Upper Lansdowne Memorial Hall

About

The Upper Lansdowne Memorial Hall is a weatherboard hall, with a corrugated iron roof, which was erected to honour those who served in the First World War. Planning for the new hall was underway by mid 1924, with a meeting held on 21 July electing a committee, to be chaired by Mr William McLaughlin, to oversee the acquiring of land and the design and construction of the building (The Northern Champion, 26 July 1924). The land was donated by Mr James Crittenden and the building was designed by Mr Walter Fennings, the school teacher, and Mr James Ritchie, a local builder. On 21 February 1925, Mr McLaughlin, Chairman of the Committee, presided over a ceremony attended by a large gathering for the laying of the foundation stone. The stone was laid by Mrs Mary Jane (Granny) Cicolini, whose three sons served in the Great War (The Northern Champion, 28 Feb 1925). The official opening of the hall took place on Wednesday 5 August 1925. Mr Roy S Vincent, MLA, dedicated the hall to the memory of those who enlisted in the First World War from the district. The well-attended event was opened by Mr McLaughlin, with speeches also made by Canon Ritchie, Mr Harry Hammond and Mr Fennings, as detailed in The Northern Champion, 8 August 1925. The event included afternoon picnic sports, refreshments and an evening concert (The Wingham Chronicle and Manning River Observer, 18 August 1925 and The Manning River Times and Advocate, 19 August 1925).  The hall contains honour rolls, which are listed separately on the NSW War Memorials Register as the: Upper Lansdowne First World War Honour Roll, Upper Lansdowne Second World War Honour Roll and Private Raymond Horace Cicolini Memorial Tablet. The local Primary School holds Anzac Day and Armistice Day ceremonies at the hall each year.

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