Roxy Cafe Bingara

Photograph: Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay with Roxy Theatre Manager Sandy McNaughton in the old Greek café which will be restored to its original art deco splendour.

Wednesday 28rd October 2009

ROXY CAFÉ, BINGARA

Page: 18931 (Hansard, the record of the proceedings of the New South Wales Parliament.)

Richard Torbay is the independent member for the seat of Northern Tablelands in the NSW Parliament, and the Speaker of the House.

Mr RICHARD TORBAY (Northern Tablelands—Speaker) [6.13 p.m.]: One of the most pleasing results from the recent rich array of Federal infrastructure funding initiatives for the regions is the $750,000 announced last week for the restoration of the old Roxy Café in Bingara. I must confess a special interest in this project, as it reflects an aspect of Australia's successful migrant history with which I am very familiar. The café was built at the height of the Great Depression, in 1935-36. It was the restaurant attached to the new Roxy Theatre, which seated more than 470 people and was the second cinema to open in the small country town. The art deco theatre also doubled as a dance venue and the café, with its spectacular 32-foot counter, was the most modern restaurant in Bingara at the time.

Both the cinema and the café were built by a syndicate of three Greek migrant businessmen from the island of Kythera. At that time almost every country town in Australia had a Greek café or two, and they were famous for introducing American-style meals such as hamburgers, milkshakes, ice cream sodas, sundaes and banana splits along with the ubiquitous mixed grill, for which they were most famous. Like the theatre, the Roxy Café was built on a grand scale. But after 1959 both fell on hard times and lost their original cachet, prestige and status.

In 1999 the then Bingara Shire Council purchased the theatre in order to restore and reopen it. The State Government contributed $205,000 towards the project. By 2004 the building was returned to its former splendour and was officially opened by the Premier at the time, the Hon. Bob Carr. I was very pleased to attend the opening ceremony. At the opening, the Premier announced the allocation of a further $40,000 to replace the original roof. Since that time the theatre has proved to be an outstanding success as a cinema and venue for live theatre and community events, attracting patrons from across the region.

More recently, the Gwydir Shire Council purchased the Roxy Café adjoining the old theatre. Although it retained some of the original kitchen fittings, it had been stripped of the art deco features that made it such a period piece. Last week's funding announcement was the culmination of a strong campaign by the Gwydir council and the Bingara community to restore the café and fit it out, keeping as closely as possible to its original design. Sandy McNaughton, the Roxy Theatre's dynamic manager, has put her heart and soul into this project. She has received strong support not only from the council and local community but also from the descendents of Greek migrants who pioneered the café culture in Australia. The majority of these cafés disappeared with the introduction of fast-food outlets and many of those that remained were modernised by developers, particularly during the 1960s.

Fortunately, Sandy tracked down the original art deco fittings and furniture from a Greek café that had been run for many years by the Fardouly family in Inverell. These will be installed in the new Roxy. In rooms above the café, which formerly accommodated staff, memorabilia and photographs recording Greek café culture in Australia will be displayed. There is now general recognition that this is an important part of our heritage. Already enormous interest in the Bingara project is being shown by the Greek community along the east coast. It is destined to become a major tourist attraction. The café will not be a museum. It will revert to its original use to cater for audiences and groups who use the theatre, and for community events. The Gwydir Shire Council, in conjunction with the Gwydir Learning Region, is also considering the incorporation of a Trade Training Centre for hospitality in the restored venue. The program will be run in collaboration with the New England Institute of TAFE, the University of New England, the Bingara Central School and the Warialda High School.

Many people still remember when local Greek cafés were the only places to eat out in our country towns. These cafés sprang up as migrants saw an opportunity to create businesses and to bring more of their family members to settle in Australia. In those days it was not so much about ethnic cuisine, as country tastes rarely ran to moussaka and other Greek dishes. My own family migrated from Lebanon and they too established cafés, milk bars and other businesses in Sydney and country New South Wales. They endured many hardships and were among the pioneers who introduced Australians to the enjoyment of Lebanese food. Along with migrants from many other nationalities, they helped to establish the extraordinary multiethnic food culture we enjoy today. The Roxy Café venture pays homage to that entrepreneurial spirit that grew from such humble beginnings to greatly enrich the Australian quality of life.