r celebrations.
Our membership continues to grow with 4 new members in August. A big Probus welcome to:
.
covers to magazine covers, movie stills and concerts, it was great to delve into his photographic career, the extent of which came as a bit of a surprise to some members who may have been only familiar with his involvement in local government. We had great feedback, and thank Serge for his time and effort in presenting to us and would love to have him back!
ur coffee catch up at this newly rebranded cafe on St Kilda Road. The table set up allowed all 11 members to chat amongst each other and while most opted for a coffee, one member enjoyed breakfast and a couple of others went for a pastry. It was great to see some new faces at our coffee club and hope to see you all again at our next venue.
Fun St Kilda Fact - September 2026 - St Kilda Memorial Hall
The St. Kilda Memorial Hall was first proposed in 1920, when it was decided that the Hall’s activities should generate revenue devoted to the relief of distressed soldiers and their families.
In 1924 the Memorial Hall was opened by the Governor of Victoria, the Earl of Stradbroke. The completed building was four stories high including 12 apartments to accommodate returned servicemen and four shops. The grand hall at the rear of the building could accommodate 500 for dancing and seat 1,000.
The inaugural event was an evening Ball and the venue was a popular as a dance hall. Following the rise in popularity of cinema, the grand hall was leased and converted into The Memorial Picture Theatre from 1927 to 1958, when it became affectionately known as ‘The Memo’.
The grand hall went on to become home to Telefil recording studios from 1961 to 1965. Normie Rowe, Olivia Newton John and The Easybeats are some famous Australian performers who were recorded there.
From 1974 to 1992 Pan Pacific Pictures leased the hall as a film studio. Until 1979 almost all of all Val Morgan cinema ads screened across Australia were recorded there as well as all the TV ads for TV Week, New Idea and The Women’s Weekly. These included weekly shoots of Bert Newton, Michael Pate, Pattie Newton, Debbie Byrne, Jamie Redfern, the cast of Homicide, Matlock Police, The Box and No. 96.
The building’s 12 apartments, are still home to returned servicemen and are managed by the St. Kilda Memorial Hall Trustees.
Club Information
Our meetings are held on the second Wednesday every month at 10am until 12pm at the St Kilda Sports Club aka The Bowlo, 66 Fitzroy St, St Kilda
Meetings include morning tea and a guest speaker.
