Roc Kirby
Encyclopedia
Roscoe "Roc" Kirby AM
(14 March 1918 – 25 January 2008) was an Australia
n businessman who founded the Village Roadshow
cinema chain and film production company.
Born in Leongatha
, Victoria
in 1918, Kirby entered the cinema business at the bottom end, selling ice creams and sweeping floors at his father's cinemas on the Mornington Peninsula
, then graduating to managing the small chain of Kirby Cinemas. In 1954, Kirby took the financially risky step of constructing a drive-in theatre
called "The Village Drive-in" at Croydon
, and soon afterwards the company owned around 40 drive-in theatres. With cinema attendances dropping due to the introduction of television
, Village made a move into the metropolitan "hard-top" cinemas, and then into twin cinemas and multiplexes
.
In 1989, Village Roadshow went public
, making an aggressive move into other markets, such as film production, theme parks and radio. After the public float, the Kirby family remained the majority shareholders, owning 51.5% of the shares in Village Roadshow. Roc Kirby retired as CEO in 1988, leaving the running of Village Roadshow to his sons, Robert and John, as chairman and deputy chairman, and "surrogate son", Graham Burke, as managing director.
At his death Village Roadshow comprised "a production division, an extensive cinema exhibition business, three theme parks on the Gold Coast and a stake in the listed radio company Austereo".
Kirby died at the age of 89 on 25 January 2008, after suffering an illness.
, a former Victorian Premier, interviewed Kirby for his book on Australian entertainment pioneers, On with the Show. Kirby is credited in the book for being "one of the few people to judge correctly that TV would not kill cinema, 'and refused to scuttle out of it when his contemporaries were deserting it in droves'". He has also been described as "probably Australia's most visionary cinema or entertainment company entrepreneurs".
Kirby also supported the local film industry and was a partner of Tim Burstall
in Hexagon Productions which made some of the early films of the Australian film renaissance such as Alvin Purple
and Petersen.
for service to the entertainment industry in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 1993.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(14 March 1918 – 25 January 2008) was an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n businessman who founded the Village Roadshow
Village Roadshow Limited
Village Roadshow Limited is an Australian media company with interests in cinema, theme parks, film production and distribution. The company is a publicly listed entity on the Australian Securities Exchange...
cinema chain and film production company.
Born in Leongatha
Leongatha, Victoria
Leongatha is a town in the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges, South Gippsland Shire, Victoria, Australia, located south-east of Melbourne. The town is the commercial, religious, educational and civic centre of the region. At the 2006 census, Leongatha had a population of 4,504.The Murray...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
in 1918, Kirby entered the cinema business at the bottom end, selling ice creams and sweeping floors at his father's cinemas on the Mornington Peninsula
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...
, then graduating to managing the small chain of Kirby Cinemas. In 1954, Kirby took the financially risky step of constructing a drive-in theatre
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
called "The Village Drive-in" at Croydon
Croydon, Victoria
Croydon is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 27 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Maroondah. At the 2006 Census, Croydon had a population of 22,029.-Public transport:...
, and soon afterwards the company owned around 40 drive-in theatres. With cinema attendances dropping due to the introduction of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, Village made a move into the metropolitan "hard-top" cinemas, and then into twin cinemas and multiplexes
Multiplex (movie theater)
A multiplex is a movie theater complex with multiple screens, typically three or more. They are usually housed in a specially designed building. Sometimes, an existing venue undergoes a renovation where the existing auditoriums are split into smaller ones, or more auditoriums are added in an...
.
In 1989, Village Roadshow went public
Public company
This is not the same as a Government-owned corporation.A public company or publicly traded company is a limited liability company that offers its securities for sale to the general public, typically through a stock exchange, or through market makers operating in over the counter markets...
, making an aggressive move into other markets, such as film production, theme parks and radio. After the public float, the Kirby family remained the majority shareholders, owning 51.5% of the shares in Village Roadshow. Roc Kirby retired as CEO in 1988, leaving the running of Village Roadshow to his sons, Robert and John, as chairman and deputy chairman, and "surrogate son", Graham Burke, as managing director.
At his death Village Roadshow comprised "a production division, an extensive cinema exhibition business, three theme parks on the Gold Coast and a stake in the listed radio company Austereo".
Kirby died at the age of 89 on 25 January 2008, after suffering an illness.
Impact
John CainJohn Cain
John Cain may refer to:* John Cain , 34th Premier of Victoria, Australia* John Cain II , 41st Premier of Victoria, Australia* John J. Cain , American mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey, 1910–1912...
, a former Victorian Premier, interviewed Kirby for his book on Australian entertainment pioneers, On with the Show. Kirby is credited in the book for being "one of the few people to judge correctly that TV would not kill cinema, 'and refused to scuttle out of it when his contemporaries were deserting it in droves'". He has also been described as "probably Australia's most visionary cinema or entertainment company entrepreneurs".
Kirby also supported the local film industry and was a partner of Tim Burstall
Tim Burstall
Tim Burstall was an Australian film director, writer and producer, best known for the motion picture Alvin Purple....
in Hexagon Productions which made some of the early films of the Australian film renaissance such as Alvin Purple
Alvin Purple
Alvin Purple was a 1973 Australian comedy film starring Graeme Blundell, written by Alan Hopgood and directed by Tim Burstall.It received largely negative reviews from local film critics. Despite this it was a major hit with Australian audiences...
and Petersen.
Honours
Kirby was made a Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for service to the entertainment industry in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 1993.