Join in ... at Callington Memorial Hall

Some small-town halls don’t get used all that much, but Callington’s is a hive of activity.

The primary school uses it almost every weekday, since they don’t have a gym of their own; there’s taekwondo on Wednesday nights, Mainly Music on Monday mornings and a pantry club for locals in need once a fortnight; and it’s a regular meeting venue for miners, plumbers and community groups.

It has been owned and operated by the community since 1907, when it opened as a roller-skating rink, and was rebuilt in 1980.

But these days only a handful of volunteers are left to look after the place, managing bookings, tidying up after functions and getting any maintenence issues looked at.

One of the five is Judy Paech.

When did you first get involved with the Callington hall?

Not that long – maybe five years, six years ago. I guess it flowed on from the (Callington) Show. I knew the hall was struggling to find people to keep the committee going. I feel quite passionate about the hall.

What do you spend your time doing here?

We clean, do a bit of maintenence. We haven’t done a lot of fundraising in the last 18 months. It’s basically maintenence and keeping it up to a presentable condition for anybody who wants to use it … We need to pay our own rates, water and electricity. We’ve put solar on, we got a grant for that, and Hillgrove Resources sponsored us having air conditioning put in, so it’s more user-friendly in winter and summer. This year we upgraded the lighting to LEDs. We’re dreaming of upgrading the kitchen, (but) I’m not sure if we can afford it.

What do you get out of your involvement?

I don’t know that there is a payoff; i’m just passionate about the community. Lots of people say there’s nothing to do in the community, but if you don’t get out and support it and it’s crumbling, it’s no good sitting there complaining. You’re part of the community, you’re there to help make the community a better place. There’s no financial reward, that’s for sure! Just the satisfaction that you’ve made a difference in the world.

What is your fondest memory of the hall?

We had school concerts in here when the kids were at school. We had the CWA here at one stage. I taught handicraft, with three little kids under my feet.

What is your goal for the hall committee?

It’d be great to see some new faces … It’s not an arduous task (being on the committee). The hall is clean, so it’s not like you’ve got to spend all day cleaning it. It’s easy.

Why should people join the hall committee?

Why wouldn’t they? We’re just puttering along. We could do with some new ideas for different events we could have. Just to keep it alive, to get some enthusiasm. If we didn’t have a committee, we wouldn’t have a hall. It wouldn’t be there for the community to have their party or get-together, or a venue where they can meet.

• More information: Call Judy Paech on 0415 701 493 or Harry Seager on 0409 622 382.