Roxy Gardens

Correction – south-eastern corner of Falkirk Avenue, and Guildford Road(State Route 51).

Greg Lynch said – The legend of the Roxy Gardens in Maylands is the story and vision of the Robinson family. H. R.(Herb) Robinson & his sister Miss M. I. Robinson who built the gardens in 1933, while opening that same year. Twelve months later the Robinsons took over the Lyric Theatre (built in 1923 by Mr. H. C. Leister) also located in Maylands. The Roxy Gardens was a 900-seater outdoor cinema which ran during during the summer months with three complete changes of programmes every week. The beautiful evergreen Roxy featured walls covered with all varieties of climbing roses & ivy which in season were a spectacular blaze of color and visual enjoyment. The cheaper seats in this venue (front stalls) were wooden benches on bitumen, the dearer seats were deck chairs on grass (back stalls) The screen was located at the rear of the site. In the early 1950’s a new wide-screen (pre-CinemaScope) replaced the old square format complete with a white neon edging. Poplar trees were planted across the back and sides to frame it. Later a lounge cane chair & cushion was introduced replacing the deckchairs, this was unique to the Roxy. At the same time palm trees were planted along the side walls. The gardens also boasted the Raycophone extended range sound system. Simultaneous screenings at both Lyric and Roxy gave patrons the choice of either indoors or open-air.

THE TV JUGGERNAUT In late 1954 the Robinsons modernized the candy bar & entrance, not realizing that the television juggernaut was about to fall upon them. On a warm Friday evening around this period I had just finished a show at the Regent Theatre Guildford and Bob Yelland my employer was giving me a lift home. Both of us lived in Mt Lawley, and as we passed the Roxy Bob noticed that the lights were still on, so we stopped off to say hello. Herb was still working in his new candy bar and very proud to show us around. To my eyes The Roxy Gardens were an absolute thing of tropical beauty, and an excellent example of the cinema gardens era. The Roxy closed forever in June 1962, while the Lyric had closed the year before in June 1961. Now after a lifetime of working in the Cinema/Motion Picture Industry I look back with warm appreciation to the Golden Era and know we have lost something very special with the passing of our wonderful Picture Palaces and beautiful atmospheric outdoor cinemas such as The Roxy Gardens – Maylands is a poorer place without it – Contributed by Greg Lynch …