph Fraser of Adelaide in 1909 and later
Manufacturer, is a business name became Superintendent of the Glanville
almost lost in time, but if it was not for Engineering Works at Port Adelaide, a
Garvie, it is highly unlikely that State Government undertaking.
Benbow Amusements would have come His decision to start his own
into existence. biograph manufacturing business was
At its peak, Benbows employed 130 timely; film production and the
people and operated at some 37 centres construction of theatres in which to
- about 30% of the country screens in show them were now growth industries.
South Australia! Film Weekly Motion David Garvie made his reputation as
Picture Directory of 1951-52 listed 15 a supplier of reliable projectors when
theatres and 10 touring venues operated two of his machines were installed in
by Benbows. However, there was much the Wondergraph theatre in Adelaide.
more to Benbow Amusements than may have even used a homemade Marketed under a number of names
showing films. projector for these screenings! including his own, the Garvie
The means to achieve those After leaving school, William (Biograph) Projector was based on the
‘moving shadows on the screen’ was worked for a number of employers German Ernemann Imperator projector
probably more significant, although not including Unbehaun and Johnston, an imported by Harringtons Ltd. and
as apparent to the public, and the story Adelaide electrical firm, which would others, and although conjecture on my
of William Benbow is part of a largely play a significant part in his later life. part, it was probably the escalation of
forgotten aspect of Australia’s cinema However, it was in August 1917 when World War I that made German
history. he commenced work with David machines difficult to obtain.
And what of David Garvie? Here Garvie, Biograph Manufacturer of Most German products were
was a man of great enterprise, with Unley S.A., that his future was firmly prohibited imports during that time. So
precision engineering skills, who was moulded. Garvie must have appreciated deep were the suspicions surrounding
prepared to enter the unusual world of the keenness of young William because the War that residents of some towns
moving picture equipment. At one stage about a year later, on 8 July 1918, with German names found themselves
he employed 20 men in this embryonic, William was formally indentured and living in ‘another place’ as town names
Australian projector manufacturing was enrolled at the Adelaide School of were changed. South Australian
operation. Mines (now University of South examples are Blumberg, which became,
(1,2,3,4,14)
Australia). and still is Birdwood, and Lobethal,
Learning The Ropes - which became Tweedvale, but later
The Garvie/Benbow Connection David Garvie - reverted to Lobethal.
Born in New Zealand of Australian Biograph Manufacturer.
Garvie’s break-through is believed
parents, William Viking Benbow came David Garvie’s projector to have been an order for 50 machines
to Australia as a baby in 1902. At about manufacturing activity was a from cinema equipment supplier,
10 years, he saw his first moving substantial part of his precision Harringtons, a model branded
pictures. These entranced him so much engineering business. He started the Harrington’s Imperia. During the war,
so that two years later he was ‘running company in 1915, although some Australasian Films, the film and
a show’ in the back yard of his parent’s references give the date as 1 March technical supply arm of Union
home in Clarence Park, an Adelaide 1916. This however, may have been Theatres, also courted Garvie.
suburb. Family folklore has it, that he some form of ‘official date’.

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