By Ian Williams
Opening a 112-seat cinema in a regional town with a population of just 320 might seem a tad ambitious if not outright foolish.
But then there’s no accounting for the can-do attitude and strength of country community at Blyth in South Australia’s mid north.
Blyth Cinema is a success story that began in 2000 when the town’s old masonic lodge came up for auction.
Local art gallery owner Ian Roberts placed a bid and found himself the proud owner of a 1958 stone building that he had no idea what to do with.
Blyth Cinema is a success story that began in 2000
“We bought it as an investment for the community and tried a couple of things, a town library and playgroup, but none of it was bringing in any money and the place was likely to fall into disrepair,” said Ian.
“Then I went to see Master and Commander featuring Russell Crowe in Adelaide and was amazed at the great sound effects. I thought that we really shouldn’t be disadvantaged by not having that kind of facility in the country.”
Back home Ian and his wife Narelle called a community meeting to gauge local interest in Blyth having its own cinema and they were blown away by the interest.
The couple invested $130,000 to refurbish the building, including air-conditioning, new toilets, surround sound and a candy bar. Second-hand cinema seats and acoustic curtains were sourced from cinemas in Adelaide and Sydney.
Second-hand cinema seats and acoustic curtains were sourced from cinemas in Adelaide and Sydney.
“It was a heck of a gamble really but the community got right behind it,” said Ian. “At one stage we had about 10 per cent of the town’s population helping on the project. Today we still have about 25 volunteers.”
All money raised goes back into the cinema which has helped pay for a new roof and the latest digital projection equipment.
Being the only cinema in the area, it attracts movie-goers from all local towns, including Clare, Balaklava, Snowtown, Brinkworth and Burra.
“We show about 60 movies a year with an average of about seven sessions a week,” said Ian. “Because we’re now digital we can show the latest movies which has helped lift our annual audience to about 14,500.”
Ian Roberts
Blyth Cinema won a $3000 prize in a national Our Communities competition in 2008 and has just attracted a $10,000 grant for new seating under the Federal Government’s Stronger Communities Programme.
“A trip to the Blyth Cinema has evolved into a great family outing offering the latest movies and an old fashioned feel complete with popcorn and a lolly bar,” said local Federal MP Rowan Ramsey.
Meanwhile the cinema is about to hire a part-time manager so that Ian can spend more time with his art. He quit farming more than 30 years ago to open the Medika gallery in Blyth and is a keen painter of birds and flowers.
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