A century of the Gollan Hall will be celebrated this year and board members are calling on the community to get involved in the milestone occasion.
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Gollan Hall was officially opened on March 22, 1918 – originally built as a social point for returning servicemen from WWI.
A snippet from the Wellington Times, appearing March 7, 1918 read: “A plain and fancy dress ball will be held at the Gollan Public Hall to celebrate the opening of the new hall on Friday, March 22, 1918. Tickets: Double 7/6; single 5/-”
Now, almost 100 years later, board members are organising a celebration of another kind.
Helen and Larry Yeo are among the driving force behind the centenary reunion to be held over the weekend of March 31, 2018.
They anticipate the day will involved a morning tea and luncheon, however the hall Trust is still tuning finer details.
“Our main aim is for everyone to get together and catch up, reminisce on the old times,” Helen said.
“There are a lot of descendants of people who were involved in building the hall that are still in the area or Sydney who we’d like to see attend.”
Helen said the hall was once “the hub of the area” and boasts a rich history ranging from social dances, card nights and multiple other functions each week.
“Everyone discharged from war they always had a welcome home party for them,” she said.
“They’d start the dances about 8pm, supper at midnight, and they’d dance until whenever.
“They’d come in horse and dray or horseback, and they’d stay and dance all night.”
The hall continued to grow since its opening in 1918, namely the unveiling of a white marble memorial on April 1, 1920 to symbolise the local men who enlisted to defend their country.
Some time in the late 50s – early 60s the hall was blown from its stumps during a wild storm, before being dragged back on by a bulldozer. It has since undergone several renovations and in 2015 held a commemorative ball for Anzac Day.
For more information contact Helen on 6886 6103 or see the Gollan Hall Facebook page.
Award recipients a worthy duo
Gollan Hall Trust members, Helen and Larry Yeo, were among 20 community members to be honoured for making a significant contribution to the community.
The Yeo’s are the modest recipients of a Dubbo Day Award presented to them in November 2017 for their ongoing contribution to the Gollan Hall. Between the two they have contributed 68 years to the hall for no reason other than to “keep the district together”.
