OPEN AIR MOVIE THEATRE
13 AUSTRALIAN ARMY PERSONNEL STAGING CAMP
OONOONBA, TOWNSVILLE
DURING WW2

There was an open air movie theatre at the 13 Australian Army Personnel Staging Camp, at Oonoonba, Townsville during WW2. In the early years of the war, civilians were allowed to attend the movies or concerts. As the population in the area grew, the practice discontinued and armed pickets kept unauthorised persons out of the movie theatre. 

One of the local teenagers, Sidney Ware used to wear his brother Bill's spare uniform to get into the movies. Sidney was a fairly well-built teenager and blended in with the crowd. One night Army personnel were walking through the crowd looking at colour patches and dispatching soldiers with the correct colour patch to a waiting troop train. Luckily for Sidney he had a different colour patch on his brother's uniform.

Military Camps/Units at Oonoonba
(previously Fairfield) during WW2

REFERENCE BOOKS

"Fairfield and her Folk 1868 1995"
"Oonoonba State School, 1920 - 1995"
Editor Denyse Bonney

Can anyone help me with more information?

"Australia @ War" WWII Research Products

This page first produced 1 July 2004

This page last updated 25 January 2020