Crossing Theatre a popular venue for conferences

‘Build it and they will come …’ as the saying goes.

It’s fair to say that Narrabri’s The Crossing Theatre was born, some 21 years ago, amid controversy – a lot of controversy.

But the venue was built, and the patrons have come – in thousands – over the two decades.

Dogged perseverance by the mayor at the time of the project, the late Cr Ross Panton, and a small team of his staunch supporters on the shire council in the early 2000s saw the venue officially opened in July 2003.

There was opposition, but the development of a community entertainment centre also drew strong support.

When the time finally came for the council to vote there was a unanimous ‘yes’ around the table.

The collective endorsement surprised some, after the long battles which preceded the vote.

Such was the feeling among its critics that some vowed they would never set foot in the theatre.

Others insisted that the building would be inundated by floods and that noise from the highway would drown out music concerts and bring the Swan Lake pas de deux to a halt when the Australian Ballet performed.

In reality, the incidence of floods has not been huge and highway noise evidently does not permeate into the auditorium.

Timber foundation piles were used, a fact that drew criticism although it was pointed out that hardwood wharf piles installed by the Romans in London’s River Thames were still there.

However, since The Crossing Theatre was built it has proved its value as a conference centre, attracting many meetings of regional, state and national organisations, it’s the venue for school functions, gala balls, concerts and special events from the Narrabri Business Awards to covid screening and is a source of admiration for visitors.

But the era of cost recovery has meant some smaller organisations found it too expensive.

The first movie at The Crossing Theatre cinema, the now legendary ‘Harry Potter – The Chamber of Secrets’ was screened on Thursday, November 28, 2002, a concurrent world premiere, which drew bookings from Gunnedah and Moree, foreshadowing the venue’s regional appeal.

The community has benefited from conference spin-offs in visiting delegate accommodation, food purchases and shopping.

Thousands of conference and event visitors over the past 20 years, and the ongoing patronage of local and regional theatregoers to the two cinemas screening new release movies, have added significantly to the local economy.

Many delegates to last week’s Murray Darling Basin conference commented that they wished they had a similar venue in their town. Other conference attendees over the last two decades have expressed similar admiration.

The Crossing Theatre did not receive any money from the government for its construction.

Money was borrowed by the council, and savings made through a council restructure, funded the building.

The original estimate for the project was $5.1 million and the final cost was $4.9 million.

Some of the residual funds were used to pay for a state of the art Kawai grand piano which was reportedly bought for about half its retail cost.

Floodwaters have flowed through the lower part of the building, but what otherwise would have been an empty void was turned over to use by local groups.

In anticipation of floods, carpet tiles were laid with the rationale that they could be relatively easily replaced.

The ongoing useful role of the downstairs space versus the cost of replacing carpet occasionally was seen as an equation which supporters argue stacks up well.