This photo sparked the coincidence of a 90 year lifetime

This photo sparked the coincidence of a 90 year lifetime

When Joel met Cynthia

Joel Archer got quite the shock when he met St Vincent’s Maroochydore resident Cynthia. 

See, Joel’s passion is reigniting the memories of old movies for seniors. From everything from movie posters and discussions about actors to watching the films themselves. 

But it was only recently that Joel stopped by Maroochydore for a a 1930s film talk where he met St Vincent’s resident, Cynthia.

“Today I was bowled over to meet Cynthia,” he writes. “After my 1930's Film Talk she expressed her likeness as a child to Shirley Temple and that her mum even curled her hair to pull off the Illusion. She then commented her childhood was spent in Mount Molloy in FNQ and said her parents ran the local cinema.”

Cynthia Parents Theatre

“My eyes bulged out of my head remembering I had a picture of this eccentric old couple who ran this old rickety theatre in the Tropics and I often wondered who they were and what their story was.” 

Of course, once Joel showed her, it didn’t take long for Cynthia to recognise the picture.  

“I know ‘em, that’s my Mum and Dad!”

Chatting with Cynthia more, the St Vincent’s team found out some very interesting parts of Cynthia’s family and the classic cinema her parents ran. Her parents had purchased it from an older couple and restored it, running it for about two years before Cynthia’s sister Claudia fell ill.  

They played everything from Lassie, to Shirley Temple films, to Ship on the High Seas and even Moby Dick!

While Cynthia was only seven at the time, her memory is as sharp as ever. We asked her about her favourite moments at the cinema. 

“Dad would play music and I would dance on the stage prior to a movie screening.” 

“One time, the lights were turned off when I was up there [on stage] at the end of the night. I screamed!”

After moving from Mount Molloy, Cynthia’s parents later bought and ran another cinema in Atherton. Her dad even turned the top story where the projectionist sat, into their living quarters. 

So, it just goes to show: Pay attention and listen to your elders. Because there may just be another crazy coincidence waiting around the corner.

Cynthia and Joel

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