Member of the Tilba halls project steering committee Stuart Absalom (SHASA) with project manager/architect Stephanie Chiu (SHASA), and steering committee members Janine Halasz (CTSOAT), Sally Pryor (CTSOAT) and Tony Lowe (SHASA) at the rear of the halls. Photo: Marion Williams.
The complex and well overdue refurbishment of Central Tilba’s two community halls needs $65,000 to be completed.
As heritage buildings, the extent of disrepair only became apparent when construction got underway in earnest in January.
Janine Halasz, president of the Central Tilba School of Arts Trust (CTSOAT), said the complexity lay in upgrading the timber buildings to current standards for public buildings while preserving their historical nature.
Finding the necessary consultants who were confident and competent to take on that process was a huge challenge and took a long time.
“It is easier to start from scratch than renovate an old building,” Ms Halasz sad. “Because they are heritage, once you go into them, it is a can of worms.”
The upgrade project received $1.048 million from the Federal and NSW governments’ Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund (BLERF) in June 2021.
“Like a lot of other BLERF projects on the coast we realised we didn’t have sufficient funding to complete what was originally approved,” Ms Halasz said. CTSOAT subsequently received a further $2 million from the BLERF.
Some members of the Tilba halls project steering committee including Sally Pryor (CTSOAT), Janine Halasz (CTSOAT), Tony Lowe (SHASA) and Stuart Absalom (SHASA) with project manager/architect Stephanie Chiu (SHASA). Photo: Marion Williams.
The main issues that first cropped up were in the 130-year-old small hall. When they started removing panels to put in fire retardant materials, they discovered the hall was sitting on bare earth because the foundations had rotted away. That necessitated far more work than originally expected.
In early August it was determined that the 110-year-old big hall’s street-facing wall was in a similar state of disrepair and a further $65,000 was needed to do the foundation, framing and replacement of parts that could not be reused.
Ms Halasz said going back to the BLERF for another grant was not possible because all the money in the fund had been allocated, the Federal Government had stepped back from the process and the BLERF disbanded. The NSW Government is doing the mountain of paperwork to account for how the money was spent.
She said the project would not have happened without the involvement of project partner Southcoast Health and Sustainability Alliance (SHASA) which had been the driving force. “Narooma’s Hahn Gunthorpe of Hahn Premium Constructions and his site manager Tim have been amazing in their workmanship and dedication to the build,” she said.
CTSOAT have launched a GoFundMe appeal. It has already raised $15,000, almost 25 per cent of their goal.
“That is a good start, thanks to people in the area and friends and family of the community,” Ms Halasz said.
Fundraising events with food and music are also planned so that people can come along and have fun while donating to the cause.
“Lots of locals have put up their hands to help with the fundraising which is relieving the steering committee of some of the work,” Ms Halasz said.
It will be done in a way that does not compete with existing fundraising efforts of other Tilba community groups.
A builder and some committee members on-site at the Central Tilba halls. Photo: Supplied.
They have also had to make a few compromises on fitting out the new commercial kitchen and the downstairs “original library reading room” to be available for meetings.
“We can work on those once we are open and getting money from hiring out the halls,” Ms Halasz said. “The committee hasn’t had any income for 16 months.”
Ms Halasz hopes their insurance bill will be considerably lower now that the walls, doors and windows are fire retardant and there is a fire booster pump for the new sprinkler system.
Construction should be completed in December so that the halls can reopen in January 2026.
The halls will be a multipurpose venue, seating up to 100 people. The big hall has great acoustics and the small hall’s stage is ideal for theatre productions and music. The commercial kitchen, designated meeting room and storage area are expected to bring new groups to hire the hall.
There is a lift to the lower floor meeting room and bathroom facilities to meet today’s accessibility standards, plus solar panels, batteries and an emergency power generator. The halls will provide residents of the National Trust villages of Central Tilba and Tilba Tilba with a heatwave and bushfire smoke haven.
“Repair, rebuild and upgrade – we couldn’t do more to get these halls back up to standard after 120 years,” Ms Halasz said. “We are trying to do the job as well as possible so we can function for another 120 years.”
