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Summergarden Twin Cinema 40 Murroona Street, Bowen, QLD

Photo - Courtesy of Michael Sampson

Ben De Luca’s story begins in 1950 when he rode his bike eight miles to work at the Tivoli and Grand Theatres in Bowen, North Queensland. He probably didn’t realise it then but those early years would be the beginning of a 68 year career in the Queensland Cinema Industry. 1951 saw Ben start at the new Summergarden Open Air Cinema, which opened just down the road from where he lived. This was surely ‘manna from Heaven’ for Ben because now he didn’t have to ride that bike to work.

Eleven years later on 4 May 1962, following the theatre’s owners’ decision to sell, Ben took the plunge and bought the Summergarden in partnership with Clive Bauer. Owing to the untimely passing of his business partner, Ben and his wife Phyl continued on running the Theatre.

In the early 1970’s, Australian country music legend Slim Dusty suggested a live performance stage be built. Many great Australian and Overseas artists, including Slim’s daughter Ann Kirkpatrick and wife Joy McKean, have performed on “Slim’s Stage”, as it became known, and continue to do so to this day. 1977 saw a residence was built on top of the Summergarden and the De Luca’s moved in with daughters Sandra and Kerry. Around that time the Summergarden became known as “Ben’s Baby”.

‘Ben’s Baby” played a major role in “The Slim Dusty Movie” in 1983. The largest single segment was filmed in and around the Summergarden with Ben and his daughter Sandra appearing as extras. Ben appears cleaning the Theatre’s lights while many ‘Bowenites’ make an appearance reclining in the canvas seats in the concert scenes. 1995 saw “Ben’s Baby” become an air-conditioned Twin Cinema.

Contributed by Greg Lynch -