STORIES, photographs, memorabilia or simple anecdotes relating to Morisset Memorial Hall are being sought from locals as part of a heritage assessment of the building.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The assessment will culminate in the first formal report on the hall's history and cultural significance.
Plenty is already known about the hall thanks to local amateur historian Beryl Mullard and her book Iron Horse and Iron Bark.
But the council hopes that commissioning a specialist heritage architect to assess the building, and having locals lend their hall stories and memorabilia to the research, will create a definitive picture.
Importantly, it will also inform the council's design of the proposed Morisset town centre.
"The heritage study will document the past and current social significance of the existing hall and provide options for future development of the building, including its relationship with any new community facility," the council's cultural services manager Narelle Roberts said.
The council's original concept plan for the town centre made no provision for retaining the hall.
That sparked a backlash from hall supporters, and its owners the Morisset Memorial Hall and Literary Institute Incorporated, who made it clear they would not budge.
That stance upset other locals, however, who saw the ageing building as a roadblock to getting much-needed (albeit unfunded) new facilities in the town.
It seemed Morisset could not have one without losing the other.
But it is now clear that one possible outcome is the hall would be retained, and the council's concept plan for the town centre would be modified to accommodate the old building.
The council has formed a project group, including members of the hall committee, to oversee the heritage assessment.
Architects Brian Carberry and Lillian Cullen of CoAssociates, in Charlestown, have been commissioned to lead the research that would also consider the structural integrity of the building.
What's your story?
HERITAGE architect Brian Carberry said public submissions were needed for the heritage assessment of the hall.
‘‘I’m interested in anything to do with the history of this place, and the social interactions that people have had with it,’’ Mr Carberry said.
Oral submissions are welcome, but written submissions preferred. ‘‘And we’d like to see original documentation whenever we can,’’ he said.
People with photos, news clippings, or memorabilia relating to the hall are urged to provide originals, which would be photographed for the assessment.
Make a submission
■ Post to: The Secretary, Morisset Memorial Hall Inc, PO Box 269, Morisset 2264;
■ Email Sarah Cook, Project Officer, LMCC, scook@lakemac.nsw.gov.au;
■ Download a submission form at morissethall.org.au;
■ Drop off a submission at Morisset or Speers Point library, or at Morisset Memorial Hall; or
■ Click on the ‘‘Have your say’’ button at lakemac.nsw.gov.au
Deadline for submissions is Monday, August 17.
Did you know?
IN her book Iron Horse and Iron Bark: History of Morisset and District Beryl Mullard notes that Morisset Memorial Hall was:
■ built on Crown land and officially opened on Armistice Day, November 11, 1927;
■ built to commemorate the fallen in World War I;
■ the venue for farewells to departing servicemen from Morisset in World War II;
■ used for Anzac Day activities, wedding receptions, balls, parties, card nights, flower shows, school presentations and musicals, movie screenings and roller skating.
