All invited to celebrate 150 years of Oxley Shire Hall

AN historic hall which has been at the heart of the community for well over a century will be celebrated during a special event being held on Saturday, 28 June. The Oxley Shire Hall - one of the Rural City of Wangaratta's most significant rural buildings - turned 150 this year, and the people who have been instrumental in its preservation and ensuring its future, are planning an event like no other. There will be food trucks, face painting and fire-twirling - a 21st century-style celebration - for a hall which was originally built to house the serious business of the Oxley Shire council back in 1875. Prior to the construction of the Oxley Shire Hall, the local council had been operating from Kettle's hotel in Milawa, and then George Moore's Hotel in Oxley. Concerned a hotel was not the appropriate place to conduct council business, residents petitioned the Oxley Shire in 1873 to build them a hall. Plans were drawn up by engineer Alexander Rodgers that year, and construction was undertaken by Robert Montgomery, with the hall completed in May, 1875 and costing about £591 (according to M. A. Moonie in Bridge to the Future). When it was completed, it was described as "a handsome brick building composed of a main hall and two offices at the back for the use of the engineer and secretary." The first council meeting was held in the new shire hall on 5 June, 1875. On 18 June, 1875, about 350 people packed into the hall for the grand opening ball and reportedly "danced from 8pm until 5am.." as a group of musicians played. On the night, then president of the shire, Councillor William Gray, "proposed the health of Her Majesty and declared the hall open". Correspondence recovered from shire records reveals the Elm trees which still shade the hall grounds today, were a present from Mrs Dunlop, wife of Robert Dunlop, an Oxley hotelier, storekeeper and carpenter involved in the hall's construction, and they were planted in 1876. In the early 1890s, three rooms were added for the use of the president, secretary and contractors. George Lang, a butcher in the Oxley township, organised the purchase of a piano for the hall in 1916, and it is still there today and used on special occasions. Current resident Neil Brock, who has helped document the history of the hall, said older residents still recall celebrating many happy occasions there, including functions and dances. The character building was used as council chambers for the Oxley Shire up until 1966, and it is believed to be the oldest, continually used community building in North East Victoria. In 1973 the Oxley Shire Hall was classified by the National Trust as a building considered "essential to Australia's heritage and must be preserved", but unfortunately, it had fallen into disrepair. When teachers Don and Janet Heath arrived in Oxley in 1976 with their young family, the hall hadn't been used in a decade and didn't look at all like it does now. Janet remembers there was an old kitchen at the front and a lean-to on the side, elm trees were growing through the floorboards, walls were caving in, and sparrows were nesting in the ceiling. In 1978, Don and Janet were among a group of locals who decided to reform the Oxley Hall committee, and they set about restoring their local hall. The first elected officials included Bill Allan (president), Jan Ciavarella (vice-president), Ruth Jordon (secretary) and Lorraine Green (treasurer) with the committee including Mark Phillips, Ella Burdon, Brendon Griffin, Graham Vincent and Janet Heath. The restoration project was to take over 30 years and is estimated to have cost over $300,000. Some renovation work took place after the reformed hall committee was established and a country dance was held in 1979 to celebrate its reopening. Around this time, arrangements were made with Brown Brothers to relocate the old council table to their Milawa board room, where it was restored by them and remains there on permanent loan. It seems a fitting place for the heritage piece of furniture, as the Brown family had a long association with shire going back to 1865 when it was known as the Oxley Roads Board. Two generations of Browns gave service to the shire in roles including secretary, treasurer and councillor, for a period of more than 65 years. Renovations of the hall continued: during 1997 a significant renovation of the original, main hall was undertaken, the supper room and kitchen was re-built in 2002 and the meeting room extended with internal toilets added in 2005. Another reopening celebration was held in 2007, with long time district resident Mrs Lil Allen (granddaughter of the hall's builder Robert Montgomery) conducting the official opening. While the restoration was made possible with grants from state and federal governments and support from the Rural City of Wangaratta, it was the community who drove the project, also raising money through a fundraising event they called the Oxley Bush Market. The first market was held in 1980, and about 30 local businesses from the King Valley region took part and set up stalls. It proved to be successful and grew each year, with demand from stall holders over 40 years later now exceeding the available space, reaching capacity at about 150 stalls. The hall committee raises around $10,000 each year for the hall, which was initially used for renovations and is now used for upkeep and to support community events and projects. Today the hall is managed by a committee of 20 volunteers, authorised by the Rural City of Wangaratta and assisted by the Oxley Residents' Association, and it is home to activities including a weekly table tennis competition, film screenings, trivia nights, events, meetings and the annual bush market. A sub-group of the committee is organising the 150-year celebration on Saturday, 28 June, and they are hoping anyone with a connection or affection for the hall will attend. It begins at 3pm with a heritage display, kid's activities including face paintings and ball games, afternoon tea and wine tastings and live music until 5pm, when there will be a fire and LED light show from entertainer Rich Royale. Official proceedings including speeches by special guests and the cutting of the birthday cake will begin at 5.15pm, and be followed at 6pm by a family-friendly evening of fun, with delicious food and drinks available to purchase and live entertainment from local bands, with the party to continue until late into the night.

All invited to celebrate 150 years of Oxley Shire Hall

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