Leisure Play

THE AMUSEMENT INDUSTRY GAINS
VALUABLE SUPPORT IN ULSTER
MARY OPENSHAW REPORTS ON NORTHERN IRELAND
To show how things are
going in Northern Ireland
I am going to write about
the Amusement Caterers'
Association of Northern
Ireland, Joyland Ltd. an
operating and distributing
company, and about
Video Computer Systems
Ltd. a manufacturing firm
which has started up only
recently.
It was Mr. Jimmy
Moran, Secretary of the
Amusement Caterers' As-
sociation, who gave me
the appropriate informa-
tion. He explained that
the Association was
founded in 1965, and ever
since every endeavour
has been made to get
better legislation con-
cerning automatics in
Northern Ireland. The
Association and everyone
concerned with it has for
nearly 20 years been
doing everything possible
to bring about the
changes in the law that
are so badly needed. For
Northern Ireland does not
have the same laws con-
cerning automatics as the
British mainland.
"When the association
was founded there were
only about ten families
involved in the amuse-
ment industry in Northern
Ireland," Jimmy told me.
"But since then our
membership has grown
steadily, and today we are
proud to say that we have
between 75 and 80
members." He explained
that membership is open
Leisure Play - September
• John Long, Operations Manager and Dennis Kerr of Joyland.
to anyone legitimately
engaged in the amuse-
ment trade, showmen,
amusement park owners,
arcade owners, single site
operators, manufacturers
and distributors.
And this Association
has, over the years,
gained the support of
many important bodies,
such . as the Northern
Ireland Tourist Associa-
tion. And it has been very
much helped out by the
Hotel and Caterers' Asso-
ciation, the Chamber of
Commerce (of which
Jimmy Moran is a
member) and the Muni-
cipal Association of Local
Authorities. There have
been many successful
meetings with ministers
over the years since 1963,
and th·e Association
clearly enjoys a great
deal of respect from the
quarters that matter.
Delegations to Govern-
ment and other depart-
ments are, in fact, always
received with the greatest
cordiality. The wish to
help the amusement
industry has been ex-
p re s s ed. '' A lot of
progress has been made,
and we are hoping for
success at the finish",
said Jimmy. The Chairman
of the Association is Jack
Swinson, the Treasurer
Tom McGaffin.
Jimmy was very happy
to talk about Euromat. "It
was a really great
moment when our Associ-
ation was welcomed as a
member'. he said. "It
gives us further status,
and shows that we really
are a part of Europe."
Joyland (N.I.) Ltd. is a
firm I know well, and I
consider Gerald Stein-
berg, who heads it, as a
personal friend. Unfor-
tunately Gerald couldn't
be in Ireland at the time of
my visit, for he now
spends most of his time at
the Liverpool branch.
Actually the main busi-
ness of the Steinberg
family was betting shops,
and Gerald started off the
automatics
division
because he felt he would
like to do something a
little different. At one
time Joyland had a
number of very successful
arcades in Belfast, but the
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