Calarie Hall was home to a lot of good memories for a lot of locals, now the many hours of hard work to restore it for current and future generations can enjoy the good times there too has been celebrated.
The team of volunteers who manage the local recreation reserve has won the the prestigious NSW Government Crown Land Management Excellence Award at the 2024 Community Achievement Awards of New South Wales and the ACT.
With hundreds of nominations, the team of local volunteers who have re-developed the Calarie Hall into a thriving community centre won the Award from a strong field of community contributors.
The winners were announced at a gala presentation dinner at Sydney Masonic Centre on Friday evening, with 200 guests gathered from across the State and The Hon Stephen Kamper MP, Minister for Minister for Lands and Property.
Calarie Hall Recreation Reserve chairperson Bill Holmes said the committee had no expectations of winning, with other shortlisted nominees doing amazing works in their own communities - some with significant grant funding and big projects.
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"We were over the moon when we made the shortlist to the semi-finalists, and then we were ecstatic when we heard we made it to the top four as the finalists," he said.
"We had no expectations of winning."
Yet this group was certainly worthy: they've not only saved their hall but they've got it thriving.
"It was the community spirit and community involvement of all of us having some sort of childhood memory of being there and remembering our parents and how much work they put into it back in their day," Mr Holmes said.
"It's always been the Calarie Hall area, as long as anybody can remember."
Now it's a thriving venue for the local community but also the region.
Mr Holmes remembers his Nan and Pop moving the hall there from Daroobalgie, celebrating his own 21st there. His aunties were married at the site.
It was lost, but about 2009 - 2010 a group of passionate locals began the process of getting the hall back and classified as Crown Land Reserve once again.
"It was hard when we first took over, it was only a small committee," Mr Holmes said.
He and his wife Brooke, Ange Male, Linda Merritt, Allan Pritchard, Timmy Bray, Cassie Merritt, Ann Nicholson and Michael Fischer were among those who rallied in those early days to save the hall.
It was hard work and personal investment, but the community began to rally.
"It bonded the community back really because everyone was together, pitching in and doing stuff," Mr Holmes said.
"They could see what we were doing and wanted to be involved - that's pretty much how we got to where we are now."
Today, the committee is growing and Calarie Hall is once again a venue for weddings, birthdays, family reunions - not only for Calarie locals but for the region.
It also proved its value as an evacuation centre when this time two years ago, it became home to people driven from their homes by the biggest flood Forbes had seen in decades.
The century-old building on the property has been completely reconstructed, now with heating and cooling as well as an outdoor covered deck area added and a brand new kitchen.
Then there's the camp kitchen and all new amenities on site, with the sprawling grounds welcoming for camping and outdoor events, not only for fun for those bound for the likes of the Elvis Festival but in times of need.
The award is well-deserved recognition of all this community-minded crew - and they've still got more planned.
If you haven't been there, you might like to join them for Christmas bingo on December 8, or following Calarie Hall Recreational Reserve on Facebook because they've got Nathan 'Whippy' Griggs coming back to the region in 2025 for another great night.
Reach out through the page to find out about events and bookings.
The Hon Stephen Kamper said it was a stellar achievement to be nominated, let alone crowned a winner.
“For the Crown land management awards winners and finalists, all have shown they are astute managers who are passionate about caring for public land for the benefit of their communities – whether it is upgrading facilities, preserving heritage, or making reserves more inclusive and accessible for all," he said.
