Hi Ray, can you tell us about your childhood?
I was born in Melbourne and spent my childhood years on the family sheep farm at East Keilor. I left school at 15 and took up an apprenticeship as a lady’s hairdresser. I also raced motorbikes and played in a band. I had a very busy and varied life as a teenager! Also during this time, my auntie had a hotel in Coburg and I used to go and help her with food preparation for the lunches and that’s how I became interested in cooking.
I went on to complete my hairdressing apprenticeship and had my first hairdressing salon when I was 19. This was in 1965. I also did a men’s hairdressing course and opened up another shop that had become vacant next door.
How did you come to live in the area?
I was 25 when I married my first wife, she was working as an air hostess at the time and so the opportunity arose for free air travel, firstly around Australia and eventually overseas.
After six months of travelling we came back to Australia and I became restless with my head full of ideas and possibilities.
It was December 1975 when I saw a property for sale; a stone cottage on six and a half acres in the Chewton bushlands and after some negotiation excitedly purchased it!
And so weekends were spent in Chewton renovating the cottage. We couldn’t keep away from the place; we both loved it so much! We moved up from Melbourne the following year.
During this time I was still hairdressing and also designing silver jewellery and was looking to find an outlet to make and sell my creations. That’s when I met up with well-known Chewton locals David and Buffy Wallace and Tony Cook and together we started the Wesley Hill Market. That was back in 1977.
You owned the Theatre Royal in Castlemaine between 1979 and 1999 what was that like?
With my musical background, my dream to become involved in the entertainment industry in some way was reignited when the opportunity arose to purchase Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal and so began an incredible journey!
It had long been neglected and was extremely run down, but I had ideas of what I wanted to do, inspired by those cabaret-style hotels that impressed me so much during my time travelling overseas.
Plans were put in place to bring this theatre back from the brink. I hired well-known, local Les Thornton to be my cinema manager. I introduced couches, a DJ box, a bistro, and a bar. I had great lighting and egg carton soundproofing installed in order to run discos. And so The Pit’ nightclub was born! I was in utopia; it was every musician’s dream to have their own venue.
In 1979 I re-married and my wife and I initially did all the cooking – so those earlier years helping my auntie in the kitchen of her hotel certainly gave me a good insight into the food industry.
My wife and I had 4 beautiful daughters. It was a busy life but I feel I achieved everything I had set out to do. I was instrumental in creating the first licensed ‘couch cinema’, a legendary nightclub and a great live music venue. In fact, it was the first venue in Australia to show the latest films while you could either be sitting on couches or seated at tables and chairs eating and drinking in cabaret style.
You’ve also had a long association with the Maldon Machinery Museum – since 2007 when you volunteered to run the kitchen. What do you enjoy most about the museum?
I have been a member there for 15 years. I really enjoy the cooking and the camaraderie of the people. All the volunteers here are so dedicated and passionate about preserving vintage items from yesteryear. I’m still a motorhead and like nothing better than a chinwag about my heady days of motorbike and car racing.
What’s life like for you now?
I live in Maldon now and have done so for the past 10 years. I have survived two cancer scares but have come out the other side in remission fighting to see another day! I still come down to the museum most Saturdays to help out in the kitchen when I am able. I also love the fact that we hold live music events here as well. We move several of the vintage vehicles from the main space in the large shed in order to set up the temporary stage for the musicians. We also have a licensed bar…. Ah, this just takes me back to those great times that were had at the Theatre Royal!
Words and images © Julie Hough