Whian Whian Memorial Hall, NSW, Widjabul Wia-bal People of the Bundjalung Nation
Whian Whian Memorial Hall stands on the traditional lands of the Widjabul Wia-bal People of the Bundjalung Nation People.
Whian Whian Hall was completed in 1939.
‘Mr. A. Smith performed the official opening and stated, “Few small centres could boast of public buildings which Whian Whian now possessed, and by hard work and splendid organisation the residents had obtained their hall.” The evening concluded with dancing, refreshments, and music by the Rix Orchestra of Lismore.’ (Northern Star, 1st January 1940)
Since then the hall has hosted more fabulous events: school concerts, parties, variety nights, bush dances, craft gatherings, yoga classes, art shows, landcare meetings, weddings and a variety of gigs. Albums have also been recorded in the hall because it has great acoustics such as the Button Collectives album, Make a Dead Man Sing which was recorded at the hall in 2019.
During the February 2022 big storm that devastatingly flooded Lismore, Whian Whian was cut off from the outside world with no way in or out except on foot. There was a huge landslip that covered a long section of Whian Whian Road and there was also some damage to the bridge which is the only public access in or out of Whian Whian. Power as well as internet and phone lines were out and locals experienced what it was like to be an isolated community.
The hall quickly became the hub of operations and with some strong community leadership and a wide array of skilled and resourced community members, as a community they stepped up and supported one another in a positive and practical way. Whian Whian Memorial Hall became the daily meeting place for everyone in the community, with a pot of food on the stove, a communal fridge and freezer and plans made for how they were going to get through this.
An amazing team of community members and their machines cleared the landslip and repaired the bridge, the Army helicoptered in food supplies and the children had a wonderful time riding their bikes around and exploring the creeks.
Festival of Small Halls rolls into Whian Whian on Saturday, 28 October 2023 with Monique Clare and Shane Pendergast.
Opening the show will be local act Mongrel!
From the wilds of Whian Whian come Mongrel, the folk friendly bitzer band of Luke Robinson (vocals and guitar), Rohan Langford (guitar) and Jimi Windmills (bass). They musical landscapes range across the rugged terrain of Australian political wilderness and contemporary life.
Vegetarian and meat curry with rice and naan will be available from 5.30pm, provided by Whian Whian School P & C and Whian Whian Hall committee, as a joint fundraiser. Desserts will be available at interval.
Bar service open from 5.30pm until close including beer, wine and champagne available from 5.30pm until close, provided by Whian Whian Hall.
Tickets are priced at:
Full Admission – $20
This show is sold out.
Doors Open 5.30pm
Show Starts 6.30pm
Whian Whian Memorial Hall has accessible entry (side entrance of the building with a ramp into the hall) and has accessible bathrooms (in a separate building to the hall, easily accessible ground level entrance to toilets). This show is supported by Lismore City Council.
Festival of Small Halls events take place in venues operating under an approved NSW 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.