What next for Murray Bridge’s Cameo Cinema?

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Danielle Isaacson has been bringing her kids to Murray Bridge’s Cameo Cinema for years.

They don’t have an internet connection at home, so they don’t have access to streaming services – but that’s not the only reason they come.

“It’s the atmosphere … being able to buy a popcorn, have a soft drink, seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces, hearing them laugh,” she said.

“You don’t get that (experience) at home.

“For us it’s a cheap time out, even with popcorn and snacks, and we don’t have to put a heap of petrol in the car.”

That’s what she and countless other Murraylands movie lovers will miss most about the region’s last cinema if it closes on July 28.

Its operators, Daryl and Sue Kennett, announced on Sunday evening that they plan to retire and spend time with their grandchildren.

Both have full-time day jobs – he works in security, and she as a nurse – but have kept the cinema going as a sideline, four days a week and every school holidays.

“It’s a big commitment,” Mrs Kennett told Murray Bridge News.

“Whoever takes it on, you need to be available.

“The more you’re open, the more options you’ve got for trade.”

The outpouring of sadness at the news, and gratitude for the family’s service to the community, was significant and immediate.

Countless moviegoers offered their thanks to the Kennetts, or shared memories of seeing films at the Cameo over the years, from Star Wars to The Land Before Time and Saving Private Ryan.

Regular patron Tim Law remembered performing in a primary school play on the cinema’s colourful carpet, dressed as a stegosaurus, stomping around with his parents in the audience; watching The Jungle Book as a wide-eyed child; or, years later, bringing his own family in to watch a movie after a meal at Wong’s next door.

The staff were friendly, Pauline Gazzola, and you could stay and chat to them for an hour.

She would know – she might have seen more movies at the Cameo than almost anyone.

Trevor Bolt lamented the fact that, while Murray Bridge residents might be able to trek up to the multiplex at Mount Barker, those in towns further out would no longer be able to enjoy a night at the movies.

In the eight years since Daryl and Sue took the cinema over, the industry has been buffeted by major changes, including restrictions on crowd numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, delayed releases due to a writers’ strike, and the switch by many viewers to home streaming services.

But the closure will be purely for personal reasons – and not because of some council crackdown, either, in case you have heard that particular rumour.

Sue described the business as a labour of love, a community service, rather than a real money-spinner.

Many of its regular customers were locals over the age of 60 who didn’t use Netflix or other streaming services, some of whom made multiple visits over the course of a weekend.

Teenagers more often drove up to Mount Barker, but there were still a few groups who made regular appearances.

It was also one of the last public places unsupervised kids or older women could go and feel safe, Sue said.

What happens next?

At this stage, if no-one comes out of the woodwork in the next two months, the final movie to be shown at the Cameo Cinema will likely be either superhero comedy Deadpool and Wolverine or disaster movie Twisters.

When the cinema closes, its owners and Daryl’s parents, Colin and Valerie Kennett, intend to sell the building privately.

They have not yet advertised a price, but are taking expressions of interest via email.

The family would prefer to sell the building rather than leasing it to a new tenant.

However, Sue suggested the property could be used for all sorts of things, not just for screening movies.

“You could make this into a church, since it’s got the tiered seating; it’s got a shed behind the screen, so you could put Bridge Players in here,” she said.

“You could have a community centre with movies for the kids, or you could have the town band practise in here – it’s got pretty good insulation.

“You could put all kinds of community events on, and the projection room could be turned into a kitchen.”

The house that Alby Mangels built

Murray Bridge has not been without a cinema since the Lyric Theatre, later the Ozone Theatre, opened on April 16, 1924.

Colin Kennett worked as a projectionist at both the Ozone and the Murray Bridge Drive In before leading a local group to establish the Cameo in 1977.

He and Daryl installed the projection system, and Valerie sewed the curtains and reupholstered the seats, according to the Cinema and Theatre Historical Society of Australia.

Incredibly, local tradesman Alby Mangels actually laid much of the brickwork for the building.

The money he earned went towards the production of the documentary film World Safari, which soon catapulted him to international fame.

The first films shown at the Cameo were the Brian De Palma thriller Obsession and the Barbra Streisand comedy For Pete’s Sake, as a double feature, on January 15, 1977.

Mangels returned soon after for the premiere of his film, memorably arriving in a helicopter which landed across the road.

Another highlight of the cinema’s 47-year run came in 2021, when internationally renowned actor David Gulpilil attended a premiere of the biographical film My Name is Gulpilil only months before his death.

Some wonderful memories have been made at the Cameo, for sure.

“Our next few weeks are going to be sad, but at the end, family comes first,” Sue Kennett said.

“I just hope somebody does come along.

“Daryl and I would be quite happy to come down and teach people the trade.

“I’d love to see it developed into a community (hub) … to see something like that done in the community would be magnificent.”

Larry Regnier, another member of the Kennett family, hoped the cinema’s projectors would keep running well into the future.

“Everyone’s got a kitchen, but they still go out to eat,” she said.

“Everyone’s got a TV, but they still go out to the movies.”

• Express an interest: Email cameocin@bigpond.com.
• More information: www.cameocinema.com.au.