Roxy Theatre and Peters Greek Cafe Complex

The land where the small northern NSW town of Bingara is now located is at about the north western extent of the traditional country of the Kamilaroi Aboriginal people. The western side of the Gwydir River was the traditional country of the Weraerai Aboriginal people. Kamilaroi hunted the abundant stock of small marsupials. They aided their hunting efforts by using fire to ensure the underbrush did not become too dense, thereby creating an open forest environment.[2][1]

The first documented European exploration of the area was by botanist and explorer Allan Cunningham during his exploratory trip to the Darling Downs. Cunningham passed through the area, camping at Halls Creek where the town of Bingara is today in 1827.[3][1]

By the mid 1830s the area was known as Stodderts Valley and was adequately watered by the Gwydir River and its tributaries such as Halls Creek near Bingara. Its good soils and abundant water had attracted a number of squatters who claimed runs in the nearby area. The valley land was taken up by the Hall family who already had considerable claims on land in the Hunter Valley and in the Hawkesbury.[1]

As the squatters became more numerous and the resources of the land and cattle was contested between the Aboriginal people and the Europeans, numerous attacks occurred by both Europeans and Aboriginals. These escalated during the 1830s and culminated in one of the most renowned of the attacks, the Myall Creek massacre of 18 December 1838. A group of armed men headed by John Flemming of Mungie Bungie Station near Moree rode out to Myall Creek Station where they found and killed a group of about 30 men, women and children of the Weraerai and Kamilaroi peoples. The perpetrators were tried and eventually 7 of the 12 men involved were hanged. This was the first time the killers of Aboriginal people were executed by the Colonial Government of New South Wales.[4][1]

In 1851 Gold was discovered in the Bingara area on Keera Station and a few months later at Cobidah Creek on the Bingara Run. As usual a rush of fortune seekers made their way to the area and further gold discoveries were made in 1852 leading to the proclamation of the Bingara goldfield in 1853.[5][1]

To support the population of gold seekers the town of Bingera was surveyed and set out. By 1853, William Hall of the Bingera Run had set up the first hotel, the Bingera Inn, in Bingera. In that same year the first general store was opened. By 1862 Bingera and its population of ninety was serviced by a Post Office and law and a Watch House and Lock up was established in the town. In that year Bingera Public School was also established.[5][1]

The real boom period for the town of Bingera occurred after the discovery of copper and diamonds in the area in 1872-3. During the 1880s Bingara became the largest producer of diamonds in Australia and remains one of the most successful diamond mines in Australia.[6][1]

During the 1870s and 1880s the civic amenity of the town continued to grow with the establishment of a courthouse, Royal Mail Booking Office and several churches, Catholic, Church of England and Presbyterian. In addition to mining, the town supported the timber and wheat industries as well as the ongoing pastoral and agricultural industries. In 1889 Bingera was made a municipality and its name changed to Bingara. By 1891 Bingara's population was 738 and in 1911, over 1600 residents were located in the town.[7][1]

Despite the impacts of the Great Depression throughout New South Wales, the 1930s proved to be a time of expansion and improvement for Bingara with Bingara Council receiving many requests to construct residences, shops, and businesses.[1]

The list included ten applications for new dwellings, ten for additions to buildings, twelve for shops or additions to business premises, three for garages for motor sheds and on each for a picture show, a petrol depot, a bulk store, a guest house, a stable By July 1935 many new shops were being erected in Bingara, the Imperial Hotel was entirely remodelled, a new picture shoe was opened and another was in the course of construction. (Wilson, 2006.)[1]

Wilson notes that the arrival of a number of Greek businessmen in the town, coupled with the plans to develop the Copeton Dam situated a few 55 kilometres east of Bingara may have contributed to the small boom experienced in Bingara at this time.[1]

Among the "Greek businessmen" Wilson mentions were three men from the Greek island of Kythira, who were integral to the story of the Roxy Cinema, Emanuel Aroney, George Psaltis and Peter Feros. These men, like many Greeks at the time left their home to flee the ongoing economic, social and political upheaval experienced as a result of the conflict between Greece and Turkey in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[1]

America was the most popular destination for those seeking a better life but this destination was restricted by the imposition of strict quotas on arrivals from South and Eastern Europe to America in 1924. Consequently there was a marked influx of Greek migrants to Australia in the 1920s. Many of those in the arriving in NSW at the time came from the island of Kytheria and many of them established refreshment bars, milk bars and also cinemas throughout the suburbs of Sydney and in rural NSW.[8][1]

Kevin Cork in his thesis notes that around 66 Greek businessmen and women were involved in establishing and managing cinemas in NSW from 1917, when Angleo Coronis established himself as a film exhibitor in Sydney, right through to 1984 when Chris James finally retired after 38 years in the business.[9] Some of those Greek exhibitors ran multiple theatres in several towns either simultaneously or as serial operations. Sir Nicholas Laurantus bought and built cinemas in Narrandera, Junee, Tumut, Lockhart, Cowra Hillston and Gundagai, often installing family members to run them. In fact Laurantas brother-in-law Peter Stathis and his sons ran the Montreal Theatre in Tumut from 1930 to 1965. Similarly the Hatsatouris family ran a chain of cinemas in Port Macquarie, Taree, Walcha and Laurieton. Others families such as the Notaras initially operated only one theatre, the Saraton Theatre in Grafton. They then leased out the theatre until the 1960s. Recently the Notaras family have reopened the theatre.[1]

A survey of cinemas in NSW undertaken in 1962 indicated there were 351 enclosed cinemas in 289 NSW rural towns. Of these, between 1915 and 1960, 116 theatres in NSW were at some time operated by Greek exhibitors in 57 towns. 34 new theatres were built by Greek businessmen in those 57 towns. These figures demonstrate that the contribution of these Greek migrants to the social and cultural life of NSW was not insignificant.[10][1]

Where Greek immigrants had picture theatres they controlled their towns principal entertainment at a time when the overall population attended between 20-30 times a year. (R Thorne. 2003. Nomination to list Athenium, Junee Cinema on the State Heritage Register[1]

They had direct input into the moral and social values of the communities in which they operated. They brought national and international events to the rural areas in the form of feature films, newsreels and documentaries. (K. Cork 1998)[1]

Generally speaking, the decades from the 1930s to the mid 1960s were the boom time for cinemas and cinema going. From the early travelling cinema exhibitors enterprising business people chose to market cinema going as a glamorous and exciting social activity and built virtual pleasure palaces in which to screen the best of Hollywood films. Even in rural NSW towns a rash of attractive and glittering picture palaces were built in the architectural styles popular at the time from Interwar Stripped Classical and Interwar Spanish Mission to high Art Deco. The elaborate and modern architecture style of these buildings gave theatre going a sense of occasion and glamour.[11][1]

It was with this dream, to woo their audience with a sense of glamour and occasion when they visited the theatre, that the Aroney, Feros and Psaltis began plans for the Roxy. The plans included not only a luxurious new theatre and refreshment rooms but three independent state of the art shops and also a guest house in which attendees from more remote rural locations could rest for the night.[1]

When they first arrived in Australia in the mid 1920s, the three men had decided to try their luck setting up a business in the small rural town of Bingara. They established a cafe and formed a partnership, Peters and Co. Their cafe interests expanded to include another cafe in Barraba in 1930 and they successfully traded through the worst of the Great Depression on the strength of these enterprises.[12][1]

By 1934 they had purchased a large corner site on Maitland and Cunningham Street and engaged a Sydney architect, W. V. E. Woodforde to draw up plans for the entertainment and retail complex. By 1935 construction had begun. The theatre auditorium was to be 104 feet long by 40 feet wide. The floor of the auditorium was to a section of raked seating with the section nearest to the stage comprising a level floor with seating that would be taken up to reveal a specially constructed waltz dance floor of cypress pine.[12][1]

Unfortunately the build was subject to a number of alterations that resulted in extra time and expense. One of the alterations was to heighten the auditorium walls by 4 feet 6 inches to allow for the possible later inclusion of a dress circle. This brought about changes in decorative treatments of the main ceiling and proscenium.[13][1]

It is thought that other obstacles to the speedy construction of the theatre may have been posed by the Greek partners' competitor in the Bingra cinema trade, a Mr Victor Reginald Peacoke who was Mayor of the local Council at the time. With the announcement of the plans for the Roxy, Peacocke determined to build another new purpose built cinema in the town, The Regent. He continued to wage a campaign to forestall the construction of the Roxy by lobbying the Chief Secretary of NSW who had charge of cinema licensing and regulation, and weighing-in his influence in the local Council which approved the building work.[12]

The new Regent was completed significantly earlier than the Roxy thus capitalizing on the loyalty of potential Roxy audience. After the Roxy opened in March 1936, Peacock continued to vie for audience share by slashing his entry prices, which the Roxy partners had to match, and making improvements such as the installation of an advanced sound system. In response the Roxy hosted a gala "Movie Ball" and "Uncle George Psaltis declares he is going as Shirley Temple and has been measured up for a special dress".[14][1]

Finally Peacock out maneuvered Aroney, Feros and Psaltis when he opened an open-air picture theatre at the rear of the new Regent. This coupled with the severe debt due to the construction costs of the ambitious Roxy project was the undoing of the enterprise. In August 1936 the theatre operator, Peters & Co., went bankrupt. Aroney remained in Bingara managing cafes for the next 20 years. Feros moved to Victoria and Psaltis returned to Bingara after some time in Sydney and managed the Roxy cafe for a time.[12][1]

The Roxy Theatre operated as a cinema under other ownership until 1958 when it shut down. Apart from the occasional films screening, odd boxing match or roller disco, it lay dormant for the next 40 years.[13][1][15]

The virtual abandonment experienced by the Roxy from the 1960s to the late 1990s was a fate shared by numerous rural suburban and city film theatres, many of which were established prior to WWII. The widespread uptake of television is given as the primary reason for the decline in cinema going generally. As a result of this it seems that this type of building is becoming rarer in NSW country towns. In 2003 it was noted by Ross Thorne that only 31 of the 351 cinemas in rural NSW were still recognisable as cinemas. Many of these have been deployed for such diverse uses as apartment blocks, bargain centres, function centres, motor mechanic premises. Only 11 of the 31 retain their decorative interiors and exteriors.[16] A desktop survey of remaining cinemas in country towns indicates that around only seven Interwar cinemas in rural NSW towns retain their original format and interior/exterior architectural features and decorative schemes and still operate as theatres. Of these the Roxy in Bingara is the best example of an Art Deco Cinema.[1]

The Roxy Cafe continued to operate under a series of Greek owners until the mid-1960s when it became a freehold title and was sold to Bob and Elva Kirk who opened a memorabilia shop in the cafe, and who lived above it in the residence. It then was used as a Chinese restaurant for 20 years before being purchased by the Gwydir Shire Council in 2008.[13][1]

In the early 1990s a group of dedicated community members first recognised the Roxy's significance and began to lobby the then Bingara Shire Council to purchase and restore the theatre. The Bingara Council purchased the building in 1999 and once it had been successful in obtaining both state and federal funding, set about faithfully restoring it to its former glory.[13][1]

Today the building complex houses the local tourist information office in one of the shops and a museum celebrating Greek history in NSW operates in another of the shops. The cafe has been leased in recent years but now, in the absence of a long term lease, it accommodates pop-up cafes.[1]

The theatre is in great demand these days as a live performance venue, a film club venue, for civic receptions, weddings and reunions. The accommodation above the cafe is a convention centre and office/storage area. At the rear of the theatre an extension to the backstage area was constructed in 2007. This was funded by the Department of Education to facilitate the local school's Theatre Studies. It was constructed by a "work for the dole" team of student workers.[1]

In 2012 a further addition to the rear of the theatre was an industrial kitchen where trade courses in hospitality are run by the local TAFE. The kitchen allows catering for the various functions that happen at the theatre.[1]

Greek cafes left a remarkable legacy on Australia's cultural history and played a significant role in the changing landscape of our regions. Almost every town across rural NSW and Queensland boasted a Greek cafe. Greek family owned cafes in northern New South Wales which have closed in recent years include The Busy Bee in Gunnedah, the White Rose in Uralla, Fardouly's Cafe and Pete's Place in Inverell. Still operating are The Paragon in Katoomba and the Niagara in Gundagai, in continuous operation for over a century. The survival of a guesthouse for patrons, adjoining the Roxy Bingara (to the rear), is rare and possibly unique among surviving Greek cafes in NSW.[1]

The Greeks really transformed Australia's culinary and cultural landscape" Mrs McNaughton said. "Prior to the Greek cafes there wasn't anywhere families could go. You could only get meals at certain hours served in the pubs and inns. If you arrived in town and it was before or after the opening and closing times of the kitchens, you literally couldn't get anything to eat.[1]

Even during the depression, locals would make an effort to visit the cafe.[17][1]

• 2003 Restoration of the theatre
• 2007 Extension of backstage area
• 2012 Addition of industrial kitchen wing.[1]

• "Bingara NSW - Aussie Towns". 2016.
• "Deco Down Under: The influence of Art Deco in Australia". 2016.
• History of the Roxy Theatre and Roxy Café and the creation of the Roxy Museum. 2016.
• Patty, Anna (2013). Milk Bars and Rock Music: Living the American Dream in a Greek Cafe;.
• Brendan Connolly and Les Todd (1996). Paddocks Palaces and Picture Shows.
• Craig Turnbull and Chris Valiotis (2001). Beyong the Rolling Wave: A thematic history of Greek settlement in Australia.
• Wilson, Graham (2006). Gwydir Shire Council Thematic History.
• Greek Cafes Transformed Australian Food (2014). Verica Jokic.
• Johnston, Megan (2012). 'Far from Kythera a Greek treasure is given new life', in "The Sydney Morning Herald".
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• Thorne, Ross (1995). Cinema as Place: The case of the picture theatres in a group of towns and villages in the Central West of NSW.
• Thorne, Ross (1983). Theatre Architecture in NSW.
• Thorne, Ross (1983). Theatres and Cinemas in NSW Stage 2.
• Thorne, Ross (1976). Picture Palace Architecture.
• Ross Thorne, Les Todd and Kevin Cork (1996). Movie Theatre Register for NSW 1896-1996.
• Lumby, Roy (1995). The Art Deco Building Inventory Stage 3.
• Brand, Simon (1983). Picture Palaces and Flea Pits.
• Rintoul, Stuart (2014). "Australias Last Single Screen Cinemas".
• The Bingera Run (2009). Bert Howard.
• Weir and Phillips, Architects and Heritage Consultants (2001). Conservation Management Plan , Former Hoyts Crest Theatre.
• http://www.roxybingara.com.au/about-the-roxy/
• Kevin Cork, "Parthenons Down Under, Greek Motion Picture Exhibitors in NSW 1915 - 1960", PhD thesis.
• P. Prineas. Katsehamos and the Great Idea. A true story of Greeks and Australians in the early twentieth century. Plateia. 2006
• T. Risson. Aphrodite and the Mixed Grill: Greek Cafes in Twentieth-Century Australia. T. Risson. 2007

This Wikipedia article was originally based on Roxy Theatre and Peters Greek Cafe Complex, entry number 01990 in the New South Wales State Heritage Register published by the State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2018 under CC-BY 4.0 licence, accessed on 2 June 2018.