FILM PIONEER

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25287, 22 August 1945, Page 9

FILM PIONEER

MR HAY WARD'S DEATH OUTSTANDING PERSONALITY, Known throughout ; New Zealand as pioneer of the entertainment industry in the Dominion, Mr Henry John Hayward died suddenly at his home, " The Cliffs," Birkenhead, yesterday morning. He was in his 80th year. Born at Wolverhampton, England, the son of an eminent violinist, .Mr Ha.vward began to learn music at an early age, and left school when 11 years old to take over the custody of his father's collection of nearly 50 antique stringed instruments, including several priceless Stradivarius and Guanerius violins. His father died when he was 17, and two years later the young Henry Hayward undertook his first big theatrical venture. Struck by an idea as he was wandering the streets of Glasgow, be walked into the palatial offices of the Caledonian Steam Packet Company, demanded an interview with the directors, and in a few hours persuaded the company to allocate one of their big passenger ships for transformation into a floating theatre.

With open-air deck accommodation for over 1000, with a splendid stage and orchestra of 20 conducted by Henry Harvard's brother Fiavell, the floating theatre was a startling success, making a profit of £2OO a performance. The concert party was Henry Hayward's own, "The Brescians," which later became known throughout England. Wide Range of Ventures By the time he was 30, Mr Haywa'rd had made and lost several modest fortunes. He had been successively a tobacconist, chocolate manufacturer, proprietor of market-stalls, managing director of touring concert companies, newspaper owner, partner in a grand opera venture and director of musical comedy. Becoming interested in motion pictures about the beginning of the century, lie first showed them in rented shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh with his partner. T. J. West.

By 1905 business had slumped, and a chance perusal of a "volume of Captain Cook's voyages in that year set the adventurous Henry Hayward thinking of New Zealand. With a total capital of £BOO, he came to the Dominion, and organised a tour of " West's Pictures and " The Brescians " starting at Dunedin. In later years he was fond of • quoting 13 as his lucky number, for his show opened on Friday the 13th to an audience of 13. The first New Zealand tour lasted 13 months and made a profit of £13,000. Early Days of Motion Pictures In the early days the greatest difficulty was to find halls in which to show films, and the first theatres were empty shops, warehouses, schools and desGrted churches. At Wanganui the first regular cinema w,:s in an auction mart, at Napier in a garage, at Christchurch in a horse bazaar and at Wellington in an old church. From Auckland's" first permanent picture show in the Royal Albert Hall was evolved the large theatrical concern that later was known as Fuller-Hayward Theatres, of which Mr Hayward later became president and governing director. His story througn the early years of this century is the story of the growth of the einema in New Zealand. At the time of his death he was president of the Rationalist Association. He took an active interest in astronomy, and was a keen horticulturist, his garden at " The Cliffs " being an object of admiration by many amateur gardeners. Mr Hayward is survived bv his wife and one son, Mr P. H. Hayward, who is well known in the film industry in Auckland. VIOLIN RECITAL ' GIFTED YOUNG ARTIST A programme of unusual interest wag chosen by Miss Gwen Morris, the gifted young Auckland violinist, for her recital which was presented before a large and highly-appreciative audience in the Town Hall concert chamber last night. Cesar Franck's A major sonata ' calls for rare interpretative ability, demanding a full and sympathetic understanding of the mystic and spiritual qualities which lie behind the work, while Lalo's "Symphonie Espagnole" is its direct antithesis, being happy music unworried by too much intellectual weight but calling for considerable virtuosity on the part of the soloist. Miss Morris was equally at home in both works, and revealed herself as an interpretative artist of distinction. Miss Morris' singing violin tone was heard at its best in the first movement of the Franck sonata, the principal theme floating across its harmonic background as something intensely sweet and feminine. The opposing masculine melody on the piano was rendered with just the right amount of rigour by Miss Kathleen O'Leary, who was accompanist throughout the programme. Wisely omitting two movements of the lengthy "Symphonie Espagnole," Miss Morris made of it a real display piece, the sureness of her fingering in the fiery conclusion bringing forth a storm of applause. The assisting artist was Mr Stewart Harvey, who sang several brackets of songs.