Susanna Freymark
What a difference a coat of paint makes – and not just any paint.
The art deco colours chosen for the interior of the Mallanganee Memorial Hall have transformed the 1901 hall.
The features around the stage and on the columns stand out in the coral and soft sea green blue colours.
The hall used to show films and the upstairs projector room still has the holes where the movies screened onto the stage showing silent movies and then the talkies.
The transformation of the interior of Mallanganee’s distinctive hall will be celebrated with a free opera concert this Sunday, August 18.
It’s been a long journey of seven years to get the hall painted.
Hall committee secretary Judithe Lovick-andrews said they had been applying for grants – to no avail – and the hall exterior was deteriorating at a rapid pace.
“Even Crown Lands knocked us back a few times,” Judithe said.
An application was made to the Community War Memorial Fund for $10,000 to have the foyer and two rooms painted including the historic Soldiers Room.
They instead offered a $3000 grant for us to hire heritage consultant Deborah Wray from Grafton to complete a heritage report before we progressed to painting, Judithe said.
“Deborah completed this report and we learnt for the first time that the hall was actually heritage listed.”
Next, the hall committee applied for a grant for painting under the Office of Responsible Gambling Infrastructure Grants in 2023 and was unsuccessful.
A further grant of $10,000 was applied for with the Community War Memorial Fund to have any repairs and maintenance carried out prior to painting.
“We were successful.”
Because Mallanganee Hall has been a recognised evacuation centre for the past five years, Kyogle Council approved funding of $92,000 in April for the interior and exterior painting of the hall.
The floods in 2022 and the constant rain earlier this year meant available painters were busy.
“We just waited our turn,” Judithe said.
“Finally, Mark Britt was able to make a start in June.”
While it’s still a wait for the exterior of the hall to be painted, the community is celebrating getting this far.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step – and we have achieved many, many steps for this tiny community,” Judithe said.
After the concert, painting will start on the exterior of the hall which is looking shabby and degraded. Inside though, what a difference.
Kyogle Council has provided funding of $3900 for the TenorUS concert.
“We work in collaboration with Red Cross through the hall evacuation and they have donated $500.”
Come along and enjoy the free concert this Sunday, August 18 at 2pm at Mallanganee Hall. Doors open at 1pm. There will be free drinks on arrival, alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Afternoon tea will be served at interval.
There will be a Father’s Day raffle on the day for $2 a ticket and you could win a $100 fuel voucher plus other prizes. The raffle is drawn on the day.
Read about Mallanganee’s famous applique mounted on the stage.
TenorUS played at Mallanganee Hall last April to a packed crowd. See the photos here. Find out more about TenorUS here.
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