Started in 1975 as a joint venture between the Rotary Club and Apex Club and run as a community co-operative.
Each individual put in $10 (coming to the total sum of $10,000) which was put towards securing a $50,000 loan from the State bank in order to build the cinema.
Due to trouble securing a planning permit the theatre committee had to pay an additional $10,000 meaning that when it opened it was already in debt.
The cinema was built where a shopping centre had once been, and was designed by the architects Clarke, Hopkins and Clarke.
Opening night was August 5 1975 with the theatre to be running 6 days a week and staffed by community volunteers. This proved to be undesirable for few had the experience needed, leading to low patronage and more debt.
Whilst payed staff began working 6 months later and patronage did pick up, it was still low, a result believed to be because of the cinemas poor location, small size and the competition from nearby commercial cinemas.
At one stage, and under the management of Brian Jeans, the Rotex hosted numerous community and group functions. During this time the Rotex was able to pay off some of its debt however Village soon built a cinema in near-by Greensborough, causing audiences to fall yet again.
Mr. Ron Fuhrer eventually took over the Rotex which was now 3 years old and $70,000 in debt. He closed the cinema for six weeks and re-opened for the school holidays and went on to cater for non-commercial cliental. This appeared to work and audiences soon began to rise, with an expected turnout of 70 people per night.
Another cinema built close by led to further problems.
- All information taken from Garbutt, S 'A short history of the 'Rotex' theatre', found in Bertrand , I ''Cinema file: Montmorency'' (unpublished research).
Name change listed in Age, April 4, 1980.
References
Page, F 1995 'Rotex/Were Street Theatre - Montmorency' CinemaRecord, no. 7, p.4
Booklet of funds and expenses found in Bertrand, I Cinema file: Montmorency (unpublished research).
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