Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall met with the trustees of the Guyra War Memorial Hall recently to announce the good news. Pictured from left are James Souter, Sue Rice, Adam Marshall, Neil Rudd, Ann Woods, Naomi Davidson and Ron Vickress.
GUYRA’S iconic War Memorial Hall will soon have its leaking roof patched thanks to a $19,139 grant from the NSW Government’s Public Reserve Management Fund, Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall announced today.
Mr Marshall delivered the good news last week to the hall’s Trustees and said he was pleased that such an historically important building would receive the upgrade it needed.
“The hall is one of the oldest memorials in the New England and it is vital community assets such as these are maintained and I’d like to commend the Guyra War Memorial Hall trustees on the work they do to make sure that’s exactly what happens,” Mr Marshall said.
“It’s a beautiful old hall and it’s great to see it’s still well used. The trustees would like to replace the carpets in the building but that can’t be done until the roof and guttering is fixed.
“The hall wasn’t used for a long time and it wasn’t until the early 1970s the Guyra Quota Club decided to breathe new life into the hall – they raised funds to give it an overhaul, put in a side entrance which made it much more accessible for senior citizens and it’s been well used since then.”
Mr Marshall said the trustees were delighted the hall had recently been booked for a wedding in March.
“It will be the first wedding held in the hall so they are very pleased they can get these repairs made before then,” he said.
“I’m delighted that together we have been able secure this funding to address these issues. It’s very gratifying to see members of a small community so committed to maintaining and upgrading their lovely old hall.”
Guyra War Memorial Hall trustee Sue Rice said the members were delighted with the news and very grateful for Mr Marshall’s support.
“The first brick was first laid in 1921 and since then it’s had an interesting history; it housed the town library in the 1950’s and at one stage there were two beautiful big billiards tables in here,” Mrs Rice said.
“It’s full of local war memorabilia and honour boards so we are very keen to make sure we preserve that history and maintain the integrity of the hall. “We’d like to thank Adam for his help, it is very much appreciated.”