Kytherians from across Australia congregated at the Roxy Theatre in the New South Wales town of Bingara over the weekend for the Kytherian Association of Australia’s (KAA) ‘Back to Bingara’ event.
The event started with a nostalgic dinner dance on Saturday, March 18 where over 70 people from places such as Brisbane, Inverell, Taree, Port Macquarie, Junee, Manilla and Sydney danced the night away and smashed plates.
Also in attendance were Toni Risson, author of Aphrodite and the Mixed Grill, with her husband, as well as Peter Prineas, Sophia Alexander and Joanne Psaltis, the grandchildren of Peter Feros. Mr Feros was one of the original three men who built the Roxy theatre building in the late 1930s.
At the dinner dance, Carmen Southwell, who was representing the Gwydir Shire Council, welcomed everyone to Bingara and the iconic Roxy Theatre.
Mr Prineas also spoke and gave a brief history of the theatre and how Kytherians Emanuel Aroney, George Psaltis and Mr Feros erected the Roxy building comprising the cafe, the cinema and a row of three shops in the late 1930s.
John Wearne, who was instrumental in having the Roxy Theatre restored, also gave a speech on the night about the importance of maintaining the theatre and its history.
With the dinner dance coming to an end, those in attendance returned to their local hotel rooms for the night. They visited the Roxy Cafe the next morning for breakfast before returning home.
The President of the KAA, Barbara Zantiotis, told The Greek Herald she was really happy with how everything came together.
“Emanuel Aroney, Peter Feros and George Psaltis worked tirelessly 87 years ago to bring their dream of the Roxy Theatre to fruition,” Ms Zantiotis said.
“It’s wonderful to be here today and I look forward to celebrating the 90th birthday of the complex in 2026.”
