Bingara residents were invited to step back in time when the doors of The Roxy Café were thrown open for the first time on Friday, December 3.
The café was open on Friday evening from 5:00pm – 6:00pm. The Gwydir Shire Council was pleased to welcome the community to view the restoration works that have been underway for the past seven months.
“It is exciting to be able to finally show the community the work that has taken place to date” says Sandy McNaughton, the Manager of The Roxy.’
The public had the opportunity to wander through the café and see the works that have taken place in the café and on the first floor, but it is important to note that this was not an official opening.
The community was advised that they should not have expected to find a finished product when they visited the café, as the restoration project will be staged over time.
In this first stage, it is the building and infrastructure work that has been carried out on the café that is nearing completion.
As a separate stage, work is currently underway on the new Bingara Tourist Information Centre that will be housed on the site that has until recently been occupied by the Veterinary Clinic.
The Vet Clinic has relocated to new purpose built premises in Adam’s Garage, between the Gwydir Shire Council office and the Landcare office.
The next stage of the project will be to complete the fit-out of museum which is currently a ‘blank canvas.’ Funding will be sought to engage a museum professional to design the museum that will be situated on the first floor above the café.
In regards to the Roxy Café, Sandy explains “Even though the café is not yet finished in its entirety, we are confident that it is close enough for people to comprehend what it will become.”
The café will begin trading commercially once a suitable operator has been found. The Gwydir Shire Council will be calling for Expressions of Interest to run the café in the next few weeks. It is hoping that the café will be operating in the new year.
“The official opening of the café will take place on the first weekend in April next year” explains Sandy. “April 2 and 3, 2011 has been chosen to launch the café as the date will mark the 75th Anniversary of The Roxy opening in 1936” she said. “We are planning a big celebration to commemorate this special occasion in 2011” said Sandy.
