Koonya Hall, TAS, Pydairrerme Country
Koonya Hall stands on the traditional lands of the Pydairrerme People.
The Koonya Hall was built in the late nineteenth century to be a focus for community activities, and it still functions as that. The frame and the exterior cladding are locally-milled timber, but the liner-boards are imported Baltic pine and they don’t reach the ceiling – they only come half way up the walls. The story is that the Baltic Pine liner boards were sitting at the Koonya wharf when someone decided that they would suit their house very nicely – the hall, 130 years later, is still not fully lined. But somebody’s house is.
Local halls have memories. They have great memories of celebrations and times of festivity, Christmas parties, dances and nights when young people would walk up to ten miles to attend a dance at the Koonya Hall on a Saturday night. We still have dances, weddings and all sorts of celebrations in this hall, and they are notable for their cross-generational appeal. You will find anyone from 8 years old to 80 dancing, with toddlers running around their feet, and babies snoozing up the back.
Festival of Small Halls rolls into Koonya on Saturday, 18 January 2025 with Susan O’Neill and Monique Clare.
Opening the show will be local act Tasman Peninsula Singers!
Tasman Peninsula Singers began nearly eighty years ago as a group of local singers standing around a piano in a farmhouse on the outskirts of Nubeena.
Today, it is remarkable that an active choir of approximately twenty people continues to thrive in what is one of Tasmania’s smallest municipalities. This is largely due to the nurturing and enthusiasm of Ali Hart, our choir leader. Ali has been teaching music at the local school for many years, and music is in her blood.
Tasman Peninsula Singers practice each week at the local CWA Hall, and the group is regularly asked to perform at local events. The choir tackles an eclectic range of music, from classical to pop, and from folk to traditional. One of the choir’s signature pieces is a song entitled “munya”, which means “echidna” in the local dialect of the Paredarerme people. The words were written by one of the choir members, Auntie Lee-Anne Goodwin, a local indigenous woman, and the music was composed and arranged by Ali Hart.
The Koonya Village Fair will be held in the adjacent field from 2-6pm. There will be interactive games, face painting, roaming entertainers, friendly competitions and plenty of old fashioned fun.
There will be food available from 2pm – 7pm including local rotary food van doing a BBQ, pizza van, coffee, sweets and ice cream. There will be a bar from 5pm – 10.30pm by Turrakana Tasman Arts serving local wines, beer, cocktails, soft drinks, snacks and supper after the show.
Tickets for Festival of Small Halls are priced at:
Full Admission – $35
Concession Admission (Health Care Card, Pensioners) – $25
Child Admission (Aged 3 – 12 Years, Must Be Accompanied By An Adult. Children will be provided a beanbag seat) – $15
Baby Admission (Aged Under 3 Years, Must Be Accompanied By An Adult) – Free
Purchase tickets online below.
Doors Open 6.30pm
Show Starts 7.00pm
Koonya Hall has accessible entry (level entry to main hall and kitchen) and has accessible bathrooms (1 unisex accessible toilet).
This show is supported by Turrakana Tasman Arts Association with assistance from Eaglehawk Neck Community and Hall Association, Tasman Council, Bendigo Bank and Rotary.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body.
Festival of Small Halls events take place in venues operating under an approved Tasmanian Health Covid Safe Event Checklist, and has stringent Workplace Health and Safety requirements for all travelling artists and crew. Under the terms and conditions of all events, you must not attend if you have any symptoms of Covid-19.
Please do your bit to protect others and keep your community safe.
