Aug2014_DAYBORO DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
Est. 2004
DAYBORO HERITAGE TRAIL:
Marker 16 Dayboro Public Hall:
The new Orange Hall was opened in 1908 becoming the social centre for the area with balls, meetings and other activities being held there on a regular basis.
In 1936 the hall was bought for £200 (around $400) by a committee of local residents. It was renovated and extended, and officially opened on 12th November 1937 as the Dayboro Public Hall and School of Arts.
Hall management was taken over by the Pine Rivers Shire Council during the 1980s, becoming thereafter the Dayboro Community Hall.
The first Orange Hall was built by the No. 8 Killyman True Blue Orange Lodge in the 1870s on property owned by Hugh Alexander Strain near the corner of Laceys Creek and Mt. Pleasant Roads. As mentioned in our June article, Hugh Strain obtained a Wine Seller’s licence on 4th February 1899 and it was in this building that he operated his wine saloon or “store”.
By 1908 the old Orange Hall had outlived its usefulness and a new Orange Hall was built in the township on land owned by Thomas Strain, a cousin of Hugh Alexander Strain.
The Brisbane Courier of 12 January 1909 reported:
Orange Hall at Terror’s Creek
The opening of the new Orange Hall at Terror’s Creek with a concert and dance on December 31 was one of the most successful social events ever held in the district (writes a correspondent). The large hall, which had been built to cope with the future expansion of this growing district, was taxed to its utmost to contain the large audience which assembled from this and surrounding districts and the numerous visitors from a distance. The concert programme, which was large and varied, proved highly enjoyable. Refreshments were served, and a dance was subsequently held, continuing until daylight.
They really knew how to celebrate back in the “old days”.
In June 1936 members of the Dayboro Chamber of Commerce and Progress Association began negotiations with the Grand Executive of the Loyal Orange Lodge of Queensland for the purchase of the Orange Hall although no finality was reached at that time. The fact that the Excelsior Hall was destroyed by fire on 21st September 1936 may have spurred the “committee of local residents” on a little and negotiations were finalised with the Loyal Orange Lodge for the purchase of the hall. It was then decided to enlarge the hall to almost twice its original size.
The Courier Mail of 6 November reported:
A crow’s ash dance floor, an insulated auditorium, and indirect lighting are some of the features of Dayboro’s new public hall, which incorporates the Orange Hall, and is being erected by Messrs. W.D. Caulfield and P.A. de Hayr. One blackbutt log, 14ft. long and with a girth of 185 in., felled by Mr. J.M. Hewitt at Ocean View, supplied the whole of the weatherboards necessary for the addition.
The alterations and additions cost £950 ($1900). As many readers will be aware, the Dayboro Community Hall, as it is now known, is on two levels divided by a few steps. The lower level was the Orange Hall and the upper level out to footpath level was the 1937 addition.
AUGUST IS NATIONAL FAMILY HISTORY MONTH:
As part of National History Month events, our Society is holding an open day on Friday 29th August at “Dayboro Cottage” commencing at 9.30am with morning tea. There is a small charge of $5.00 per person, RSVP is Monday 25th August (contact details are at the end of this article). As it will be 100 years on 4th August since the outbreak of World War One, the main topic will be service personnel in families. and how to research them. Red Cross, Comforts Funds and other fundraising will also be discussed however discussion will not be restricted to just World War One. We will still be holding the 75s and Over day at the Dayboro Memorial Showgrounds on Sunday 21st September.
DAYBORO SHOW:
The Dayboro Show held on 5th and 6th July was very successful, with a large number of people viewing our display in the Pavilion. Next year will be the 60th Dayboro Show – the Diamond Jubilee – and we look forward to working with the Show Society in making this an event to remember.
Carmel Bond, President – Ph: 3425 1717 (h)
or 3425 2032 (Dayboro Cottage)
