Taranaki's first drive- in movies
Our Stories
By VICKI PRICE - Taranaki Daily News
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Taranaki once had its own drive-in movie theatre.
Patrons would drive up and park in their 1960s cars, their children dressed in pyjamas in the back seat and, in great anticipation, settle in for an evening's entertainment. This fun but rather short-lived enterprise was in Oaonui, a farming community between Rahotu and Opunake.
These innocuous activity was a fund-raising venture that eventually provoked the ire of far-off Wellington.
In the early days of Oaonui School, which was founded in 1889, there was no swimming pool. The teacher would trek hot pupils on a long walk to the Oaonui River or the Oaonui Dairy Factory race. The Pungarehu baths were used for proper swimming races and for those gaining swimming certificates, but it wasn't that popular, as the water was always cold.
It was in 1966, during Harvey Hingston's time there as headmaster, that the Oaonui School pool was finally brought into being. Before the construction began, however, funds needed to be raised. Enter Mr Hingston's brother in Canada, who gave him the idea for the drive-in movies, which were a popular activity in Canada at that time.
"He said, Have you ever thought of a drive-in movie? I said, I don't know what you mean.
"He explained it to me and I couldn't see why it couldn't happen here," Mr Hingston says.
A trial run of the project was held on September 29, 1965, with a calico sheet used as a screen. It worked well, so the following night, a Sunday, saw the first outdoor public screening of a movie - Walt Disney's So Dear to My Heart, starring Burl Ives. Twenty-six cars arrived.
The screenings continued on Sunday nights so as not to be in direct competition with the local movie theatre (the only one around for 500 square miles, according to one supporter) and were an enormously popular night out for many farming families, who rarely got the opportunity to take their children to see movies. Donations were made to the school - usually in the form of money or bags of cement for the pool.
The children could fall asleep in the back seats and were all ready to be tucked into bed when they got home.
"The local theatre didn't like the opposition and I can't blame them entirely for that," Mr Hingston says, "but we showed them on a Sunday and there were no movies on a Sunday then. Sunday was a sacred day - the shops were shut. Everything was."
In November, however, the school was advised by the Education Board that the school projector bought under subsidy could not be used for public screening. So the school made everyone who attended the films honorary members of the Oaonui Home and School Association and the film nights continued.
It was such an innovative exploit that there weren't any laws to govern such activities and when the government got wind of this small rural school's fundraising, it didn't support it and shut it down.
"Legislation allowing films to be shown in the open while people watch in their cars will have to be introduced first before such film shows can be conducted," stated the secretary of the Cinematograph Film Licensing Authority (CFLA), R. Harrison, to the Taranaki Daily News.
In response, the editor wrote in his editorial wholly devoted to the issue: "The whole thing smacks of Gilbert and Sullivan. It establishes the precedent that unless there is a law clearly legalising this action or that, the citizen must assume the action is illegal. Take care, you young lovers, how you kiss your girl friend goodnight. Beware, you Beatle fans, the length of your hair. For all you know, you may be running foul of the law, which has neglected to make provision for goodnight kisses at the front gate or male hair to shoulder level. It is vital and overwhelmingly necessary that all citizens who cherish the illusion that this is a free country should protest at each fresh incursion on their dwindling liberties."
Neither did the drive-in movie-goers let go without a fight. The Taranaki Daily News was inundated with letters of support for the school, including one from Mother of Four, Oaonui, who finished her letter with, "Our headmaster and his wife have the interests of our school and children very much at heart, and we admire them both for what they have done, for the school, the children, and our very small district."
The school wished only to show non-feature films that were less than 30 minutes long and didn't require a licence. Some films were chosen for their educational as well as fun value. But still the government stood firm.
"The position is that there is no objection to such films being screened provided that effective steps are taken to prevent patrons from viewing the films while seated in motor cars," a letter from the CFLA said.
Classroom chairs were thus provided for patrons to use, but most refused to leave the comfort of their cars to sit on the small, hard seats.
"I hire films to show relatives and friends and my viewers have been told they may sit in the tree tops or anywhere else they should so desire," wrote Disgusted Sympathiser to the newspaper, who went on to recommend any snooping Internal Affairs representative might find himself in the tree tops - "and I can assure him it would not be with the idea of viewing".
A representative of Internal Affairs happened to be "on holiday" in the area and decided to pop in to one of the Sunday night screenings. On returning to his office in Wellington, he handed in a report on the screening. Shortly after, a telegram arrived at the school from one of its film suppliers in Auckland, saying it was liable for prosecution if it continued to supply films to the school. The family night out at Taranaki's first drive-in theatre had come to an end.
Once described as having courage and pertinacity - the art of being determinedly resolute in purpose - seem to be apt words to describe Mr Hingston. He has undertaken some innovative and rather daring exploits, usually in the name of helping others. One of these was driving from Dunedin to Auckland in a Morris Minor van named Moriarty within 24 hours. That's for next week.
* Did this story bring back memories or would you like to get in touch about another Taranaki story? You can write c/- Features editor Deborah Sloan, 49 Currie St, PO Box 444, New Plymouth 4340, or ring the newspaper on 759-0800 ext 8705#, or email tnlfeatures@tnl.co.nz with Our Stories in the subject line.
