CAARP
Cinema and Audience Research Project

Exhibitors:
1949 – 1951 Mr L. Hunt
1951 – 1957 Mr W. Showell
1957 – 2008 H. R. & G Waghorn (Film Weekly Motion Picture Guide 1948 – 1971)

The Gerringong Town Hall was built in 1948 and was immediately put to use for the exhibition of film. Parkinson notes that the auditorium is unusually arranged in that films are projected from a box sited behind the stage onto a screen suspended on the back wall. Under Harry Waghorn’s management widescreen equipment was installed around 1957. (Parkinson 2005, p. 5) Son Gary Waghorn took over the business on his father’s retirement and the cinema continued to operate in the summer months until 2008 at which time it was closed due to falling financial returns. Waghorn blamed the business practices that had developed around the cinema industry for the closure. He listed difficulties in securing films, the high percentage of box-office takings claimed by distributors and the short time between cinema and video releases as factors which combined to make the cinema financially unviable (Curtis 2008).

On the closure of the cinema a community-run, non-profit venture 'Gerringong Pics and Flicks' took on the role of providing film entainment to local residents. A film club has been formed and pictures continue to be shown once a month (Kitka Design 2011).

Refences:
Curtis, K 2008, Kiama Independent, http://www.kiamaindependent.com.au/article/summer_cinema_tradition_ends accessed 13 February 2011

“Film Weekly Motion Picture Directory”, Film Weekly, Sydney, 1936 – 1971.

Kitka Design, “Gerringong Pics and Flicks”, http://www.gerringong-gerroa.com/movies.htm accessed 13 February 2011

Parkinson, R. J 2005, Silver Screen in the Shoalhaven, Robert James Parkinson, Sydney.