Ron Siemiginowski: Tributes flow following the death of Orana Cinemas owner at the age of 64

The life and legacy of Geraldton businessman and composer Ron Siemiginowski, owner of the Orana Cinemas chain, is being celebrated after his sudden death at the age of 64 last month.

Mr Siemiginowski died on April 27, leaving behind his wife Leticia, seven children and two grandchildren. His family described him as a “multi-faceted, talented, loving, caring, kind, selfless and humorous man”.

The son of a German father and Polish mother, Mr Siemiginowski grew up in Merredin in WA’s Wheatbelt where he began playing the piano at the age of nine.

His family moved to Albany in 1982, where his father Kasimierz (Kasey) Siemiginowski bought the local drive-in movie theatre in the suburb of Orana.

Around this time, Mr Siemiginowski had felt deeply connected to Europe and took on the trip of a lifetime, playing piano in jazz bars and restaurants across Spain and Germany before returning home to find drive-in theatres shutting across the country and the emergence of home videos.

Finding inspiration from the fancy multi-screen theatres in the big city, Mr Siemiginowski launched himself into the small business world and built a twin screen theatre with his father on Stirling Terrace in Albany — Orana Cinemas — the only fully Western Australian-owned cinema chain, with the Geraldton location opening in 1999.

Apart from his love for the cinema, in 2015 Mr Siemiginowski turned his passion for music into something amazing and, along with Albany musician Giles Watson, composed and produced the stage musical Mimma — about an Italian woman in Britain in the midst of World War II.

The show spent two weeks at Perth’s Regal Theatre in 2019 and later debuted in London’s Cadogan Hall in 2022 and Italy’s Teatro Verdi di Trieste in July 2024.

Speaking to the Geraldton Guardian 2023 from his Beresford home, Mr Siemiginowski said his life was busy and varied so much he didn’t have the time to keep up with the latest films to grace the screen at his cinemas.

“I was a bit of a film buff once but don’t have time to watch movies now,” he said.

Since news of his death, an outpouring of love and support for Mr Siemiginowski and his family has flooded social media, with Orana Cinemas Geraldton posting: “Ron was greatly loved by the local community for his passion in films and the arts.”

“We will miss you Ron. Rest in peace.”

Chapman Athletic Soccer Club president Steven Streich said, “Ron was a man of warmth, humour, and deep cultural richness. Always ready with a laugh and a helping hand, he was a gentle, kind soul who made a lasting impact on everyone around him. We will miss him deeply. Forever a Tiger. Forever a legend.”

A funeral service for Mr Siemiginowski will be held on May 16 at 10am, at the Holy Family Catholic Church in Albany.