When Lucy and Johnny East bought Oberon's Malachi Gilmore Hall in 2017, they didn't yet know what they were getting into on their quest to renovate it.
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Years later, the married couple has put in a lot of hard work and needed to overcome hurdles, but Mrs East said they have no regrets.
"It's been a real joy to work on the building, because we're bringing it back to what it was originally built for," she told the Review.
Part of this is thanks to the supportive response of the town, who to this day are contributing to the theatre's restoration - such as with the 18 locally woven lap rugs delivered by Oberon-based fiber artists for the colder nights.
"The town has loved getting involved... [they] just really embraced the whole reactivation of Malachi and got involved," she said.
"I think the thing that really inspires us is just making a place where people could have a creative idea and find a platform to make it happen."
Today, the iconic heritage-listed venue is fully compliant for modern audiences in the interior, including production equipment for putting on movies, sound and lighting systems, and even a grand piano just delivered for an upcoming festival.
The next step for the hall is a lick of paint, with plans to coat the building's exterior in green rather than the current "80's pink", along with other exterior work including changes to drainage.
"We are inspired by that lovely light olive green, and bronze windows. So a bit more Italian art deco than Miami art deco," Mrs East said.
Member for Bathurst Paul Toole, who Mrs East described as a big help on the project, said: "At present Malachi Hall has a light pink and faded cream exterior which has clearly seen better days.
"The plan is for a new coat of paint, but this time it's going to be a sage-green colour which is close to the building's original colour scheme."
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Mr Toole said the NSWS Government is continuing its support of Malachi Hall's transformation through its Caring for State Heritage Grants Program and a grant of $60,000.
Renovations of the hall have been funded through NSW Government and Heritage NSW, along with assistance from the Office of Responsible Gambling since the Malachi is an entertainment venue without pokies.
Malachi Hall, an art deco theatre design, was constructed in 1937 with funding from the Oberon Catholic Church. Mrs East said her great uncle was the theatre's first projectionist, giving her a unique connection to the place. Learn more at: https://malachigilmorehall.com.au/.
Malachi Hall will also be hosting the inaugural Oberon Chamber Music Festival on November 24. To see the full program, book tickets and find more information, visit the website at: www.oberonchambermusicfestival.com.au.
