Centre Stage: New beginning for Albury West Memorial Hall

Albury West Memorial Hall in the state’s Murray region will officially open its doors on Friday after extensive work to repair and upgrade the historic building into a thriving community space.

Crown Lands, part of the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, funded the work through two Crown Reserves Improvement Fund (CRIF) grants and an insurance claim totalling $394,254. The Crown Land manager contributed $4,490 while the Federal Government’s Stronger Communities Program contributed $10,000 for a total spend of $408,744.

The Albury West Memorial Hall building was moved on the back of trucks from Bandiana in Victoria in 1946 to ensure the people of Albury West had access to a community hall. The building was used as both a recreational space and a venue to commemorate five soldiers from the area who died during World War 2.

An honour board commemorating the five veterans has been placed inside the building, and a small garden has been planted outside the hall in their memory.

The hall had not been used by the community since 2015 and was slated to be demolished until Annette Challis and her husband Peter saw the site’s potential. The couple were part of an organisation that became Crown Land managers in 2022 and set about turning the ageing site into a community performance hub where local thespians can learn their trade and stage productions for the local community. The venue, which seats up to 85 people, can also be used as a meeting room for local businesses.

Local volunteers dedicated over 2,600 hours to help upgrade the hall and ensure the local gem could be enjoyed by the community for generations to come.

The revamped hall realises Annette Challis’ dream to see the space turned into a performance hub. Mrs Challis sadly passed away in April 2024.

Some of the work included:

• Restumping the hall to ensure its floors were flat and stable. Original tree stumps were replaced with concrete stumps to ensure a strong foundation.
• Re-cladding of the external tin walls, new external and internal electrical wiring, upgraded kitchen.
• Five new toilets, including an accessible bathroom with parent facilities and wheelchair
  access, new outdoor concreting and security cameras.

Albury Wodonga Community Chest Committee of Management member Peter Challis said:

“When Annette found the hall, it was scheduled to be demolished, but we knew this site had the potential to be something special. Working with Crown Lands, we managed to upgrade almost the entire hall, turning it into a dynamic modern performance space while ensuring we still kept the site’s beautiful heritage character.

“Annette would be very proud of what the community has achieved. Everyone has come together to support us, and I am beyond thrilled our humble hall is officially opened and is being used.”

Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:

“The NSW Government is focused on building better communities and investing in our regions is a huge priority. This historic hall will be a wonderful piece of community infrastructure that I know everyone will enjoy.

“Crown land reserves host many public halls across the state which serve an important role as multifunction spaces that provide a place for people to meet, hold events and strengthen community bonds.”