Page 10 - CinemaRecord #76C
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He introduction of drive-in theatres to The major theatres interests, Hoyts and
Tthe state of New South Wales did not Greater Union, both wanted to establish
come as smoothly as in other states. their drive-ins. They decided to join forces
and establish a separate company made up
It was necessary to obtain a licence from the of directors from both sides. The name of
Theatres and Film Commission, a difficult the new company became Consolidated
task which saw NSW lag behind other Drive-Ins Corporation, Pty Ltd with
states at a time when there were already the main office located inside a dwelling
several drive-ins operating in Victoria, South located on a section of land which would
Australia and Tasmania. later become the site of their North Ryde
Drive-In.
The Sydney newspapers featured headlines that
Construction begins. often questioned some of the licensing matters. The new company purchased a site at
One in particular was granting of a licence to Lambton, a suburb of Newcastle, where in
Twin Drive-In Theatres Pty Ltd, a company October 1956 it opened the Skyline Drive-
which was then bought by MGM for £102,000. In Theatre, the first in NSW. This was to
be the name of all five drive-ins built by
This brought up the whole question of why Consolidated in the Sydney area.
persons wishing to establish a drive-in theatre
in NSW must first apply to the commission, The first drive-ins to open in Sydney were
whilst MGM did it the easy way and bought a the Skyline at French’s Forest on October
licence which had already been granted. There 23 1956, followed by Skyline Dundas on
rd
was quite some comment about this, both in the October 24 . Both were opened by the NSW
th
newspapers and among theatre exhibitors. Premier Joseph Cahill.
10 2012 CINEM AREC ORD
