Greek Tribute Wall, Roxy Museum
THE GREEK TRIBUTE WALL
An important aspect of the Roxy Museum will be the Greek Tribute Wall. The Roxy Tribute Wall will be a living monument to a shared Greek-Australian history, one that has a particularly strong foundation across numerous rural and regional communities of NSW and QLD.
A number of institutions across Australia have successfully developed Welcome or Tribute Walls that record and display names of immigrants to honour their passage to Australia and contribution to our country. Many people in Australia are familiar with the Welcome Wall at the Australian National Maritime Museum at Darling Harbour, Sydney.
The Roxy Welcome Wall will invite families and friends of Greek immigrants to honour their arrival in
Australia, who were involved in the café, cinema, retail and hospitality trades throughout Australia.
The Tribute Wall will display not just the names of Greek immigrants, but also the period and the location where they lived and worked. In this way, it provides them with a sense of identity at a particular time in a specific place. It connects them to their communities and tells their stories for generations to come.
People registering a name will be encouraged to provide a story about the person, including the names of the associated profession, as well as other personal details. Family trees and information of historical relevance will be sought. This optional information will be held on The Roxy’s database and will appear on the Tribute Wall website. It can be submitted, updated, or added to, at any time.
The Tribute Wall will provide an important record of a collective history. The Roxy is destined to become a place of great historical significance that exhibits local distinctiveness and a sense of place. Its civic pride and confidence in its heritage, in its cultural facilities and collections is destined to attract people from all walks of life, all wanting to share this unique experience.
Peter Makarthis (McCarthy)
Principal Researcher
Roxy Museum
Bingara NSW Australia
