Remember when: The Gold Coast’s original cinema closed its doors as Mayor fought premier

PLANS were moving ahead for a £300,000 development which was to provide 42 commercial sites in the heart of Southport.

Gold Coast Bulletin, Friday April 2, 1965

PLANS were moving ahead for a £300,000 development which was to provide 42 commercial sites in the heart of Southport.

This was highlighted by an announcement that the historic Regent theatre in Nerang St would close within a week after almost 53 years of screenings.

It began as the Regnant Pictures on October 1, 1912 when the opening night’s program described the theatres as “the most up-to-date palace outside the metropolis”.

The theatre was one of a number of buildings on the 1.5 acre site which was to be subdivided for commercial development.

The land was owned by brothers Neville Morton and Colin Thams.

Meanwhile, Mayor Ern Harley counterattacked in the “battle of the dirty water”.

Ald. Harley defended the Gold Coast City Council against charges that it was responsible for the dirty water supply by procrastinating over the installation of filtration.

He accused the Premier, Frank Nicklin, of not telling the full story about filtration in a letter to Eric Gaven, the Member for South Coast.

In the letter, Mr Nicklin said it was just a month earlier that the Co-ordinator General received a request for a loan for filtration and that even then, no indication was given of the priority required.

In a statement, Ald. Harley traced the council’s “filtration record” step-by-step from June 1959 to the then-present.

“I do not desire to cloud the real issues that confront the Gold Coast and the council at the present time in relation to the water by replying to the statement reported in the press as having been made by the premier,” he said.