The Palais, as I remember it, in the 1980s. Norm Barney collection.
I owe my life to the Palais Royale
I owe my life to the Palais Royale. That's because my parents, like those of a substantial number of people of my vintage in Newcastle, NSW, met at that famous former music and dance venue. In my own youth in the 1980s the Palais was, as far as I was concerned, just another venue for loud music, expensive drinks and tense nights of standing in dark, crowded corners forlornly hoping to meet the girl of my dreams while also trying to stay out of the way of aggro drunks. It was different for my parents. In…