Page 18 - CR

By 2000 Hanna Sports Stores
In August 1961 the Moonee
celebrated its Golden Anniversary.
Guests to this special event
included the leader of the Labour
Party, Arthur Calwell - a local resident,
along with other dignitaries. By this
time three of the other theatres in the
municipality had closed, two of which
were demolished.
The decline in audiences continued,
but the theatre still operated six nights
a week up until its closure on the 1 of
st
December 1965.
1965
Above Pics: Interior in 1985.
In August 1966 the theatre was passed by the short-lived Hanna Sports
in at auction but sold shortly after for
its reserve price of 65000-pounds and removing much of the ornate
($130,000). The projection equipment plasterwork and painting the whole
was removed to the Adelphi Theatre interior white.
in Carlton, itself now the San
Remo Ballroom.
The Moonee’s dress-circle was
converted into a gymnasium and is
still used for such. Most of the 1940
cream brick facade was removed
revealing remnants of the original 1996
arched façade.
The four shops at the front were
reinstated for retail and were extended
into the foyer space.
The auditorium was sealed off and
used as a store room for many years.
Later the Salvation Army used it as a
retail outlet and the 1954 green and
mauve toned colour scheme was still
in reasonable condition along with
the ornamental plaster detail.
In 1996 the building was again The Moonee today.
auctioned, then occupied
18 2011 CINEMAREC ORD
had gone into receivership
and the theatre became (and in
2011 remains) a bicycle store.
The wheel had turned! Back in the
early 30s, Ted Waterford, a professional
cyclist appeared on the Moonee stage
riding his “Standard” cycle on rollers,
in conjunction with the screening of the
film Sporting Blood.
In December of 1934, Ted Waterford
was again on stage at the theatre when
the Essendon Professional Cycling Club
honoured him with a picture-night and
presentation of a trophy in recognition
of his Melbourne to Adelaide ride. In
his outstanding seven year career, Ted
Waterford had won 200 trophies, 43
medals and 15 sashes.
Harry Gyles organised cycling races for
boys 14 years and under. The first race,
with 30 starters, proved so successful
that a cycling club was formed.
To acknowledge its centennary year,
CATHS members visited the former
Moonee Ponds Theatre on June the
18 and a certificate was presented to
th
the current custodians. +
th
Happy 100 Moonee!
Stores who set about modernising
References:
The stop over that Stayed. Grant Aldous 1988.
The Annals of Essendon (Essendon Gazette)
R. W. Chalmers 1998.
Essendon Historical Society notes
by Dr Sam Merrifield.
Editions of the Melbourne Argus newspaper.
Photographs from the collection of CATHS; Ross
King; Gordon Turnbull and Kevin Adams.
*Footnote: Harry Winbush became the
Head of the Architecture School at RMIT
and until his death in the mid 1980’s was a
neighbour of the author. The author attended
many shows at the Moonee and his father,
a Tailor occupied one of the theatre shops
during the 1930s
Robert McLeish operated a chain of
theatres at Northcote, (Northcote Picture
Theatre Co. P/L) Newmarket, from 1918,
Collingwood, Fairfield and Camberwell
(Junction Theatres P/L.)