John Wearne AM, delivering a speech at

... the 75th Anniversary celebrations for the Roxy Cinema, Cafe & Museum lanch, Bingara, New South Wales. 9th April, 2011.

THANK YOU JOHN WOOD, AND GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY.

WHAT A PLEASURE IT IS TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY A FEW WORDS ON SUCH A MEMORABLE OCCASION AS THIS.
MANY OF YOU WILL BE WELL ACQUAINTED WITH THE HISTORY OF THE ORIGINAL DEVELOPMENT IN 1936 OF WHAT WE COULD NOW EASILY CALL THE ROXY CENTRE.

LESS SPECTACULAR , BUT ALMOST AS FASCINATING , IS THE SEQUENCE OF EVENTS BEGINNING IN THE LATE 1990’S THAT LED TO THE RESTORATION OF THE THEATRE , THUS SETTING IN PLACE A FURTHER CHAIN OF DEVELOPMENT ENCOMPASSING THE CAFÉ AND UPSTAIRS RESIDENCE , AND WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY CULMINATE IN THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TAFE TRADE TRAINING CENTRE ATTACHED TO THE WESTERN END OF THE CAFÉ.

I MUST NOW CONFESS TO A RECURRING NIGHTMARE IN WHICH SANDY McNAUGHTON SUDDENLY SAYS “ WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT IF WE PURCHASED THE FORMER ROXY GUEST HOUSE AROUND THE CORNER TO GIVE US SOME EXTRA ACCOMMODATION”. AT WHICH I REPLY “ NOW SETTLE DOWN SANDY - HAVE YOU TAKEN YOUR PILLS YET TODAY ?”
BUT , HONESTLY , THE ROXY JOURNEY REALLY DID OCCUR VIA A SERIES OF IDEAS BEGINNING WITH “WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT IF ?”

IT BEGAN WHEN NANCY MACINNES AND OTHER COMMUNITY ADVOCATES SAID “WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT IF THE ROXY THEATRE COULD BE RESTORED , AT WHICH MAYOR PETER PANKHURST , GENERAL MANAGER PHIL HARVEY AND OTHERS REPLIED “IT WOULD!”

AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME ARTS NORTH WEST REGIONAL ARTS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER JACK RITCHIE APPROACHED PREMIER BOB CARR , WHO WAS ALSO MINISTER FOR THE ARTS , AND HIS ASSISTANT ARTS MINISTER BOB DEBUS , AND SAID “ WOULDN’T IT BE GREAT IF WE COULD ESTABLISH A CINEMA RESTORATION FUND ?”

AND , WHEN THEY DID , THE WHEELS WERE SET IN MOTION.
WE WERE LUCKY ON A NUMBER OF FRONTS. THE CINEMA AT BOWRAVILLE WAS ALREADY UNDER RESTORATION , AND THE ROXY WAS OBVIOSLY AVAILABLE AND A PRIME CANDIDATE, GIVEN ITS ALMOST UNIQUE HERITAGE VALUE. LUCKY ALSO THAT AN ARCHITECT WITH THE ABILITIES OF TONY DEAKIN WAS AVAILABLE AS NEARBY AS ARMIDALE.

THE MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH OCCURRED WHEN , AT THE VERY FIRST “FLICKS IN THE STICKS” SEMINAR AT DARLING HARBOUR , PREMIER BOB CARR ANNOUNCED A GRANT OF $100,000 FOR THE ROXY. I WELL REMEMBER MICHAEL GOSS FROM THE MINISTRY RINGING ME AND SAYING - “JOHN - THAT IS BY FAR THE BIGGEST GRANT WE HAVE EVER GIVEN TO A SMALL TOWN”. I THINK HE WAS NEARLY CRYING!

THAT WAS THE REAL BEGINNING , AS THE COUNCIL NOW HAD THE CONFIDENCE TO PURCHASE THE THEATRE. WE WERE ALSO INCREDIBLY FORTUNATE THAT IT WAS PROBABLY THE GOLDEN AGE OF SUPPORT FOR THE ARTS GENERALLY IN NEW SOUTH WALES , AND THE STATE GOVERNMENT CONTINUED TO FUND THE DEVELOPMENTAL PHASES OF THE PROJECT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS THROUGH THEIR ARTS CAPITAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM. AS AN ASIDE , I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT FUNDING FOR ARTS PROJECTS SUCH AS THE ROXY HAS DETERIORATED NOWADAYS TO THE EXTENT THAT, IN THE RECENT STATE ELECTION , NEITHER OF THE MAJOR POLITICAL PARTIES EVEN PUT OUT AN ARTS POLICY. WE WERE LUCKY INDEED!

OUR MAYOR HAS ALREADY RECOGNISED THE MAJOR ROLE THAT BOB CARR PLAYED THROUGH WHAT WAS VIRTUALLY HIS PERSONAL PATRONAGE OF THE ROXY , AND THAT IS WHY IT IS SO SIGNIFICANT THAT HE IS HERE WITH US THIS EVENING.
THE FINAL ICING ON THE CAKE CAME WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT BY THE HOWARD FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OF THE REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM , AND , WITH THE VIGOROUS ASSISTANCE OF OUR THEN LOCAL MEMBER STUART ST. CLAIR , A GRANT OF $300,000 SAW THE RESTORATION “OVER THE LINE”.

SO…….IN THE INTERVENING YEARS , WHAT HAS ALL THIS MEANT TO BINGARA? WHAT IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITIES QUALITY OF LIFE HAS IT DELIVERED?

WHEN YOU CONSIDER HOW BINGARA HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED FROM A SMALL, RELATIVELY ORDINARY TOWN TO A VIBRANT , LIVELY PLACE WITH AN INCREASING POPULATION WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE , MUCH OF OUR SUCCESS MUST GO DOWN TO THE ROXY. ALL SMALL TOWNS NEED “AN EDGE” TO SURVIVE - SOMETHING UNIQUE TO THEM THAT THEY NEED TO SEEK OUT.

IN OUR CASE WE COULD ALMOST CLAIM AN ARTS-LED ECONOMIC REVIVAL.

THE ROXY IS NOT ONLY A MECCA FOR VISITORS ; A CINEMA ; A PERFORMING ARTS CENTRE THAT ATTRACTS THE VERY BEST ENTERTAINMENT ; A M,USEUM THAT TRANSPORTS PEOPLE BACK TO ANOTHER TIME ; OR A CONFERENCE AND SEMINAR CENTRE NOW BEING USED CONSISTENTLY BY REGIONAL GROUPS. IT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THIS COMMUNITY AS ITS TOWN HALL OR CIVIC CENTRE AND IS USED FOR VIRTUALLY ALL TYPES OF FUNCTIONS.

AND NOW TO THE PRESENT.

THE PARTNERSHIPS BEING FORGED WITH THE GREEK COMMUNITY , ESPECIALLY DESCENDANTS FROM KYTHERA , WILL RAISE THE ROXY TO NEW DIMENSIONS. IN YEARS TO COME IT WILL SERVE AS A MEMORIAL TO THE MASSIVE CONTRIBUTION THAT GREEK PEOPLE HAVE MADE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AND REGIONAL AUSTRALIA , AND CONTINUE TO MAKE. IT WILL GIVE PEOPLE OF MY GENERATION THE OPPORTUNITY TO TURN BACK THE TIME TO A PLACE WE GREW UP IN , AND A CULTURE THAT SHAPED OUR LIVES.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR MAKING THAT HAPPEN.