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Hello Mike,
Great to read the excellent article by John Fleming on the Roama projector.

Like you and so many others, this device was our introduction to the projected image.

I guess I was about 7 years old when “Santa” delivered a ROAMA projector to my older brother.
I was a bit peeved I was not the recipient. My brother showed little interest in his gift and it was
soon handed to me.

Well before television when home entertainment was via the radio, the gramophone or Pianola,
the ROAMA became something special. We had a regular Friday night show at our house when
the neighbourhood kids would descend on our lounge room floor to watch the filmstrips with such
titles as “Helpful May” and “Victoria for Variety” The screen was a large sheet of white
cardboard that was pinned up to cover the lounge room window. Maybe as a result of the bad
publicity and the dangers of flammable film but my mother would operate the projector and every
so often a film strip would jam in the aperture and with a kitchen knife as a tool, the film would
be freed to resume the show. One could never be sure if it was the filmstrips on offer or the cakes
that mum had prepared for supper, that attracted the audience.

At some stage I was given a short length of 35 mm movie film and I reasoned if I converted the
advance knob on the Roama to a handle so as to move the film quickly, I would see moving
pictures. Not so – just a blur. Determined to make the pictures move, I filed some of the teeth off
the internal sheet metal sprocket so a film frame would advance, then stop where the sprocket
teeth had been removed, then advance again as the teeth engaged the film, resulting in moving
pictures of sorts.

I can’t recall what became of our original Roama, however in more recent years I have re-
acquired two Roama’s, one with sprocket and one with rollers.

With the recent outcry about falling standards of literacy among the young, I well recall when the
film strips were being shown all of us kids would read aloud the dialogue on the filmstrips.
In later years with 8 mm home movies and the stock of silent films available we would also read
the intertitles aloud.
Many years later, while teaching at a Western Victorian Technical School, there were a number
of small Hanimex film strip projectors for use in Corrals along with a supply of 35 mm film strips,
supplied by the Visual Education Centre of the Education Department. The film strips covered a
wide range of subjects.

Although by this time colour TV and video had arrived, a couple of special education teachers
who were employed to assist students with reading difficulties etc. would utilize the film strips
and projectors to get the students, who would otherwise never open a book,to develop their
reading skills with much success.

Cheers,

Ross King

March 2020 REEL DEALS 5