We have received some wonderful information about the Malachi’s bio room and projection equipment as it was towards the end of the Herb David era of the Magna theatre.
These photos were taken by Ian Clyde Griggs in 1974 during a special railway tour to Oberon. Films had stopped being shown at the Hall at that time, although the plant was still operational.
The projectors were a standard package by Raymac Supplies, from the 1950’s, and consisted of Cummings and Wilson Model M2 projector heads on Raymac sound heads and pedestals. The carbon arc lamps were made by Hamilton and Baker but supplied by Raymac. The Raymac amplifier is just visible on the front wall of the projection room.
There was quite a bit of projection equipment stored in locations all over the town indicating a long and quite heroic tradition of showing pictures with whatever plant could be cobbled together at any given time.
The Raymac plant at the theatre would certainly have been the apex of achievement.
Magna-Coustian sound equipment figured prominently, and the theatre was known as the “Magna” named after the equipment then installed. Ray McIntosh was also a principal figure in that earlier sound equipment company.
