OPINION: Driving home a point

A friend of mine lives in the United States, in the State of Missouri near the city of Carthage to be more exact. We have communicated by letter, email and the occasional phone call over several decades. Our most recent correspondence, not surprisingly, focused on the impact of COVID-19 on our lives and the towns in which we live. But I must admit his last email contained a surprise. He had recently been to the drive-in movies. He’d been to see Dolittle and recommended I do the same. Good family entertainment he said, with a good message. However the fact that he went to a drive-in was what interested me. Apparently in Missouri, much like WA, there are social distancing regulations in place, but drive-ins, as opposed to cinemas, have nearly always implied social distancing. And it wasn’t Dolittle that led to a full house sign going up before the movie started. People apparently came from miles around so they could get out, in their cars, and socialise. Here in the Mid West, Port Denison has a drive-in and I have seen a few films there over the years. However I don’t know if they are allowed to operate at the moment. My friend’s email from Missouri also served to remind me that we once had three drive-ins in Geraldton. The original one, the Oasis, opened in 1957 on the site where Bunnings now stands on the North West Coastal Highway. Even after Bunnings was up and running it was possible to see where the screen had been because the massive concrete footings were still there. And no doubt there are those among you who went to the drive-in near Mitchell Street in Spalding. It has remained a vacant site since it was closed in the last century. But if the screenings at the Wonthella or Spalding “drives” weren’t to your liking you then headed east along the Mullewa Road until you came to the intersection of Blencowe Road. There you found the third of Geraldton’s drive-ins. Like it’s Mitchell Street cousin, it has remained a vacant site since the last movie played. I’m not usually envious of my US pal, but I must admit in the present circumstances, I wouldn’t have minded a night at the “drives” ... even to see Dolittle.