When owner Peter Foyster saw the massive repair and clean-up job the severe storm left behind, he didn’t think it was possible to be screening movies again by the end of the year.
“I thought ‘I’ll never get this cleaned up’, I was almost tempted to walk away,” he said. “But now it’s like there was never any damage.”
The cinema’s screen was partially crushed by a large tree branch brought down by the intense weather, which also caused widespread damage throughout the Perth Hills.
Strong winds and falling branches also smashed fences and tables to pieces and covered the carpark in debris.
Luckily Wooroloo Prison Farm heard about the state of the landmark cinema, which has been operating since 1997, and sent a Section 95 (S95) crew to the rescue.
Section 95 of the Prisons Act enables minimum security prisoners to contribute to the community – and their own rehabilitation – through supervised work programs.
Under the direction of Vocational Support Officer (VSO) Graeme, Wooroloo’s S95 team has cleared the debris that blanketed the property and repaired damage to the venue.
Graeme said for the prisoners who’ve spent several months transforming the storm damaged cinema, seeing the result of their work provides a sense of pride and accomplishment.
“They know they’ve helped save this business because I don’t think Peter would have been able to do it without their help,” he said.
“They can see what they’ve done when they come back and each time it looks better and better.”
“I can’t believe how fast these guys work,” Peter said. “I hope they’re getting the acknowledgement they deserve.”
Some of the prisoners said hearing those words is acknowledgement enough.
“It means a hell of a lot, Pete is a really nice guy,” one of S95 workers said. “It’s really satisfying, to help out in the community, it’s quite rewarding.”
