Community fights for cinema

THE Bass Coast Fine Film Group appealed for the future of the Wonthaggi cinema at Bass Coast Shire Council’s community question time recently.

Representing the group, Larry Hills said the cinema should be seen as of greater value to the town.

“After the retirement of (former projectionist) Keith Stevens, the big question was whether the equipment would stay with the cinema,” he said.

“We believe it should. If it disappears, it could take years to replace.”

Mr Stevens independently manned the cinema for 17 years and owned the equipment used during this time.

To keep the equipment with the cinema, Mr Hills and fellow Fine Film Group member Marny Javornik have called for support from council, as well as crowd funding and other fundraising methods.

“We will chip in but we want support and certainty that the cinema will remain,” Mr Hills said.

Mayor Cr Jordan Crugnale said she was confident the cinema would continue and said council had been working with Mr Stevens.

“We certainly value the cinema and we can see it has the support of the whole town,” she said.

The draft business plan for the Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre was presented to the community late last month, and council’s coordinator of recreation and culture Mark Lindsay was adamant a cinema would be incorporated in the plan.

Community input on the draft plan closed yesterday (September 19).

All feedback will be considered before a final report is delivered to council.

Cinema wanted: Bass Coast Fine Film Group’s Larry Hills and Marny Javornik want the cinema to remain an important part of Wonthaggi.

Short URL: /?p=19697

Posted by Tayla Kershaw on Sep 27 2016. Filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry