Great story Brett!
I'm jealous about your star wars private screening.
My family also have history in the cinema game.
My grandfather ran the local cinema at coolum on the sunshine coast in the 50's til mid 70's, old canvass seats, carbon arc light for the projectors..my mum and her sisters worked there..real family thing.
My uncle worked as a projectionist for Greater Union in Brisbane, he got me a casual job as an assistant projectionist while I was school in the mid 80's. I loved it straight away and left school soon after, it was my main form of income from then until I gave the game away last year.
Lot of great history and stories in the old movie houses...all of the brisbane city ones are now gone...such a shame ( the odeon, the winthergarden,the forum, the albert,the regent, the paris( where I saw Star Wars in 78) I prefer them to a multiplex anyday.
