A COMMUNITY meeting was held on July 5 to gauge community interest in keeping the Kookaburra Cinema running and to put the call out for volunteers to support the cause.

Kookaburra Cinema reopens next month (Echo News, October 11, 2024) reported owner Peter Foyster was hoping a community group could take the cinema over and keep it running.

Perth Hills resident Karen Beale said it would be a loss to the community if the cinema disappeared and that was one of the reasons that a committee to keep it was formed.

“It’s a much-loved asset in the community,” she said.

“It’s a beautiful night there under the stars, over summer, in the middle of the Beelu national park.

“It’s not all about the blockbuster cinema movies because they play alternate movies and nostalgic movies as well and it’s much loved.

“It’d be a shame to see it fold.”

Ms Beale founded the Keep the Kookaburra Cinema committee alongside fellow members Karen Mummery and T’Anne Mills to support the cinema’s survival.

Ms Beale said the turnout during the July 5 meeting was proof community support for the Kookaburra Cinema was strong.

“We had about 80 people there,” she said.

“We had 75 signatures on the register and there was a few that we didn’t get signing, estimating about 80 people came to that meeting, which I was really pleased with.

“We had the community meeting which we advertised on social media and through some flyers, plus we had Peter (Foyster) give us his contact list.

“We talked about our plans for the cinema and how we could go forward seeking money through GoFundMe, sponsorships and also possibly some assistance from the Shire of Mundaring.

“We listened to people who have ideas about how they could improve the cinema and we called for volunteers going forward.

“We’d need a full committee and for people who are willing to actually work the cinema so we can run it on a completely volunteer basis.”

Community members were eager to sign on with participants putting their hands up over the weekend to get involved with keeping the cinema alive.

“We had expressions of interest there and forms for people to fill out – I had 11 people say they’d be on the committee and 29 people say they’d be willing to volunteer,” Ms Beale said.

“People want it to be a true community run asset to enable community groups to do fundraisers, to help get students from local schools involved, and for people to be able to hire the cinema for fundraisers to really involve it as a grassroots locally based asset.”

The cinema had experienced several setbacks including being severely damaged when a tree fell on it and caused the centre to bulge forward as reported in Kookaburra Cinema future uncertain after storm (Echo News, January 26, 2024).

Prior to that, Mr Foyster said even getting the cinema up and running before digital cinema meant a lot of hurdles existed for the owner before him.

“I think people should understand that by rights, it shouldn’t be there,” he said.

“(The previous owner) faced so many hurdles to get it up and running – that was in film days.

“Even now, because digital equipment doesn’t have the same life as projection equipment.

“(The previous owner) was using film projectors that were already 50-years-old or so – they’re the sort of things you can just keep running.

“But digital is so specialised and it’s so expensive that unless you’re running a big complex that’s screening all day long with lots of auditoriums, then you can’t afford to do it.

“I’m doing one screening over each night for a minimum of three nights and if no one turns up to the session on Friday night, that’s it – I can’t make it up the next session.

“It’s very difficult to make enough to put aside for capital improvements, which you just have to do with the digital cinema, but I think getting new equipment will certainly keep them going for at least another 10 years.”

Despite the challenges, Mr Foyster believes the cinema has been a unique treasure for the Perth Hills and would like to see it survive.

“I have to say I felt very much appreciative of the fact that these people who’ve been coming to the cinema and other people I didn’t know (came to the Saturday meeting),” he said.

“I’m proud that people love the cinema that much.”

Residents wishing to volunteer may contact the Keep the Kookaburra Cinema committee at keepthe
kookaburracinema@gmail.com