If you see Dances With Wolves on the Gawler Cinema programme, you’ll know that it will be John Thorpe’s last session at the helm.
The recent listing of the cinema building on the market, which has been a stalwart of Gawler for 30 years, has got many people worried about its future, but John and Joy assure their patrons that they aren’t going anywhere just yet.
“The first aim was to sell the building and make life a bit easier,” said John.
“I turned 70 in June... I’ve been here for 30 years, I started the first video shop in Gawler back in 1980, so that’s almost 40 years having a seven day per week business.
“I said I’d like in my twilight years to go off and do something with my wife, Joy instead of coming to work every day.”
John says if the right buyer comes along, the business may be sold along with the building.
If that happens, Dances With Wolves will make a special return to the big screen.
“It was the first movie to be shown here,” said John.
“And I’ve always said it will be my last.”
The outpouring of support that John and Joy have received since news first broke that the cinema was for sale has been overwhelming for the couple.
“The phones went berserk,” said Joy.
“We had people coming in upset, asking what was happening.”
It goes to show how important the business is to the community, which has survived and thrived alongside big competition thanks to clever “outside the square” thinking.
John credits his wife of 17 years, Joy with many of the ideas that have set Gawler apart from the competition. It was part of the deal of her originally coming to help him with the cinema twenty years ago.
“She said, I’ll come and give you a hand, provided I can change everything,” laughed John.
“So I took a side step, but I didn’t really realise how far I was stepping sideways!”
Saturday morning Kid’s Club; Silver Screenings; beer, wine and pizza nights; high teas; ladies’ nights and other special events like the Melbourne Cup and New Year’s Eve screenings elevate the Gawler Cinema experience beyond just a movie.
“We go through what would make you get out of your seat and come to the cinema, so we try to make that paramount. We make it special,” said Joy.
“Sometimes people suggest why don’t you do this or that, and I say nothing is impossible here because we make the decisions, we don’t have to go to a head office,” said Joy.
“We have our board meetings at about four o’clock in the morning in bed!” added John.
The couple are a successful partnership in more ways than one, with John being the charismatic front man, and Joy taking care of business behind the scenes. Together they offer old-fashioned personal service; often hard to come by these days.
“People drive past other theatres to come up here, just because they feel special and they’re greeted at the door... they say they just love it,” said Joy.
John and Joy’s contribution to the community over the years is reflected in a prestigious list of accolades, including John’s Gold Medal for Services to the Community for fund raising, two Gawler Rotary ‘Best Local Business’ awards, and the Australia Day ‘Corporate Citizens of the Year’ award for Gawler in 2011. They have also been inducted into the Society of Australian Cinema Pione...
