The Gerringong Pics and Flicks committee is looking for new members for their committee after showing films at the Gerringong Town Hall for 22 years. The tradition of showing films at the Gerringong Town Hall goes back even further than that.

On 14 November 2023, it will be 70 years since the Waghorn family, starting with Harry Waghorn, began showing movies at the Gerringong Town Hall. The tradition continues to this day with his son Gary Waghorn who is the projectionist for Gerringong Pics and Flicks.

Gary told The Bugle the family tradition goes back even further. 

 Here you can see Harry Waghorn’s shop in Manning Street, as the circus elephants off the train goes by on the way to School Flat at Black Beach

“My grandfather started traveling the country converting silent projectors for sound.”

Harry Waghorn's first film shown in Gerringong was Elizabeth Taylor’s Elephant Walk on 14 November 1953. Within a year, Harry had installed CinemaScope in Gerringong which allowed widescreen and only needed one projector. 

Gary told The Bugle that his father always used to say “if you don't run the train you will never know who will get on the train.”

Harry Waghorn was quite the entrepreneur over his long career and ran a number of businesses over the years, even selling televisions in Kiama when the technology was seen as replacing the film industry. 

The projectionist had to be diligent, watching for the little black dot in the upper right corner of the film called a cue mark which showed when the next reel needed to be sped up and switched, with very precise timing.

Old Gerringong Hall Projection Room

Sometimes projectionists had to quickly splice a damaged reel, while the audience waited, in order to restore the film to run freely to be shown.

These days it's much simpler pushing the button on a BluRay or DVD projector. 

Gerringong Pics and Flicks is holding its Annual General Meeting on 29 October, 2023 and if interested, email at [email protected]. Secretary Sandra Ruecroft described the committee as a cheery bunch who work well together. 

Inside Gerringong Town Hall 70s

Sandra is standing down as secretary after ten years, so the secretary position will be vacant.

The committee is formed of three executives and five to seven general members. Being a general member is a good way to start and has the benefit of maybe getting your favourite films on the screen.

Sandra said her most recent favourite was the George Gittoe and Hellen Rose film “Ukraine Guernica Art Not War” from which the committee donated $1000 to Ukraine relief efforts.