By Larry Hills
THE Union? Yeah, the movies. Are they still showing films at the Wonthaggi Cinema? They sure are. It’s now an official part of the Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre AKA “WUCAC”, “The Arts Centre”, “The Centre”, “The Performing Arts Centre”, “The Cinema” or, as it has been called for so many years by the locals, “The Union”, because the current building was built on the site of the original Wonthaggi Union Theatre which has a great deal of historical significance to the town.
THE Union? Yeah, the movies. Are they still showing films at the Wonthaggi Cinema? They sure are. It’s now an official part of the Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre AKA “WUCAC”, “The Arts Centre”, “The Centre”, “The Performing Arts Centre”, “The Cinema” or, as it has been called for so many years by the locals, “The Union”, because the current building was built on the site of the original Wonthaggi Union Theatre which has a great deal of historical significance to the town.
Well, there’s a lot on at The Union. Live performances of theatre, dance and music and, when they can fit it in, cinema. Yes, cinema has become an integral part of The Union.
Over the past 17 years, the cinema, then called “The Wonthaggi Union Cinema,” was run by the fabulous Keith Stevens. Keith had connections in the film industry and was able to bring in some fantastic films. He opened up The Union for holiday films for summer and school holidays. He showed films more than 30 weeks of the year. He inaugurated the first Wonthaggi International Film Festival. It became such a popular annual event that he added a second festival in October called The Other Wonthaggi Film Festival. He also gave a helping hand to the formation of the Bass Coast Fine Film Group in order to get an audience for regular screenings of Fine Films. All was well. The cinema culture in Wonthaggi was established. Almost taken for granted.
Then Keith retired. The Bass Coast Fine Film Group, fearing this would spell the end of cinema in Wonthaggi, sent a deputation to the council to see if something could be done to save the cinema. Bass Coast Shire Council owns the building but the cinema equipment belonged to Keith Stevens.
Understanding the importance of the cinema, the council agreed to take over the film services, including scheduling and screening films. They bought Keith’s cinema equipment and replaced Keith with eight casual workers to run the cinema as well as staff the arts centre. The council also contracted Keith to continue sourcing the films and entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Bass Coast Fine Film Group. It has now become a major partner with the group. The council has worked closely with the group and has shared marketing and advertising by linking websites.
The transition is being overseen by Mark Lindsay, Bass Coast’s recreation and culture co-ordinator, who is doing a great job of keeping it all happening. In the first month of the year, hordes of people flocked to The Union to see the holiday films. The Bass Coast Fine Film Group have seen three of their 10 guaranteed films scheduled throughout the year and the council ran a very successful Wonthaggi Fine Film Festival at the end of February. In addition, on most Fridays and Saturdays, there have been family films screened at the Union. We are just finishing our first term Happy Holiday films before the theatre is taken over for school musical productions and the annual Wonthaggi Theatrical Group production.
How can you find out what’s on at The Union? If they are long runs. like the holiday films, they are advertised in the local paper. Other than that, the council depends on on-line advertising and printed flyers around town and posters at the Union. The council and film group have links between their websites covering the current cinema screenings.
There have been a few teething problems with advertising. The old Wonthaggi Union Cinema website was owned by a third party and closed down when Keith retired. People need a place to see what’s on. If it’s not in the local paper, it will be posted in the window of the Union and it should be on the council website.
Bass Coast Fine Film Group also has a website with “What’s Screening Now?.
The council also has a Facebook page with screening info, although you might have to scroll down the page through other shire activities to find it.
Bass Coast Fine Film Group has also set up a Facebook page specifically for the current screenings at the Cinema. If you “Follow” that page on Facebook, new screenings, as the information becomes available, will automatically appear on your own news feed.
As more and more people source information online, they will get used to finding out what’s on at The Union through one of the links. “The Union”, it sounds good. We should all start calling it “The Union” with respect for its historical background. I know I will. It could catch on. The council may even stop calling it WUCAC!
Larry Hills is secretary of the Bass Coast Fine Film Group.
Over the past 17 years, the cinema, then called “The Wonthaggi Union Cinema,” was run by the fabulous Keith Stevens. Keith had connections in the film industry and was able to bring in some fantastic films. He opened up The Union for holiday films for summer and school holidays. He showed films more than 30 weeks of the year. He inaugurated the first Wonthaggi International Film Festival. It became such a popular annual event that he added a second festival in October called The Other Wonthaggi Film Festival. He also gave a helping hand to the formation of the Bass Coast Fine Film Group in order to get an audience for regular screenings of Fine Films. All was well. The cinema culture in Wonthaggi was established. Almost taken for granted.
Then Keith retired. The Bass Coast Fine Film Group, fearing this would spell the end of cinema in Wonthaggi, sent a deputation to the council to see if something could be done to save the cinema. Bass Coast Shire Council owns the building but the cinema equipment belonged to Keith Stevens.
Understanding the importance of the cinema, the council agreed to take over the film services, including scheduling and screening films. They bought Keith’s cinema equipment and replaced Keith with eight casual workers to run the cinema as well as staff the arts centre. The council also contracted Keith to continue sourcing the films and entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Bass Coast Fine Film Group. It has now become a major partner with the group. The council has worked closely with the group and has shared marketing and advertising by linking websites.
The transition is being overseen by Mark Lindsay, Bass Coast’s recreation and culture co-ordinator, who is doing a great job of keeping it all happening. In the first month of the year, hordes of people flocked to The Union to see the holiday films. The Bass Coast Fine Film Group have seen three of their 10 guaranteed films scheduled throughout the year and the council ran a very successful Wonthaggi Fine Film Festival at the end of February. In addition, on most Fridays and Saturdays, there have been family films screened at the Union. We are just finishing our first term Happy Holiday films before the theatre is taken over for school musical productions and the annual Wonthaggi Theatrical Group production.
How can you find out what’s on at The Union? If they are long runs. like the holiday films, they are advertised in the local paper. Other than that, the council depends on on-line advertising and printed flyers around town and posters at the Union. The council and film group have links between their websites covering the current cinema screenings.
There have been a few teething problems with advertising. The old Wonthaggi Union Cinema website was owned by a third party and closed down when Keith retired. People need a place to see what’s on. If it’s not in the local paper, it will be posted in the window of the Union and it should be on the council website.
Bass Coast Fine Film Group also has a website with “What’s Screening Now?.
The council also has a Facebook page with screening info, although you might have to scroll down the page through other shire activities to find it.
Bass Coast Fine Film Group has also set up a Facebook page specifically for the current screenings at the Cinema. If you “Follow” that page on Facebook, new screenings, as the information becomes available, will automatically appear on your own news feed.
As more and more people source information online, they will get used to finding out what’s on at The Union through one of the links. “The Union”, it sounds good. We should all start calling it “The Union” with respect for its historical background. I know I will. It could catch on. The council may even stop calling it WUCAC!
Larry Hills is secretary of the Bass Coast Fine Film Group.