Page 14 - CinemaRecord #80

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MVictorian town of Bendigo.
I attended Bendigo East Primary School and at the time 16mm
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Bendigo Plaza
Bendigo Plaza
14 2013 CINEMAREC ORD
I recall helping a Mr Hicks unload the projector
and heavy transformer from his car to set up in
the hall. I always got to carry the heavy canvas
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I made sure that I was sitting at the back to
watch Mr Hicks threading the projector, and on
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were cut out when a splice was made.
Later on from grade four the headmaster
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coincided with the ABC Schools programs that Princess Theatre
were broadcast on the school radio. Finally Mr Margan, the manager of the Plaza
said he would give me a go, and told me to go
After leaving primary school I was in form 1 downstairs to see Mrs Lorenz in the concessions
(year 7) when a school friend of mine had got
a job as a lolly boy at the Princess Theatre in EDU DQG VKH ZRXOG JLYH PH D ZKLWH MDFNHW ³6R
look after it, keep it dry cleaned and make sure
Bendigo. I had the opportunity to go with him \RX JLYH \RXU VKRHV D JRRG SROLVK´
to the movies for free as he was regularly given .HQ 0DUJDQ ZDV D JRRG PDQDJHU YHU\ ¿UP
complimentary tickets. but fair, he was married to Rosemary who
would later on become a Weather Girl on TV in
On one occasion we were watching a movie in Melbourne, and Mrs Lorenz was her mum.
the upstairs lounge and he quietly said to look
behind at the projection room, seconds later the The tray that I carried had a Cadburys label on
projected picture switched to another window.
He explained that this happens all during the WKH IURQW DQG ZKHQ ORDGHG KDG ¿YH SRXQGV
worth of lollies and ice creams, of which two
movie, and that the movie wasn’t on one big shillings (.20c) commission was paid to me for
reel. every pound worth of sales. On an average I got
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I was so fascinated that I wanted to see if I could per week.
get a job as a lolly boy as well. So I regularly
visited Bendigo’s three cinemas, the Plaza, As a lolly boy it wasn’t just walking around
Princess and the Lyric, pestering the managers with a tray during interval, there were chores
for a position. to do, transporting Dixie ice creams and large
1 gallon cordial jars down to the drinks bar so
that the cordial would be made up in paper cups
ready for interval.
Bendigo Plaza