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| Roxy Frontage to theatre |
The first Greeks ‘migrated’ to
Australia
in 1817 and the first Kytherian migrated to
Australia in 1854. Greeks and
Kytherians came to Australia in considerable numbers from the 1850’s onwards,
and by 1900 had established themselves very well, through what historian Hugh
Gilchrist called, ‘the shop-keeping phenomenon
”. They gravitated to owning cafes, restaurants, oyster saloons,
fish shops, milk bars, and cinemas. As clearly evidenced in the book
Life in Australia, by 1916,
Greek-Australians had become well established citizens of
Australia. By that date many had
accumulated substantial wealth.
In 1922, the Kytherian
Association of Australia - then
called the Kytherian Brotherhood - was inaugurated at a meeting in the Marathon
Café in the Sydney CBD. Since then it has worked tirelessly to promote
Greek and Kytherian culture and has successfully inspired generations of
Kytherian-Australians to appreciate the heritage of their parents and
grandparents.
In 1936 three prominent Kytherian businessmen, Peter John
Feros, George Ernest Psaltis and Emanuel Aroney, built a magnificent art deco
cinema, the Roxy Theatre. Adjoining it
they also built a well furnished café, The Roxy Café, and behind both buildings
the partners also built a large guest house.
For various reasons, the venture was not an economic success, but these
magnificent buildings remained intact. This Greek-Australian narrative has been
brilliantly explicated by a grandson of Peter Feros, Peter Prineas, in his
brilliant book, Katsehamos and the Great
Idea.
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| Roxy Cafe interior |
In 1999, the then Bingara Shire Council – now Gwydir Shire
Council - purchased The Roxy ‘complex’ including the Theatre. From 1999 to 2011, with assistance from
various tiers of government, Gwydir Shire has restored the Roxy to its original
splendour. The ‘complex’ now features a
fully restored and integrated cinema, café and information centre on the ground
floor, and a Roxy Conference Centre and Museum on the first floor.
There are several cafes of Greek origin that continue to
operate in regional Australia
today, however, they have become a threatened species. Greek café’s and
cinema’s, and the buildings in which they were housed, are closed down, or,
worse still, pulled down, on a regular basis. There is nothing unusual about
the closure of another of these significant cafes that remain in private
ownership. There is something quite extraordinary however, about one being
brought back to life, and being able to guarantee its existence well into the
future.
Many Greek-Australians have watched the development of the
Roxy complex, Bingara, with extraordinary pride. They regard The Roxy complex as a Hellenic
and Kytherian sacred site, and pilgrimage site. It is also a living and working
memorial, honouring the Greek contribution to Australian history and culture.
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| Bingara township |
In the process, the development of the Roxy complex has had
many positive ramifications.
It has, established an “adaptive re-use” for a magnificent
theatre which was closed for decades. This has created “social and cultural
capital’ for the town of Bingara and the municipality of Gwydir that has given new ‘life blood’
to the region. The Roxy and its Greek aspect, has created a unique focus and
feature for the region. Through training in the theatre and dramatic arts, the
Roxy has provided the youth of the region, vocational skills they would
otherwise have to travel a long way to experience. A TAFE hospitality kitchen
and training rooms are currently being built at the rear of the Roxy café. Upon
completion this will provide further vocational skills for youth in the region.
Additionally, the development of the Roxy complex has
created a new and lasting bond between Greeks and Australians, particularly in
rural Australia,
which has strengthened the positive and productive relationship built up over
more than a century of social interaction.
Of course, if the Greek
Museum was located in Sydney,
Newcastle, Brisbane,
or the Gold Coast, more Australians would have easier access to it. Attempts
have been made over many decades to open a museum of this type in Sydney, but to no avail.
Now it is too late. To purchase the real estate alone to create a ‘complex’ as
large as the Roxy in Sydney
would cost at least $30 million. The prospect of those funds materialising is
almost zero. The best course of action for Greek-Australians is to take
advantage of what has been built in Bingara, and to make the pilgrimage there.
As with all pilgrimages it’s ‘the journey’ which helps to make experience even
more worthwhile.
The Roxy Museum
Project
In 2010 the Commonwealth Government of
Australia provided $750,000 to convert an existing Chinese restaurant to a
Greek café. Above this café a conference room and four other rooms were
refurbished, to house the Roxy Museum - which is a Greek Museum.
Its charter is to focus on Greek settlement in rural Australia'.
The Roxy Museum is devoted to preserving and
explaining the Greek contribution to Australian society. The museum will tell the stories of all Greek settlers in the rural Australia, including people from the island of Kythera." It will focus not only on
the “shop-keeping phenomenon”, but on all
aspects of the Greek migration experience in Australia. This is an important
cultural initiative for the whole Australian-Greek community, and must elicit
the Greek community’s unmitigated support.
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| Bingara Roxy Museum Conference Room |
The Roxy is a living and functioning monument to a
Greek-Australian shared history, one that has benefited both cultures. Paul
Kalokerinos has summed it up well: “We Greek migrants are all grateful to have
the life we’ve had in
Australia,
but we have worked hard, and contributed a lot to the country’s development”.
The café and cinema culture, in which Greeks and Kytherians had a deep
involvement, has had a profound influence on mainstream Australian
culture. Little wonder that the Foxtel
documentary that screened on the Bio Channel in June of 2010, featuring the well-known actor John
Wood celebrating The Roxy, was entitled “As Australian As.” And that in 2011,
on the occasion of the 75
th Anniversary of the Roxy, ABC’s
Landline program dedicated so much time
to the event.
In his PhD thesis on the shared
history, Kevin Cork advised us that: "If
we are to remember these Greeks for their contributions to Australia's social,
architectural and technological advancement, then it is imperative that there
be Greek landmarks which are acknowledged at local and state level - ones that
point to the achievements of the Greek-Australian cinema exhibitors…We cannot
allow their histories to be forgotten, not when they provided services that
positively affected millions of people, firstly, through their refreshment
rooms and, secondly, through their picture theatres."
The
Roxy’s Greek Museum. Now its time for a significant
Greek-Australian contribution.
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| Bingara Roxy 'complex' long impresive fully integrated frontage |
Anglo-Australian’s, through various
tiers of government, have spent about $3 million to establish a very
significant Hellenic memorial. Their contribution has created what Kevin Cork
called, “a Parthenon down under”. Greek Australians have been “blessed” to have
this Hellenic ‘sacred site’ restored to its original pristine condition. So
much money has been ‘invested’ in its restoration and expansion that its
longevity is guaranteed for at least a century. Most other Greek Australian
buildings and enterprises in private hands will have been long gone by the year
3000. The Roxy complex will still be standing.
It is now extremely important that
the Roxy Museum, conference centre and surrounding
areas within The Roxy complex, be set up to the highest possible
standards. It is imperative to make a
substantial start to this significant project that ensures that the site
becomes an icon, and a tourist attraction, for generations to come.
The
recently announced $94,500 State Government grant to the Roxy Museum
through the State Government of NSW & Arts
NSW, is very welcome, and will greatly assist in the development of the
Museum.
To their
credit a number of Greek-Australians and Greek-Australian Trusts have already
donated substantial funds towards the Roxy complex. The Aroney family,
grandchildren of one of the original owners donated $6000 to refurbish and
erect the original neon sign outside the Roxy Café. Prominent Greek-Australian
businessman Nick Politis donated $15,000, and the Nicholas Anthony Aroney
Trust, $25,000, towards the Museum.
As
generous as this funding has been, additional funding is required. To furnish,
complete, and maintain the Museum, ongoing sponsorship and support from the
community, especially the Greek community, is required. Anglo-Australians have
performed above and beyond the call of duty. It is now time for a wide range of
institutions, associations and individuals within the Greek community to
contribute to creating a vibrant and viable Greek Museum,
centred on the Roxy ‘complex’. Substantial additional funding is needed.
In an effort to create a source of
on-going funding, the Roxy Museum Committee will create a migrants ‘Welcome
Wall’. Greek migrants, their children and grandchildren can place the name,
place of origin, and other details of migrants on the wall, as an on-going
memorial, to their enterprise, contribution and achievement. Give serious
consideration to placing a parents, relatives, or ancestors name on that wall.
Greek-Australians can also help by
contributing café and cinema memorabilia, books, and other ‘realia’ to the
Museum. Has realia of this kind been stored in a garage or attic in your home,
for years, appreciated by no one? Are you about to throw out realia of this
kind? Wouldn’t it be far better off in an archive and a museum, where it could
be displayed, and impart a great deal of pleasure and knowledge to a wide
variety of Australians? Think seriously
about donating realia of this kind to the Roxy museum.
Most importantly, Greek
associations, institutions and individuals can assist by donating directly to
the Roxy Museum,
which is a Greek Museum. A deductible
gift recipients (DGR) account has been established under the auspices of
Gwydir Shire Council. Make cheques out to The
Roxy Museum, and post to
Roxy Museum
Gwydir Shire Council
Locked Bag 5,
Bingara 2404
NSW
All donations are fully tax- deductible.
Bringing the Roxy Café back to life
The
Roxy Theatre was brought back to life a decade ago. Now it’s the turn of the
Roxy Café. The Roxy Café has been fully refurbished. Gwydir Shire Council is
now offering these very exciting premises for lease. The Roxy Café
· Has been
extensively renovated with brand new
unused full commercial kitchen
· Is
situated adjacent to the Roxy Art Deco Theatre and function rooms
· Features
indoor and outdoor dining
· Is
potentially as a commercial cookery training facility.
· Has
flexible operating hours..
Gwydir Shire Council is prepared to offer a highly attractive
lease arrangement in order to engage the right operator who has the vision and
experience to put the Roxy Cafe on the map.
Expressions
of interest are now open
Expressions
of interest close on Thursday 17th
February 2012.
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| Bingara Roxy 'complex' a magnificent restoration |
Interested
parties should contact the
General
Manager at
Gwydir Shire Council
on 02 6724 2000
or email
to
mail@gwydir.nsw.gov.au
for further information.
The
Roxy Café is a substantial café. It occupies a large space.
Most
‘café’set-ups cost between $300,000 to a million dollars. This café is
substantially ‘set up’ and that huge initial outlay has been ‘taken out of the
equation’.
The
Roxy Café is part of the Roxy ‘complex’, along with the Roxy Theatre, Roxy
Information Centre, and Roxy
Museum.
The
café can be operated as a stand alone café, but offers a number of additional
business opportunities.
The
Roxy Theatre has a large open floor area, which can accommodate substantial and
varied functions. Catering for these functions can be provided by the Café,
which adjoins the Theatre, with an internal access.
Bingara has a population of
1250 people, and is situated 295 m above sea-level in the Gwydir River
Valley. It is located and
562 km north of Sydney, and 150 km north of Tamworth along the Fossickers Way. A number of other
large north-west NSW towns lie within a 3 hour drive of Bingara, including
Armidale, Inverell, Gunnedah and Dubbo. The café’s large commercial kitchen
could also be used as a wholesale base for a number of ventures. These might
include bread, biscuits and pastry, chocolates, coffee, and others that haven’t
been thought of yet? Maybe only you know what they are?
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| Bingara's Roxy Cafe frontage with restored singage |
Alternatively
a large city wholesaler might wish to utilise the Roxy Café as a distribution
centre into the North-west area of NSW.
Bingara
is a small but friendly, attractive and well managed township. Anyone looking
for a “tree change” or preferring to bring up children in a safe and open
environment will be attracted to it. Working within the magnificent Roxy
complex environment would be an added bonus.
Την Τρίτη 27 Δεκεμβρίου, ύστερα από πρόταση της
Δημοτικής Αρχής, ανακηρύχθηκε και από το Δημοτικό Συμβούλιο Κυθήρων ο εκλεκτός
συμπατριώτης μας και γνωστός μεγάλος ευεργέτης του Γηροκομείου μας και του Τριφυλλείου
Ιδρύματος και όχι μόνο ως ευεργέτης ολόκληρου του νησιού μας.
