Niangala Memorial Hall

About

The Niangala Memorial Hall is a typically designed rural community hall, with a high gabled roofline. The original timber has been replaced by cladding. The hall has a galvanised iron roof and a brick entranceway. The inscription is attached to the brickwork with metal letters. While it was dedicated in 1928 to those who served in the First World War, the inscription refers only to the Second World War using the shortened dates '39' and '45'.  History In 1920, trustees were appointed for land reserved for a mechanic's institute. In 1922, plans for building the institute and memorial hall were approved by the Lands Department. It was not until four years later that the Niangala Hall Committee opened an account at the Australian Stock Bank in Walcha and set about raising funds.  Ken Mychael was the person who felt there was a need for a hall with a roll of honour for First World War servicemen. Ellis Wall led the construction, using sawn timber from Mychael's mill. Jack Wall hauled the timber and a number of local men worked with Ellis. The hall was completed in 1928, including a main floor area and two small rooms on either side of the entrance. A grand opening was held, with a rodeo sports day and a ball at night. In 1929, a stage was added and in the late 1930s an extension for a kitchen and supper room was completed. Electricity was installed in the 1950s.  On 16 January 1959, the Minister for Education Robert James Heffron announced the appointment of trustees in the NSW Government Gazette, identifying the hall as the Niangala Memorial Hall and Mechanics' Institute.  Source: Three of a Kind: A History of Niangala, Weabonga and Ingleba, researched and compiled by the Niangala and District Historical Society Book Committee and edited by Alison Moore (Macarthur Press, 1991).