Wybert Reeve's Australasian film shows

Wybert Reeve ...

• 19 October 1896, afternoon: exhibited a cinematograph (but not a Lumière) at the Theatre Royal, Adelaide, South Australia.
  This was not successful because it was not possible to get the theatre dark enough.
• 19 October, evening – c. 12 November 1896: exhibited cinematograph at the Beehive Buildings, King William St, Adelaide.

After this introduction to projected motion pictures, at the end of November 1896 and the beginning of December, Reeve went to Sydney and Melbourne and arranged a partnership agreement with Marius Sestier and H. Walter Barnett to show Lumière films in Adelaide.

• 26 December 1896 – 29 January 1897: assisted Marius Sestier with shows at the Theatre Royal, Adelaide.

Sestier then went to Perth, Western Australia, and Reeve took the Lumière cinématographe that had been used in Adelaide, and was the second one to come to Australia, on tours.

• 30 January 1897: at the Town Hall, Port Adelaide, South Australia.
• 1, 2 February 1897: at the Gawler Institute, Gawler, South Australia.
• 3, 4 February 1897: at the Kapunda Institute hall, Kapunda, South Australia.
• 5 February 1897: at Kadina, South Australia.
• 6 – 9 February 1897: at Moonta, South Australia.
• 11 – 13 February 1897: at Port Pirie, South Australia.
• 15 February 1897: at Petersburg, South Australia.
• 16 – 22 February 1897: at the Town Hall, Broken Hill, New South Wales.
• 27 February 1897: at the Town Hall, Glenelg, South Australia.
• 1, 2 March 1897: at the Institute, Mount Barker, South Australia.
• 3, 4 March 1897: at the Institute, Strathalbyn, South Australia.
• 5 – 25 March 1897: at Victoria Hall, Gawler Place, Adelaide.
• 26 March – 3 April 1897: at the Theatre Royal, Adelaide.
• 6, 7 April 1897: at the Mechanics' Institute, Nhill, Victoria.
•  April 1897: at Dimboola, Victoria.
•  April 1897: at Horsham, Victoria.
•  April 1897: at Stawell, Victoria.
•  April 1897: at Ararat, Victoria.
• 17 April – 1 May 1897: at the Mechanics' Institute, Ballarat, Victoria.
• 6 May 1897: at Semaphore, South Australia.
• 7 May 1897: at Norwood, South Australia.
• 8 May 1897: at Port Adelaide.
• 10 May 1897: at Glenelg.
• 11 May 1897: at the Gawler Institute, Gawler.
•  May 1897: at Moonta.
•  May 1897: at Port Pirie.
•  May 1897: at Kadina.
•  May 1897: at Wallaroo, South Australia.
•  May 1897: at Port Augusta, South Australia.
• 31 May – 5 June 1897: at the Town Hall, Broken Hill.
• 7 June 1897: at Terowie, South Australia.
• 8, 9 June 1897: at the Burra Institute, Burra, South Australia.
• 11, 12 June 1897: at the Kapunda Institute hall, Kapunda.
• 14 June 1897: at Tanunda, South Australia.
• 15 June 1897: at Angaston, South Australia.
• 16 June 1897: at Mount Pleasant, South Australia.
• 17 June 1897: at Nairne, South Australia.
• c. 20 - 26 June 1897: at Victoria Hall, Gawler Place, Adelaide.
• 28 June 1897: at the Town Hall, St Peters, South Australia.
• 29, 30 June 1897: at the Institute, North Adelaide.
• 1 July 1897: at the Town Hall, Semaphore.
• 2 July 1897: at the Town Hall, Norwood.
• 3 July 1897: at the Institute, Unley, South Australia.
• 9 – 10 July 1897: at the Institute, Strathalbyn.
• c. 19 – 24 July 1897: at the Institute Hall, Mount Gambier.
• 26, 27 July 1897: at Millicent.
• 14, 16 August 1897: at the Institute, Port Elliot, South Australia.
• 30, 31 August 1897: at the Institute, Milang, South Australia.
•  September 1897: at the Institute, Mount Barker.
• 24 September 1897: at the Institute, Murray Bridge, South Australia.
• 5 – 9 October 1897: at Mechanics' Institute, Ballarat.

Reeve then took the cinématographe on a tour of New Zealand.

•  October 1897: at Invercargill.
• 1 November 1897: at McKenzies Hall, Balclutha.
•  November: between Dunedin and Christchurch.
• 24 November 1897: at the Oddfellows' Hall, Ashburton.
• 26 November – ? 1897: at the Opera House, Christchurch.
• 9 – 15 December 1897: at the Exchange Hall, Wellington.
•  December 1897: at the City Hall, Auckland.

On return from New Zealand in January 1898, Reeve put the cinématographe and 63 films up for sale; however, he could/did not sell it. From April 1898 Beaumont Read was managing shows with "Lumiere's Original Cinematographe" – presumably from Reeve – and was in Adelaide, Victor Harbour, Port Elliot, Goolwa, and probably elsewhere in South Australia. In late May 1898, Wybert Reeve and Beaumont Read were doing shows in Broken Hill. In late June they were in Burra, and no doubt elsewhere in that area of the country. From 29 August to 8 October 1898 the Lumière machine was used with the Cyclorama show in Adelaide. Reeve again put it up for sale with associated paraphernalia in January 1899, asking £150 for equipment that he claimed cost £500.