Rusby Brenton Maxwell
| Type of person | Family |
|---|---|
| Also known as: | Brenton |
| Date of birth | 1939 |
| Place of birth | Gawler |
| Principal occupation | Various positions in the film industry |
| Date of death | 2005 |
| Place of death | Gawler |
Brenton was the third child of Jack and Violet Rusby, and younger brother of Josephine Rusby (now Simcock), born on October 2, 1939. He grew up in Gawler, where he attended Gawler Primary School, and later Gawler High School.
He left school to complete an apprenticeship as an electrician with Simpsons, and once he got his electrician's licence, he was then able to operate movie projectors, as during this time carbon arc was used for lighting. This led to him working as a projectionist at Gawler Cinema, until he decided he wanted a change of scenery. Brenton then worked for WRE (Weapons Research Establishment?) for a couple of years, where he would travel to Woomera to film rocket launching, etc., and then return to Salisbury to develop the film.
It was during this period that he married Coral Rusby (nee Kaesler) on May 18, 1963, and became the first couple to ever marry in the newly-built Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gawler South. As a joke, a week before his wedding Brenton's workmates decided they would chain a cannon ball to his legs, and leave him outside all day!
After some time, Brenton decided to go back and work at the Gawler Cinema, where he remained until just before it closed down in 1967. In that time he and his wife had three children; Michael in 1965, Christopher in 1966, and Tania in 1970. Brenton then worked for 20th Century Fox on Curry Street, Adelaide, where he booked all of the films out to cinemas and drive-ins in South Australia and the Northern Territory. He would also book 16mm film out to private organisations, and occasionally would bring films home to share with his family. He worked this job until the business' closure.
Brenton then worked under Dean Hutton as an Audio-Visual Technician in Salisbury, until he was asked to be the South Australian/Northern Territory Branch Manager for Greater Union Film Distributors. He did this until he semi-retired after its closure. Brenton later became a member of the The Society of Australian Cinema Pioneers because of his 20+ years of service in the film industry. After some years, the Gawler Cinema opened, where Brenton began working for John Thorpe, and continued to until he fell ill.
Sadly, Brenton passed away on May 28, 2005, and was laid to rest in the Willaston Cemetery.
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