A county blessed with community spirit

Press, 20 February 1980, Page 15

A county blessed with community spirit

The geographical as well as the administrative centre of Malvern County, the township of Darfield is well-situated to meet the demands of the area’s residents. There is more to Darfield, however, than just a service town. Its wide streets and peaceful rural atmosphere belie the fact that there is more going on in Darfield than in most towns twice the size. Community involvement is the rule rather than the exception all over Malvern County. The results of it can be seen in new buildings as diverse as sports pavilions and churches; in tree planting schemes to beautify town and roadside landscapes; in the construction and maintenance of picnic areas; and in the large numbers of sporting, cultural and social engagements which take place every week in the county.

The recent compeltion of the new Darfield community church is testimony to the spirit of cooperation which makes Darfield such a pleasant place to live.

Three old churches all needed extensive renovations to bring them up to standard and nine years ago a plan was formulated to replace them with one inter-denominational church. The Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist congregations collaborated on the project and al-

though the new church was not built without problems, the community rallied to the cause. Huge fund-raising efforts kept the people busy for years, and many residents gave their time and .expertise during all • stages of the church’s construction.

Now, complete except for carpet, the church stands as a fitting monument to the dedication of the town’s people. • Alongside' the churchbuilding project the people of Darfield have been engaged on an even more ambitious scheme. The -Id Darfield Community Hall no longer provided the. facilities needed by the township. Extensive upgrading would be necessary to keep it functional and rather than spending a large amount on renovations, the County Council decided to build a new multi-purpose Recreational and Social Centre in the Darfield Domain.

Planning of the new centre has taken ten years. Many objections to the project have been heard and overcome, particularly from- residents outside Darfield who disagreed with county-wide rating to raise money for the building. The centre will however, be solely for the use of Darfield people. It is hoped that the facilities included in it will bring together everyone in the

county, and in size the building is certainly able to cope with large numbers. The total cost of the centre is $462,000 — a huge amount for a rural community to find. Most of the money will come from the County Council’s rating account and a $60,000 grant from the Lottery Board has been a great help, but the efforts of the community itself have: raised more than $lOO,OOO already, with a further $15,000 expected . to be raised at the Mardi Gras on Saturday.

Honest hard work, enthusiasm and civic pride account for the success of the Malvern fund-raising ventures and the people of the district have good reason to be proud of their achievements. Designed by the Christchurch architects Cutter, Pickmere and Douglas, the Malvern Recreation and Social Centre includes a large hall, supper room, smaller meeting rooms, shower and toilet facilities for the -sports teams which use the Darfield Domain, and a squash court complex.