Goovigen – the small country town with two halls
The School of Arts was built in 1929 with lots of volunteer labour from the early pioneers of the district. Constructed of corrugated iron and local timber, it was to become the social venue for the district.
The first function was a dance held on the 21st of August 1929. It served many organisations at that time – such as a church, used for teaching Sunday school, a wedding venue, dance hall, meeting room, concert venue, a place where the soldiers were farewelled on their way to fight for our country and a place to welcome those lucky enough to return home. It was well loved & well used until 1955 when popular large gala balls were in vogue & the School of Arts just wasn’t large enough or modern enough to hold such an event. Who wanted to visit the outdoor loo in their beautiful ball gowns? So plans were put in place to build a larger more modern hall. This took some time to achieve and in the interim the local picture theatre was the focal point for these large functions.
By 1965 the Community Hall was built, again with the assistance of generous donations and lots of volunteer labour to help the builder – it had indoor toilets! The grand opening ball was held on November the 6th 1965 to a crowd of almost standing room only. The only money borrowed for construction was $3000.00 from the bank of New South Wales, now known as Westpac.
The School of Arts was sold to a grain merchant who used it for grain storage for several years. The Goovigen Historical Society and Museum was formed with the aim of purchasing and reinstating the hall to its former glory, headed by Mr Percy Schluter, his wife Elaine and a team of willing helpers who worked tirelessly to make this happen.
The Historical Hall, as it is now known, stands grand, proud and holds the history of our town and district, attracting lots of interested visitors. lt is still the same as it was in 1929 – the local crows ash timber flooring is still as good as the day it was built. The Community Hall is now the focal point of our small town. Over the years the Progress association has fundraised & secured grants to upgrade facilities and we now have a large modern well laid out community hall. Even though it is now 53 years old, it shows no signs of ageing, holds pride of place in our small rural town and serves our community well.
Tickets available online here