King's Theatre (1913), which underwent large-scale renovations in 2006/2007 and was renamed to Anita's Theatre by the developer John Comelli, in honour of his late wife. Anita's Theatre was for sale as of May 2010 but was purchased for 1.05 million dollars in 2011 by a Balgownie business man. The boutique clothing and jewellery shops, florists, supermarkets, news agencies and other shopping essentials make it the main shopping area for the northern suburbs of Wollongong. Thirroul also has a sub-branch of the Returned and Services League of Australia (RSL). Thirroul is part of the Northern Illawarra Chamber of Commerce, which was established in 1996 and is recognised as an official body by the Wollongong City Council. Its aim is to promote the identity of the Northern Illawarra in co-operation with local business owners, the residents community, and government and tourism bodies to generate local business growth for the region. There are two primary schools, St. Michael's and Thirroul Public School. St. Michael's is a Catholic school that was established by the Sisters of St. Joseph in 1940 and is located in Station Street. The current principal is Mrs. Belinda Hughes. Thirroul Public school was established in 1889 after Frederick Robbins sold one acre of his land, "well situated and elevated, being the centre of population", to the Department of Education for the purpose of building a school and teacher's residence. The school subsequently opened in 1889 with 154 children on the roll. Thirroul Public School is located in Roxburgh Avenue. The current principal is Kath Parker. Thirroul also has a Thirroul Scout Group as part of the Scout Association of Australia, NSW Branch. In June 2009, the new Thirroul District Library and Community centre was opened. This library offers email and word processing, inter-library loans, photocopying and printing, free Internet access and children's programs. The annual Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival is held over a weekend in the first week of April. It includes activities such as art exhibitions and workshops, kids activities, live stage entertainment, buskers, a variety of stalls, pony and carnival rides and face painting. The festival won the 2003 Illawarra tourism Award in the events/festivals category. Involved in organising the event is the Austimer-Thirroul Lions Club. The festival actively involves community organisations, educational institutions, sporting groups, performing and visual art studios, scouts, surf lifesavers and the general public. Demographics In the 2016 census, there were 6,083