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===1930 robbery and fire=== | ===1930 robbery and fire=== | ||
Only a few months after opening, the Theatre was the subject of a robbery and arson attack. At approximately 3am on 20 June 1930, a group of thieves broke into the Theatre and ransacked the manager's office. After finding only a few items of limited value, mainly tobacco and alcoholic products, they set fire to the screen curtain in the Theatre and fled. Nearby residents alerted authorities and the local Box Hill and Surrey Hills Fire Brigades arrived within minutes of the alarm being raised.<ref name="BHS0809Newsletter" /> | Only a few months after opening, the Theatre was the subject of a robbery and arson attack. At approximately 3am on 20 June 1930, a group of thieves broke into the Theatre and ransacked the manager's office. After finding only a few items of limited value, mainly tobacco and alcoholic products, they set fire to the screen curtain in the Theatre and fled. Nearby residents alerted authorities and the local Box Hill and Surrey Hills Fire Brigades arrived within minutes of the alarm being raised.<ref name="BHS0809Newsletter" /><ref>FIRE AT BALWYN. (1930, June 21). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 23. Retrieved June 9, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4094921 </ref> | ||
Damage was limited by the quick response of firefighters and the foresight of the Theatre's builders to install up-to-date fire protection systems and designs. However, damage to the Theatre was extensive and the total cost of repairs estimated at approximately 1,000 pounds.<ref name="BHS0809Newsletter" /><ref name="VintageVictoria" /> The Theatre had taken precautions to have the necessary insurances and so was not financially bankrupted by these events. The perpetrators were thought to have also committed several other robberies of picture theatres across Melbourne, but were never caught.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4094921 |title=Fire at Balwyn. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=26,163 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=21 June 1930 |accessdate=14 July 2019 |page=23 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> | Damage was limited by the quick response of firefighters and the foresight of the Theatre's builders to install up-to-date fire protection systems and designs. However, damage to the Theatre was extensive and the total cost of repairs estimated at approximately 1,000 pounds.<ref name="BHS0809Newsletter" /><ref name="VintageVictoria" /> The Theatre had taken precautions to have the necessary insurances and so was not financially bankrupted by these events. The perpetrators were thought to have also committed several other robberies of picture theatres across Melbourne, but were never caught.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article4094921 |title=Fire at Balwyn. |newspaper=[[The Argus (Melbourne)]] |issue=26,163 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=21 June 1930 |accessdate=14 July 2019 |page=23 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> |