20/04/2026
I have had to navigate a few deaths this decade from 2020 but man this one hurts, this is a hard one. With a heavy heart I have to let my mentor, encourager and dear friend go...
I find it difficult to conjure the words to describe my twenty year friendship with Ron West. The hours we shared chatting, the 100+ Thursday night Fork & Film nights I attended at the Majestic in Pomona, the knowledge he imparted to me. The passion he set alight in me that inspired my career to bring Old Films to Seniors. What I do is truly shaped by Ron.
I remember vividly meeting him in November in 2007, I think he was reluctant of this ADHD 20 year old & thought I was a tad crazy. But it didn't take long to build a keen friendship and I truly felt like an unofficial apprentice that had access to memories of stories I'll never forget. My work office is littered with amazing films he shared with me.
Death is so final and I'm gonna miss him so much, I loved bringing him newly restored 1920's films on my hard drive and little did I know our lovely late lunch in Jan 2026 would be the last time we would spend time together.
We had so many adventures together finding four lost silent films in your garage, searching for films in BNE and the most heart wrenching the one we just missed in October.
Ron achieved something few dream of, keeping not only cinema history of the Roaring Twenties alive but running the most, magical and beautiful theatre in Australia and playing live music to film for 90 mins in his eighties!!! Ron and I loved films and often would talk for hours in his projection room at the theatre. I value every moment I had with him it was truly a gift. If anyone has seen the film Cinema Paradiso 1989 our friendship was akin to that, something magical that just happened.
As long as there is one young kid that will stumble across the theatre come inside and be transported to the 1920's with the aid of Rudolph Valentino in the sands of the dessert the spirit of Ron will live on! There goes my hero...thanks for every second Ron I'll never forget you ....
