The vision of a Dubbo Youth Council member is about to come to life through a partnership with Dubbo Regional Council which will see the projector flicked on at the Westview Drive-In Theatre for the first time since 1984.
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Council youth development officer Jason Yelverton said that applications have been made to open the drive-in theatre for one weekend in April 2017 as part of the National Youth Week Program.
“This project was been in development since February 2015 and was originally the brain-child of the then 12 year old Phoenix Aubusson-Foley,” Mr Yelverton said.
“Phoenix brought the idea up at a Youth Council meeting which was endorsed by the Youth Council, and since then we have been working to make the dream a reality,” he said.
“It has been a project that has received a lot of support from a small group of people who have been involved in the planning and development and local businesses and tradies have offered support to bring the old Dubbo icon back to life,” he said.
The Westview Drive-In was officially opened October 8, 1970 featuring the film Kelly’s Heroes starring Clint Eastwood, and was the largest drive-in in country NSW with a capacity of 550 cars, state-of-the-art projectors and window-hanging speakers and was a popular haunt for locals.
“Many memories for young people and families were created for the fourteen years it operated,” Mr Yelverton said.
“The drive-in eventually closed in June 1984 due to low numbers of patrons, believed to be related to VHS home videos becoming popular,” Mr Yelverton said.
“This means the site has now sat dormant for 32 years, some 20 years prior to Phoenix even being born,” he said.
“The Dubbo City Youth Council and Dubbo Regional Council look forward to releasing further details as they come to hand and to welcome people of all ages to once again experience the famed Night at the Drive-In,” Mr Yelverton said.
