A branch of the Independent Order of Good Templars was formed at Walcha in mid-1884 and by November 1888 had constructed the building shown in the photo; it was built in the form of a cross.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Templars advocated total abstinence from alcohol and the building became known as the Temperance Hall.
The Templars met fortnightly with most meetings comprising a temperance lecture and the singing of hymns before ending with a cup of tea and a light snack.
The Manchester Unity Independent Order of Oddfellows formed a lodge at Walcha on September 2, 1884, and conducted their regular meetings in the School of Arts Hall in Fitzroy Street until it was destroyed by fire in November 1914, after which they met in the Temperance Hall.
In 1929, after 45 years of lacking premises of their own, the Oddfellows purchased the hall, which then became known as the Oddfellows Hall.
The late Frank Brazel, who first visited the hall as a youngster in 1931, described its main features saying: “The dance floor took up most of the main portion of the building and beyond that there was a stage with a dressing room on either side.
It was a bit chilly at dances in the colder months...
- Frank Brazel
“Floor-to-ceiling timber shutters separated the stage from the dressing rooms.
“The supper room was at the rear of the building and this was where regular meetings were held, as were other functions. The Walcha Buffalo Lodge, which was formed in Walcha in 1946, also held their fortnightly meetings in the supper room.
“It was a bit chilly at dances in the colder months with the only heating for the hall area being provided by two open fires, one in each of the dressing rooms. There was also a third fireplace in the supper room over which hung a couple of four-gallon kerosene tins full of water that could be brought to the boil for tea and coffee.
“Patronage began to fall off during the late 1950s and early 1960s as other opportunities for entertainment became available and, in 1966, the hall was sold to Mr and Mrs Bert Watts who made a few alterations and converted it into a corner store.”
The building, now trading as the West End Store, changed hands a few more times before being bought by Warren and Cathy Brazel in the 1980s. They converted the supper room into a residence and introduced a take-away food service. The store has changed hands several more times since then.
