217B INVERMAY ROAD, THE STAR THEATRE

THE STAR THEATRE, INVERMAY ROAD

And yes.....I do requests.......When I asked Marvin (my husband, and not his real name) which building he thought I should look at next, he nominated the Star Theatre without hesitation. This lovely building is in a highly visible spot on a major road, and yet is easy to simply drive past without fully appreciating its beauty.

According to a report in The Examiner , when the theatre opened in Invermay on October 05^th 1937, hundreds gathered outside to admire the neon lighting. It was also truly impressive inside. (Take a look at the description in The Examiner of 01 October 1937 via TROVE!) There were 250 velvet upholstered lounge chairs in “the circle” and 650 rubber cushioned seats in the stalls, and the lighting was provided by amber globes.

The Star was Launceston's first suburban theatre. Guy Crick (from Sydney) was the architect (“in association with Mr A Harold Masters of Launceston”), but the building work was undertaken by local firm J and T Gunn. The design is “a mixture of interwar functionalist and art deco style”...and if you want to know what that means, consult the building's description on the Australian Heritage database

(http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=100071

Alderman Hollingsworth undertook the ceremonial opening, saying that “the management had assured him that a very careful watch would be kept, and that nothing harmful to the youth of the district would be screened.” We are left to ponder what would have been deemed “harmful” but evidently the opening films Roberta (with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers) and The Plot Thickens were judged to be acceptable.

The theatre had a revolving star, which was turned on at 7 o'clock each night, and people would dress in their Sunday best, and book regular seats. The demise of the theatre was attributed to competition from television and the drive-in. (Examiner 27^th July 1999)

The theatre closed on July 26^th 1969. The last movie shown was The Green Berets. The building was purchased by the St Vincent de Paul Society in 1971, and is still occupied by them today.

CORNER CHARLES AND PATERSON STREETS - THE NATIONAL THEATRE

THE NATIONAL THEATRE, CNR. CHARLES AND PATERSON STREETS

The National Theatre remains an impressive building on the corner of Charles and Paterson Street. It was designed by Thomas Searell, and built by Harry Goodluck. The Launceston City Council sold the building to the printing firm that still occupies it, in 1969.

The first performance at the theatre, when in opened in September 1915 was “The Silence fo Dean Maitland by Mr George Marlow's Dramatic company. The programme in the early days of the theatre were nothing if not eclectic, as a quick look at early Examiners (via TROVE) illustrates:

05 March 1918: Film - “Unborn” - dealing with the nation's decreasing birthrate “in a manner that gives no offence”

27 March 1918: “Mr. J. D. Foley, comedian and ventriloquist, will appear after an absence of five years. In the afternoon Mr. White will show Punch and Judy for the little ones.”

07 June 1918: The Launceston season of the high class vaudeville combination at the National Theatre is drawing to a close The farces, introducing the full strength of the company, are amongst the most humourous items of their kind offered,and the individual contributions by Doody and Wright, music and dancing artists; Lennon and Hill. society entertainers; Dozey and Doura, acrobats and balancers; Fred. Arthur comedian, Arthur Sharples, tenor vocalist, Laura McLaine, soprano; and Violet Lorraine,soubrette; constitute a programme of rare merit.”........and so on

These are three fairly random samples from just one year – there is a lot more packed into the 44 years of the theatre's operation and each of the performances and events has a whole history worthy of further investigation.

15 WELLINGTON ST - THE KANGAROO INN

Building began at 15 Wellington Street in 1824, when a cottage was built by James Lyford. A variety of businesses were subsequently conducted on the site including a theatre, a bakery and stables, but it is best known as “The Kangaroo Inn.” The Inn was licensed between 1835 and 1842.

Many of the early hotels in Launceston doubled as community meeting places. St. John's Masonic Lodge had its foundations in a meeting held at the inn in 1842. Inquests were also held on the premises.

One suspects that many interesting stories could be told (and hopefully might be discovered) about the “Victorian Theatre”, as it was also known. An advertisement from the Cornwall Chronicle of 26 November 1842 reads:  "Mr REA (from England), the celebrated Ventriloquist, Mimic, Performer of Mechanical figures, Deception &etc, &etc, will perform at the Kangaroo Inn (for the first time in this colony), on the evenings of Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Boxes 4s, Pit 2s 6d."

In her book, A Walk Through Launceston's History, Beverley Heathcote gives more details about the Kangaroo Inn as well as some fascinating information about the theatre manager George Coppin who, amongst other things, was later to supply Burke and Wills with camels!!

(More details can  also be found at the Australian Heritage Database:

http://www.environment.gov.au/cgi-bin/ahdb/search.pl?mode=place_detail;place_id=16101)