Home is where the Hall is

Home is Where the Hall is is a grassroots, community arts initiative that celebrates the role of community halls across Victoria.

During the month of November 2012, nearly 70 halls from across Victoria hosted a wide variety of activities, selected and designed by the local community. From vintage ballgown fashion parades to ‘Switch On’ Parties, photography exhibitions to film nights, Home is Where the Hall is was a fantastic and fun way for communities across Victoria to celebrate celebrate their community hubs.

Regional Arts Victoria would like to thank all those who worked hard to put on events in their Halls and made Home is Where the Hall is 2011 a Statewide success.

We are busily planning Home is Where the Hall is 2012, so stay tuned to www.rav.net.au for more information in March.

Be transported back to the ‘old days’ with a charming collection of historic photographs from the region!

On Sunday the 13th of November from 10.30am onwards there will be engaging display of several historical photos, Artwork from The Goornong Primary School, along with Art Craft and Produce on show. Those who attend the event will be treated to entertainment by local musicians, a BBQ lunch and a good old country afternoon Tea! The event will celebrate the efforts of residents and the community for their time and support of the Goornong Memorial Hall over the years!

Event Details

Where: Goornong Memorial Hall
When: Sunday 13th November
Time: 10.30am onwards

Kaarimba Hall is hosting a Bake-Off and Community Afternoon Tea. Come and induldge in delicious treats!

Kaarimba Hall August 2011

A community baking competition is being held on Sunday the 20th of November at Kaarimba Hall. Prizes are awarded for Men, Women and Children, with the exhibition from 1.30pm, followed by the judging and the awards and finishing with everyone enjoying a big Afternoon Tea! It is free to compete and $5 to view and to eat!

Built in 1900,  Kaarimba Hall is the only public building in this farming district. Used for many and varied functions and gatherings over its 111 year life, the hall sits on a quiet crossroads and is a valued community asset. Recently it has been a favorite venue for 21^st birthday parties. No noise complaints from neighbors out here!

The original Hall was fully renovated in the late 1960, when a huge ‘Back to’ was held. Further renovation occurred in 2000, prior to very successful Centenary celebrations.

The community is looking forward to the Home is where the Hall is celebration!

Event details

Where: Kaarimba Hall
When: Sunday 20th November
Time: from 1.30pm

A Brief History of the Kaarimba Hall

Before 1900, many social gatherings were held in the wool shed at the Kaarimba homestead.

A public meeting was held at the Mundoona West State School on 18 Sept. 1899. A local farmer & Councillor George Stickels chaired the meeting and another councillor James Macgregor was elected secretary.

It was unanimously decided that the district needed a Public Hall. Mr William Galt then offered one acre of his land on the corner of Kaarimba Hall Rd & Moss Rd. Forty three pounds was subscribed that night at the meeting. A committee of collectors was set up and in a fortnight 90 pounds were in hand.

Mr Alan McDonald of Numurkah was appointed architect. The building was to be 52ft long and 26ft wide and to cost approximately 210 pounds. Cr Macgregor asked the Shire for a 25 pounds grant, but the Shire saw fit to make a 20 pound grant.

Nichols Brothers Wunghnu got the contract to build the hall for 50 pounds. W. 1. Nicholas Picola supplied the red gum timber for the frame for 40 pounds and Wrights timber merchants Melbourne supplied the balance of the material for 103 pounds. With extras and furniture the total cost was 300 pounds with 100 pounds remaining to be paid off. The interior of the hall was not lined due to the shortfall in funds. A stage and two small rooms at the back of the building were included. 

The hall was opened on August 10th 1900 with a concert and ball. Tickets: Concert 2s & Is; Ball- Double 5s; extra lady 2s 6d. 250 people attended the opening.

The hall was used for agricultural meetings, political meetings, tea meetings, concerts, balls, badminton, table tennis, and the grounds for tennis, cricket and other social gatherings.

In 1958 power came to the district & the hall was connected, providing better lighting for night sport. The old lights used white spirit and a mantel and were pressurised using an outside manual pump, which had to be used several times a night as the lights started to dim.

By the mid1960s the weather boards had rotted and it was decided by the hall committee to reclad the outside with aluminium, install a new floor, line the hall inside and add septic toilets to the south side of the hall. To raise funds for the project the hall committee had special permission from the Lands Department to crop the Kaarimba Race Course.

The hall committee applied for a government grant and was refused on the grounds that the hall was not on crown land. In August 1966 the title was surrendered to the crown and a grant was made to the hall committee of management so the renovations could be started.

The Kaarimba Public Hall was renovated in 1968 at a cost of $13,000. A “Back To Kaarimba” was held 19^th October 1968 to celebrate the re-opening.

The hall continued to be used for badminton, old time dances, district meetings, reunions and private functions.

Centenary Celebrations were held on the weekend 12^th and 13^th August 2000. Over 300 people returned to participate in the activities organised by the committee. A book titled “A Place: The Story Of Kaarimba Hall” written by Adrian Twitt, a former resident, was launched by Ken Jasper M.P.  A dinner, concert and old time dance were held on the Saturday evening – many people wearing period costume. A parade of old cars, horses and buggies and old style childrens’ games were held on the Sunday after a BBQ lunch. The usual afternoon teas and supper were presented in traditional country style.

An Honour Board for WWl and WW2 Kaarimba / Mundoona district service personnel was unveiled on April 25th 2004 by Dr. Sharman Stone, Federal member for Murray. This was funded by a grant from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In 2004 a grant from the Moira Shire enabled the committee to have the kitchen completely remodelled and the hall floor resurfaced. A family social night followed the completion of this work.

Howard Lowe Sec. Kaarimba Hall August 2005
Adrian Twitt’s book “A PLACE: THE STORY OF THE KAARIMBA HALL” contains an excellent history of the early social life of Kaarimba / Mundoona residents. Numurkah library has a copy.

Noel Coward’s farcical play Blithe Spirit will delight the local crowd in the Toongabbie Mechanics Institute.

Noel Coward’s improbable farce comes to Toongabbie! Charles decides to hold a seance, only to end up being haunted by his now-deceased first wife…

There will be two showings of the performance on Saturday the 19th of November.

The Toongabbie Mechanics Institute was an impressive building built in 1883 in the heyday of the Walhalla goldfields. The method of construction (timber frame and weatherboard with a corrugated iron roof) – is typical of Gippsland at that time. The two-story extension was added in 1891 and this made the Lodge Room, Library, Stage, Supper Room, Kitchen and two other small rooms available.

The Mechanics Institute served its small rural community by bringing them together. Dances, agricultural shows, C.W.A., school functions, weddings and private celebrations were just a few activities stage in the hall. The Institute also functioned as a lending library, a venue for lectures, the court of petty sessions, and an agency of the Bank of Australasia. It was the social and cultural centre for the town and surrounding district and played an important role in linking the pioneering community to the Walhalla Goldfields. The Mechanics Institute is now the oldest remaining public building in Toongabbie. Toongabbie owed its early prosperity to being the gateway to the busy Walhalla Goldfields. Thus, when the mines in Walhalla began to decline around 1910, Toongabbie’s future as a transport town also began to decline.

Although the Mechanics Institute held many dear memories for the townsfolk, the rising cost of maintenance saw the hall start to deteriorate. A newly completed community centre meant functions were held there and by the late 1970′s, the old hall had fallen into a state of disrepair. The townspeople of Toongabbie were divided as to the future of the historic building. At a public meeting in September 1981, the future of the hall was put to the vote. The resolution to save the old hall was won by the narrowest of margins – one vote. In 1988, DSE were contacted by a concerned resident that the hall would fall down if something wasn’t done to support it. It was saved from the indignity of falling down after swaying violently in the wind. Bracing held the hall in place until the community finally rallied and committed to restoring this much valued historic township asset.

Together with State & Federal govt. funding the huge restoration project began. Although the hall had significantly deteriorated, it gained entry into the Victorian Historic Buildings Register in 1983, and the National Estate register via the Australian Heritage Commission in 1992. And look what we achieved. Its historical significance is also matched by its naive architecture, its rarity and intact condition.

Event Details

Where: Toongabbie Mechanics Institute
When: Saturday 19th November
Time: Matinee: 2pm, Evening: 8pm
Bookings: Admission is $20, please call Kara to make bookings on 0457 121 983

www.toongabbie.vic.au

The Airly Clydebank hall is re-opening! You are invited to come & enjoy some home grown fun & community activities in November.

A month of celebrations will mark the re-opening of the Airly Clydebank Hall to the local community.

Featuring the touring CWA/CSIRO textile exhibition Raveling the World. Celebrating the International Year of Forests through a science-handcraft exhibition of eucalyptus trees, their leaves, buds, fruits and flowers and microscopic images of plants up-close. Large installations offer a sneak-peak into the microscopic world of plants and what goes on deep inside the green leaves, proud trunks and thirsty roots. Don’t miss the opportunity to view locally.

Entry to each event will be by gold coin donation.

Event Details

Where: Airly Clydebank Hall, Clydebank Rd, Airly, 3851
When: Sunday the 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th of November.
Time: Sunday 6th, 1pm – 5pm. Sunday 13th, 12pm – 7pm. Sunday 20th, 12pm  – 7pm. Sunday 27th, 4pm – 9pm.
Bookings: Some events will require bookings. Please call Andrea on 0419 532 592 or Linda 0427 040 037

To download the Event Poster, Click Here

Be apart of a great evening of entertainment from the the string band, the Strzelecki Stringbusters!

Hall Framework 1977

The Strzelecki Stringbusters, a well-known string band of 14 musicians from central Gippsland will provide an evening of great entertainment on Friday 11th November at 7.30pm at the Clifton Creek Public Hall. Admission is $10 per person which includes a cuppa and a piece of cake, but BYO drinks and refreshments.

Nestled in the foothills just north of the Gippsland Lakes, Clifton Creek Hall has been a gathering place for the tiny Clifton Creek community of farmers and bush dwellers  for the past thirty three years. However, it has been many more years in the dreaming, planning, fundraising and constructing.  Intensive efforts to support the Red Cross during  War years saw regular district dances, often in the only venues available which were often farm barns.   In the late 1940s it was agreed that Clifton Creek needed a public hall on public land,  and so commenced a long journey to achieve this goal, involving many, many hours of voluntary work from the local community.

Hall Foundations 1976

Event details

Where: Clifton Creek Public Hall
When: Friday 11th November
Time: from 7.30pm

Shady Creek Hall is host to three exciting events throughout November!

Three different activities are being hosted throughout November for the community of Shady Creek.

Event Details:

Where: Shady Creek Hall

When:

Tuesday 1st November – Melbourne Cup Day Ladies Lunch. The cost for this event is $10 and  includes food and drinks for the day.

Saturday 12th November and  Sunday 13th November – Time Capsule

Sunday 26th November – Community Christmas BBQ – free!

Photo gallery of Shady Creek Hall

Join in Crossley Hall’s Sunday Night Super Dance!!

Friends of St Brigid’s Association Inc. are playing host to a celebration of the iconic Sunday Night Supper Dance with live music and a delicious homemade supper. The night of fun begins at 7.30pm on Sunday 6th November.

Event details:

Where: Crossley Hall
When: Sunday 6th November
Time: 7.30 pm

A great weekend of Art is on the agenda at the Yarragon Public Hall!

Local visual artists will come together to present a diverse and engaging variety of works at the Yarragon Public Hall from Saturday the 29th of October to Tuesday the 1st of November.

Event Details

Where: Yarragon Public Hall, Yarragon
Date: 29th October – 1st November
Time: Saturday, 2pm. From Sunday to Tuesday, 10am – 5pm

Some information about the Yarragon Hall

The Yarragon Hall has certainly been home for many ‘Yarragonites’.
Yarragon came into existence when the railway line between Oakleigh and Sale opened in 1878.
In less than a year of the township being established, the Mechanics’ Hall and Library was established on 8 April 1879.
It served the community well for 27 years until it was felt a larger hall was required. This larger hall was opened on 16 April 1906.
Over the years it has had a few facelifts. In 1977 the library, reading room and upstairs projectionist’s rooms at the front were removed, making the hall’s interior bigger and the Supper room was updated.
In 2004 a verandah was added and in 2010 a modern kitchen was installed – so different to the early days when the ladies prepared hot chocolate for supper in a huge vat over a wood fire.

The hall has literally and metaphorically been the centre of town. Drama- real and enacted- humour, pathos, the sadness of farewell, the gladness of welcome home, the birth of projects, the winding up of others, reasoned argument, angry words, laughter and tears, in fact all the human emotions, hopes, fears, fashions and foibles of the last 131 years have been played out here.
The hall has served as a church, a courthouse, the meeting place for our sporting clubs, charitable, cultural, youth, seniors and numerous other groups and has been the venue for so many and various occasions.

Until television invaded our homes, there was something on at the hall every day and night of the week. Play rehearsals, euchre nights, meetings of the many and varied social, sporting and charitable organisations, youth club, beetle nights, guides, concerts, THE Football Concert which was the most anticipated and enjoyed highlight of the year, crazy whist, bazaars, film nights, fortnightly dances, numerous cabaret balls, the annual Deb Ball, Mannequin Parades, Brownies, Cubs, Marching Girls,
Fancy Dress nights, kitchen teas for the about to be married, wedding receptions, garden shows, the travelling ‘Blind Concert’, Punch & Judy and so much more.

Growing up in this small country town ( pop 600) in the 1950s & 60s, we were always occupied and never wanting for anything – there was always something going on and we’d “See ya at the Hall”.
Our lovely old hall, 115 years old, with its pressed-tin stage surround and jarrah floor – reputed to have the best dance surface in the area – still comes up a treat. It is much loved by the community.
The hall has provided a home for the town’s playgroup, kindergarten and school in the early days and the annual school concert throughout the history of the town.

As the town has changed, so too has the role of the hall. The whole social structure of the townspeople revolved around activities in the hall up until the 1970s, but of recent decades people’s lives are less centred in the town. The hall is used for town meetings and funerals when a large venue is required, but 21st parties are no longer allowed and gone are the days when the cheery band of local ladies catered for weddings and balls.

Yarragon has evolved into a tourist town and the use of the hall has also evolved and brought more out-of- towners to it. Nowadays it is regularly used for a Craft & Produce Market, Art Shows, Gem Shows and Art & Craft classes. It is often a hive of activity.
The Yarragon Hall – so many special events and so many memories for so many people… and no doubt many more in the future.

Memories of the Hall from a Local Resident

I love the Yarragon Hall, so much of my life has been played in it. My first memory is when the family went down, all dressed up to have a family photo taken. I must have been about 4 (1953). Mum had taken two bolero tops from our general store to ‘try’ for my sister and I, so that we looked smart in the latest fashion, but as we were recently arrived migrants from Holland and money was scare, Mum returned them the next day! I think the local draper knew exactly what was going on.

            I participated in so many things in the hall – youth club, guides, marching girls, the footy concert, the regular dances and balls – in fact I always say I did miles walking backwards in that hall – it was called the foxtrot, but so few of the local lads had the fancy footwork.

As children, there was so much excitement when a travelling show came or when our local butcher Mr Green put on a film night. Sometimes too as youngsters we went to view the deb balls or were part of the fancy dress balls and had great fun wending and winding amidst the ball gowns and suits. I was always enthralled by the glamour of the occasion and dont believe London’s Society Balls would have been a patch on the stage decorations at the Yarragon Hall!

            Over the decades these memories and experiences have inspired me to recreate some of the excitement and glamour by organising many different events and make the hall look beautiful for balls, a ’1940s Big Band Nostalgia Night’, concerts, High Tea, Art shows, funerals, a wedding and any event I have been involved with. 

            Our stage has a wonderful Community Quilt worked on by about 25 local ladies in 1988 to honour our history. Of course one of the squares features the hall.I am planning to do a display in the hall all about the hall to coincide with the Art Show. 

            I have experienced the full evolution of our town over the last 60 years from a vibrant, self-sustaining farming community to a sad empty dot on the highway, then to a vibrant tourist town. Our town is growing enormously at present with more new houses in the last 3 years than in the past 50 or maybe even in the last 100. From small county town, so far from the city, we are now becoming a commuter town and closer to the city.

The event!

The main hall held the art exhibition – Brushstrokes in Art – looking beautiful against the pressed tin walls and the polished wooden floor (the best dance floor in the region I am told). While there was a lovely display of memories in the foyer, along with gorgeous flowers from local gardens.