Menangle School of Arts hall, the heart of a village, under redevelopment

In 2022 the Wollondilly Shire Local Planning Panel approved the demolition and reconstruction of the Menangle Community Hall.

The Menangle Community Association originally lodged the Development Application with Wollondilly Shire Council in July 2021.

The Menangle Community Association originally is managing the Menangle School of Arts project.

In 2023 there is a vacant lot in central Menangle with a security fence. The reconstructed hall is proposed to open in 2024.

On the security fence is an information sign with the hall’s history, what is happening, funding and building timeline.

What is happening

The information signage on the site security fence states:

The existing hall is unusable due to significant structural damage and will be deconstructed and materials reused where possible within the new building.

The hall will comfortably accommodate 132-150 guests, incorporating 242m² of fully enclosed area including  a stage and storage area, spacious hall, kitchenette, box office and entry foyer.

As well as 63m² of unenclosed covered areas: verandas, covered entry way, courtyard and ramp.

The hall will be fully accessible with suitable access ramps and accessible toilets.

The hall will also be fit out to ensure it is acoustically sound inside and out.

The hall will respect to the existing hall while ensuring it will be fit for purpose into the future.

The Menangle Community Hall project will construct a new state-of-the-art modern building.

Source: Signage, 4 Station Street, Menangle. 2023

The Australian, New South Wales government, South32, and South32 Community Partnership Program fund the hall.

The key milestones in the construction are listed as

1. January 2023 -Deconstruction and preservation of materials and elements
2. Feb 2023 – Foundations and construction
3. Mid 2024 – Opening

The history of the hall

The information signage on the site security fence states:

The Menangle School of Arts hall was constructed c1890 by the Macarthur Onslow family for the use by the local village.

The building was used for funding raising for the Menangle Roman Catholic Church and the Australian Land Army used the hall during World War 11.

The hall was also used for functions, dances, plays and musicals.

It had many modifications over the years including in 1908, 1960 and a major refurbishment in 1984 that saw the flooring, roof, kitchens and bathrooms replaced.

In 1984 the hall was transferred to Wollondilly Council control who commissioned a number of reports in the late 2000s into its structural integrity.

The hall was later closed due to safety concerns.

In 2010, after petitioning the Council, the hall was transferred to the Menangle Community Association to rebuild the hall.

More history on the Menangle School of Arts can be found at Menangle.com.au

Source: Signage, 4 Station Street, Menangle. 2023

Wartime Red Cross fundraisers

Red Cross wartime fundraisers were held in the School of Arts hall during the First World War.

One notable 1917 Red Cross fundraiser was the ‘The Gilbulla Gad-Abouts’ concert. Described in the Camden press as ‘highly successful’ to ‘large audience’ present, which used ‘every inch of seating space’.  (Camden News, 7 June 1917)

In 1917 18-year-old Helen Macarthur Onslow, daughter of Enid Macarthur Onslow, held a Red Cross fundraising concert to smooth over local controversies following the 1916 conscription campaign.

According to historian Ian Willis:

The show attracted a huge crowd of over 400 who ‘travelled long distances’ from all over the district. While the night raised a modest £30, it was a much-needed boost for Red Cross morale. The show included several distinguished performers, including Lady Doris Blackwood, aged 22 years and the niece of Lady Helen Munro Ferguson, the founder of the Australian Red Cross. Doris Blackwood was Lady Helen’s companion when she came out to Australia in 1914 with her husband, Sir Ronald Munro Ferguson, who took up the post of Governor-General. Helen Macarthur Onslow and Doris Blackwood had formed a friendship on one of Helen’s regular trips to the Camden area. Other members of the concert party included Enid’s other daughter Elizabeth, aged 14 years, and Ethelwyn Downes, aged 25 years, the only daughter of FWA Downes MLA, politician and Camden conservative, from Brownlow Hill at Cobbitty, who had campaigned for the ‘Yes’ vote in the 1916 conscription referendum. The concert was topped off when a necklace, donated by Helen Macarthur Onslow, was won by Mrs McDonald, the wife of Sergeant McDonald, from the Menangle Light Horse Camp.

Source: Ian Willis, Ministering Angels, The Camden District Red Cross 1914-1945 CHS, Camden, 2014, pp.45-46.

Another concert was held in August 1917 for the Red Triangle and Frances Day patriotic appeals, which raised £50. Press reports stated it was standing room only at the ‘highly successful’ show. There were instrumental and vocal solos, recitations, a children’s choir, and tableaux. During intermission, donated vegetables, cakes and ‘fancy work’ were auctioned off by Campbelltown Mayor Moore. At the end of the proceedings, a number of raffles and guessing competitions were drawn. (Camden News, 16 August 1917)

Renovations in 2013