Community halls stand the test of time, bringing communities together for decades

Scattered around the Great Southern, community halls stand tall and proud in the heart of small towns and communities. Some of them were built more than 100 years ago — and plenty of things have changed around them in the past century. People have come and gone, technology has changed the way people socialise, and some community activities have become a thing of the past. But the community halls have survived. In some of these areas, the hall is nestled in the bush, a meeting point for a community with no townsite. One of the region’s oldest halls is the Torbay Hall, built in 1912. President Clare Valley said the hall played a big role in keeping the community connected. “We try and use the hall for that purpose — to keep us all together,” she said. “We see the value of being cohesive as a community, particularly over the past couple of years with bushfires close to our properties and COVID-19. “In the country we have a bit of isolation, we don’t have public transport, and we are 26km from town. But if we can do things together at home in our community, that is a really great thing and is strengthening for all of us. “Our neighbours aren’t just friends, they are people we count on in a difficult situation such as a fire or flood.” If the walls of Torbay Hall could talk, they would have plenty of stories to tell. Ms Valley said the hall was originally built as a meeting place in the then-vibrant timber milling town. The hall’s local heritage listing states it was used for Sunday school classes, dances and services by visiting church ministers. “It is actually known as the agricultural hall. There is a lean-to at the back of the hall and I’ve heard stories that was where people brought their horses down and tied them up,” Ms Valley said. “Back in the day it was a place where the community would gather, with children running around, games and celebrations. “It was a real community hall and we have tried to keep that ethos. We keep an eye on the old girl and keep her maintained.” Today, Torbay Hall is used for two major annual market events, a community Christmas tree, karate classes, and even belly dancing. The next event booked for the hall is a community barbecue to welcome new neighbours. In Napier, some of the history of the hall is physically embedded in its walls. When the Napier Community Hall was built in 1957, beer bottles were placed in the middle of each of the bricks to make the cement go further. Back then it was used often for dances, church services and other get-togethers. President Tom Collins and wife Sue have been involved with the community for the past 50 years and have seen the hall used hundreds of times to bring people together. Mr Collins said the hall got more use now than when it was originally built. “It is the hub of our community,” he said. “Quite a few people meet there at least once a week just for a chat. “Community members need to talk to each other. “There are no dances like the old times but it is actually used probably more than it originally was.” Today, it is used for community functions, the Napier Christmas Tree, fire brigade meetings, as a polling station, for Australia Day breakfasts, tennis, birthdays, and for the distribution of the local newsletter. North of Mt Barker, use of the Kendenup Hall had slipped in previous years, prompting the local community to band together to make it the hub it once was. A meeting was held three years ago, and an idea was born to hold monthly markets at the hall. The markets have taken off, bringing the community back together once a month and attracting visitors to town. Kendenup Town Hall Markets co-ordinator Alice Stephenson said the hall had been given a new lease on life. “While there had not been any direct threat on the hall, some shires had been getting rid of small town halls,” she said. “We thought ‘we are going to use it before we lose it’.”