The Quandialla Soldiers Memorial Hall is a galvanised iron building, containing memorabilia and the Quandialla Rolls of Honour. It has a high gabled roof, made out of galvanised iron, a concrete verandah, an awning over the front entrance and large entrance doors.
The establishment of the hall was first proposed in 1945, but did not proceed at the time due to "the then existing building restrictions." It was not until 1952 that planning and fundraising began. A well-attended meeting was held around July 1952 to revisit the original proposal and it was decided to commence the project as "funds and opportunities permitted" (The Forbes Advocate, 15 July 1952).
By February 1953, the Memorial Hall Committee was struggling to raise money and interest in the cause. There was even a motion to place the fund in liquidation. A special meeting of the Progress Association was held around May and it was successful in reactivating the project (The Forbes Advocate, 6 February 1953; 22 May 1953).
In June and July, further meetings were organised to decide on a site for the hall. Two ballots were undertaken to allow locals to vote and a roundtable conference was also held (The Forbes Advocate, 24 July 1953).
The following March, the Quandialla District War Memorial was unveiled. An article about the unveiling in The Forbes Advocate on 26 March mentioned it was intended for the hall to be built alongside the memorial, however it appears no physical work had commenced at that stage.
By April 1954 sufficient funds were finally collected from residents of Quandialla and the district to enable the building to start on the new hall. Work commenced with a community working bee held on 9 June 1954 to clear and level the site (The Forbes Advocate, 9 April 1954; 11 June 1954). Later that year, The Forbes Advocate, 3 December 1954, reported that the Quandialla District Progress Association had raised £6,000 for the hall and printed a list of cash donors.
The NSW Government Gazette, 25 February 1955, reported that an application for provisional approval of plans had been received from the Quandialla Memorial Hall committee for a proposed picture theatre with seating for 530 people. The plans were approved on 7 April 1955 and six months later the NSW Government Gazette, 28 October 1955, reported that provisions under the Theatre Act had been granted for the Memorial Hall on 28 September 1955. However, to this date it has not been determined when the hall was officially opened.
Do you know when the hall was built or officially opened? Learn how you can contribute to the NSW War Memorials Register.