Rink Theatre

film on November 5, 2019 at 10:38 am

RINK THEATRE – Queen Street and Pasture Street, Pingelly, WA

Peter Narducci Historian shared on line – November 11, 2013

Henry Ernest Lambert, known as Ernie Lambert, married in 1906, and moved to Pingelly, where he ran the aerated waters company in Queen St, close to the south-west corner of the intersection of Queen and Pasture Sts. In about 1909 he built the Rink on the south side of this, in Queen St – a large tin shed with a flat concrete floor and a high roof which allowed for upstairs seating. Lambert installed electric power to his aerated waters plant, and then to the nearby hotel, and in 1911 he won the power concession for the town and built the power house. He was soon showing pictures at the Rink two nights a week, after finding that the Council were unwilling to give him a lease on the Town Hall for Saturday nights.

Canvas deckchairs

The rink was still primarily used for skating, and on picture nights patrons were seated on canvas deckchairs. The bio-box was located on the balcony, which also housed the most coveted seats. During Show Week, they would take out the side wall of the Rink and extend the seating outside: people would watch through the side wall, allowing them to increase seating by 500, even if only for two nights a year.

Films at the Rink weekly

Ernie Lambert moved to Albany in 1919, leaving the power house in the care of a manager. After several unsatisfactory years, Harry Harding took on the job and stayed there for 28 years, from 1926 to 1954. During his years there, the Rink and the power house were enclosed, stone buildings, and in front of them were shops, used by Harding as an electrical store and workshop. He continued screening pictures in the Rink, except when he leased it to other operators, such as Star Entertainments who presented films at the Rink weekly in the forties.

Demolished

The buildings were completely demolished and the Police Station and house now stands on the site – Contributed by Greg Lynch –