A 1996 survey conducted by the Local Government and Shires Associations of New South Wales discovered that cinema was one of the most sought-after entertainment activities. Yet at that time more than 50 per cent of towns in the State… had limited or no access to cinema or film. A whole generation has grown up in many country areas without direct access to the world culture of cinema and to our own vital Australian cinema industry. –  Paper on the restoration of the Southern Cross Cinema, Young, NSW, the Legislative Council of NSW Parliament.

Last week I was dismayed to read that the future of the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine is now jeopardy. The Castlemaine Mail reported that unless owners can raise $300,000 to upgrade the cinema to conform to safety regulations, it will close.

This is after the owners have already spent $200,000 on new lighting, staff training and new fire extinguishing equipment.

They now plan to apply for government funding and are asking members of the community to show their support.

Built circa 1852, the Theatre Royal is the oldest operating theatre on the Australian mainland.

Buildings of landmark quality such as post offices, churches, schools and picture palaces are often vital components which attract tourism and promote community pride. – The National Trust of Australia (NSW)

Before we moved to Daylesford, a friend introduced me to the Rex Cinema in Vincent Street. From the outside, it looked like a tawdry bargain shop and it was with some reluctance that I agreed to go inside with her.

‘Look up,’ she urged, once we’d cleared the entrance.

I gasped. The ceiling decorations above and around the dress circle, the high proscenium arch, the wonderfully elaborate plaster work… It was a true picture palace.

Picture palaces are valued by the community for their social significance as the place where families were entertained over generations.– The National Trust of Australia (NSW)

The Spanish Mission-style Rex, built in 1928, was once the social hub of the district, thrilling successive generations with the marvels revealed to them in the plush warmth of their very own palace.

I’ve heard tales of courtships conducted and marriage proposals presented in the back stalls, and the story of an intrepid pair of sisters who walked the 14 km round trip from Eganstown to Daylesford every Saturday night to catch the main feature. They both lived well into their nineties.

Three hundred historic cinemas are being conserved in the USA. It should be possible to conserve and continue operating two dozen in Australia.– The National Trust of Australia (NSW)

On that first visit to the Rex, it was so cold that the woman behind the counter was wearing an overcoat, scarf and gloves and looked reluctant to venture far from the bar heater she was perched above.

Since its closure as a cinema in 1963, the Rex’s glory was reduced to peeling paint and its beautiful plaster work was crumbling. But the old building was still magnificent. Soon after that, rumours that it was on the market flew around the community.

A few people talked of joining together to buy the cinema. The Montreal Community Theatre, in Tumut New South Wales, was held up as a shining example of how this could be done.

Built in 1929 by the town’s enterprising draper, J.J. Learmont, it had closed in 1995. The redoubtable Tumut community, with assistance from the Learmont family and through government grants, bought and refurbished it.

The Montreal had fewer problems than our Rex and the town had a larger permanent population base from which to draw its audience. But the story of its salvation by the community is still an inspiring one.

Now, after a protracted and troubled construction process, the Daylesford Rex has been re-born as a shopping arcade. It has no soul and little atmosphere and there are fears that it could become a white elephant. For the sake of the town, and all those who now operate businesses in the building, we sincerely hope that it doesn’t.

Let’s not allow the Theatre Royal to end like that. Go to the website, people, make your feelings known. Save your palace.