It was the sign that symbolised happy times for generations of Canberrans, and now the call has been renewed to bring it back.
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The Starlight Drive-In Theatre sign has languished, face down and one side completely smashed, in an ACT government depot since it was moved from its home in Watson two years ago, but a petition has called for the neon advertiser to shine again.
Almost 200 people have signed the petition calling on Katy Gallagher and Territory and Municipal Services, which runs the Fyshwick depot where it now lies, to support the restoration and ''place it back in its rightful place'' near its namesake apartments on the Federal Highway, or another location that's ''appropriately respectful to its historical significance''.
More than 460 people have ''liked'' a Facebook page promoting the call.
From parents taking their kids in their pyjamas to older youths with high expectations on a date, the Starlight theatre was an institution in Canberra from 1957 until its closure in 1993.
The sign remained as a nostalgic reminder of a place where locals went for fun and romance, until it was damaged in a storm in September 2012 and removed the following month, in the same year it was placed on the ACT Heritage Register.
Owned by the Starlight Apartments owners' corporation, the statement of its heritage significance says it was thought to be the only original drive-in theatre sign in Australia still standing in its original location.
''The Starlight Drive-In Theatre sign remains as the only tangible reminder in the ACT of the iconic era of drive-ins (outdoor theatres where patrons viewed films from parked cars), which dotted the Australian landscape from the mid-20th century,'' the statement reads.
And while an Environment and Planning Directorate spokesman confirmed no repairs had been done on the sign since its shift, the government appears to have no objections to it being returned to its old home.
''The government has invited the owners of the sign to apply for emergency heritage funding to assist with the repair of the sign and to reinstate it to its original location,'' the spokesman said.
It is unclear what the repairs would cost but in contrast to recent muted calls for a Hollywood-style Canberra sign, it appears to be a price people want paid.
