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Taken on: July 27, 2023

Uploaded on: July 26, 2023

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Capitol Theatre 171 Fitzgerald Street, Northam, WA

Lyle Marshall says

The photo above is of the original Palace Cinema but I believe it was burnt down and rebuilt and renamed as the Capitol Theatre around 1931.

It was closed in 1969 due to falling patronage and too good of an offer for the land to build the shopping Centre with Woolworths as its main tenant.

During the summer time the Capitol Gardens a little ways up in Fitzgerald St between what was the Northam Advertiser and the Water Authority office and then used as a staff car park for the Water Authority. For those wanting to reminisce you will remember across from the Capitol Theatre was Northeys milk bar/cafe and across from the Capital Gardens was O'Briens Milk Bar.

Down the alleyway on the RHS of the Capitol Theatre Roy Appleton had a slot car racing setup where you could race your slot cars.

The Capital Gardens continued to be run each summer till it eventually closed in 1973.

Allan (Dink) Horsley was the Manager of both venues for many years. I was working as the projectionist at the Drive in and during the summer Dink would start off at the Gardens with Eddie Saulys as the projectionist and I would kick off the screenings at the Drive in. We would be showing the same double feature. Towards the Interval break Dink would grab the first 3 reels of the film at the Gardens and race out to the drive-in, leaving Eddie to finish the first half of the show in town. When Dink arrived at the drive in I would then take the first 3 reels of the first film at the drive in into town ready to show after the interval. After the Intervals one of us would then do the run to deliver the last 2 reels of each film.

The Avonway Drive-In closed around 1983. Like nearly every other country town that had a Cinema or Drive-In they closed due to lack of patronage brought on by TV,

Colour TV and Video. It’s all very well for people to say they want a Cinema in town but history has shown that Northam people do not support them. I became involved with a couple of business people over the years who wanted to set them up and eventually they fell through due to a lack of interest. The “bums on seats” weren’t enough to sustain a commercial operation.

Lyle Marshall - I had a career in Cinemas spanning over 30 years including 12 years in the RAAF as a mustered Cinema Operator (CINOP) running film entertainment for RAAF Personnel and their families before returning to Northam in 1988.

Contributed by Greg Lynch -