NEW PUNGAREHU HALL

Taranaki Daily News, 24 July 1930, Page 16

NEW PUNGAREHU HALL

OFFICIAL OPENING BALL ? PROGRESS OF THE DISTRICT. FINE BUILDING PROVIDED. ' What can be accomplished by the residents of a district in which the community spirit is predominant was illustrated at Pungarehu last night,- when as the culmination of 18 months’ enthusiastic work the new hall, a structure that ftny district in New Zealand would be proud to own, was officially opened. As the chairman of the hall committee (Mr. |W. Corbett) put it in his opening remarks, “the people of this district made 'fap their minds they were going to get d new hall, and they got it.”. To have raised between £9OO and [£looo in about 18 months is certainly ft fine feat, and judging by . the crowd Jhat assembled last night for the opening ball, it should not be long before fthe hall is free of debt. The committee had determined to make the opening ball something long to be remembered, ftnd they succeeded. ".The new. hall, commodious as it is, proved too small to accommodate the huge crowd that assembled, and on . all ’jjides were heard expressions of admiration at "the size of the new hall and the Splendour of its appointments. Its fit'-.ined Oregon-lined walls and ceiling ivould in themselves have made a setting 1 fitting for any function, but the Committee was determined to do even better. The ceiling, lightly festooned .With varied coloured streamers, which Also were pendant from the lamp shades, gave the necessary carnival touch, whilst here and there on the walls were hung feirrors that reflected . charmingly the beautiful dresses of the ladies as they glided gracefully on tlie dance floor to the strains of Renton’s Dance Band, Jvhich had to respond to numerous encores. ' ••V The stage, artistically decorated with jfhnu and bamboo and encircled with festoons of vari-coloured electric lights, And with “Welcome” picked out in >hite, 'was set 'out as a drawing-room, from which the chaperones obtained an Uninterrupted view. So large • was .the£rowd that at times circrunnavigation £vas difficult. Proceedings opened with a grand inarch, which was led by Mr. W. Corbett 'And Mrs. Corbett and Mr. R. B. Fleming and Miss Fleming. Later Mr. W. Qorbett, after reading an apology from Jilr. C. A. Wilkinson, M.P., who wished committee success, expressed his pleasure at seeing such a large crowd ■present, and also some of those who svere associated with the erection of the bld hall. No doubt nt the time they built it it was thought that the hall I would suit the requirements of the district for all time, but such had been the progress of the district that, the residents had come to the conclusion that [ft' had outlived its usefulness. Accordingly about 18 months ago a public imeeting had been held with the object ' ipf taking steps to raise funds to enlarge jthe- old hall, but it had been decided to jefect a new hall. ;• The committee had set to work with a IJivill to raise subscriptions and hold enter'ainments, and such was the success that they soon raised £BOO. Mr. P. JBrojlhy had then offered to lend them jthe balance of the money on such favourable terms that their financial difficulties were overcome, and for that they jthanked Mr. Brophy and expressed regret that owing to family reasons he was unable to be present. As a result, the committee had approached ? Tesars. Messenger, Griffiths and Taylor to prepare the plans, and he thought the hall ftpoke volumes for their work, as it Also .did for that of Mr. S. G. Smith, Jthe contractor, whose tender at £l5OO fiad been accepted, and who with his ptaff had done splendid work. The committee was also deeply indebted to Mr. O. Penwarden for undertaking the work jof overseer at a small remuneration. He jcould not, he said, speak too highly of jthe work'of the ladies, who, at all functions, whether held in Pungarehu, Rajhotu or Okato, had attended to the catering free of cost td’the committee. However, he hoped that later the committee would be able to show its appreciation by entertaining the ladies. (Hear, hear.) He was proud, he said, to have been a member of a committee that had done Buch groat work during the last 18 (months in raising between £9OO and | £lOOO. He extend ' a hearty welcome to all present, expressing the hope that that evening’s entertainment would only be the forerunner of many more equally (successful. Mr. Fleming remarked that the hall '.Was a credit to the people and the district. As one who had been associated jvith the' district for 50 years and had jvatched the people coming and going, he jpould say that those who had settled in jthe A.distr let during the past 15 or 20 taken their full share in the progress of the district. Mrs. E. Doherty •who was the local schoolmistress, and a Very r|iergetic. lady, too, was the first .chair lady. Others who took a prominent part were Messrs. S. Pelham, W. Harvey, T. Hickman and the late Mr. J". Mcßeynolds. In the old hall they had entertained some distinguished visitors, including Sir Thomas Mackenzie, Sir Joseph Ward and Mr. E. M. Smith. He was proud, I he said, of what he might term the &econd generation of eettlera. In their new hall they had certainly struck a new note,, and he congratulated them on having the finest country hall between Wellington and New ■ Plymouth. Amidst applause, Miss Fleming cut the ribbon across the stage and her father declared the hall open. Mr. E. H. Gray said the chairman had been very modest regarding his share of tho work, but the committee realised that he had done the lion’s share, and as a mark of appreciation they asked his acceptance of a goldpiounted inscribed fountain pen. Mr. W. Corbett, who was enthusiastically greeted, said he had only done his duty. He realised that a hall was Required and that some one must take the lead. 'On behalf of the Rahotu Hall Committee, Mr. W. H. Butler congratulated the Pungarehu committee on its enterprise.

Dancing was then resumed and kept up till the early houte, save for a pleasure! interlude during which Mr. Renton rendered a xylophone solo, having te respond to an encore. Messrs, H. Qilliooley, g. Goodwin, W. Lawrence, R. B. Fleming and G. Gray, as masters of ceremonies, kept matters moving whilst sxtras were played by Misses A. Dug-

gan, L. Gilhooley, Messrs. Blanchett and Renton.

In keeping with the main hall, the supper room was tastefully decorated, the tables looking a picture with their vases of flowers. Those responsible for the artistic scheme were Mr. B. A. Layard, Mrs. S. L, Goodin and Misses I. Gray and I. Corbett. DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING. MODERN AND COMPLETE DESIGN. Erected on a commanding position in the centre of the township on the Main South Road, the new hall, with its air of dignified prosperity, cannot but fail to impress on even the most casual tourist that in Pungarehu he passing through a solid and progressive district. Indeed, to the traveller familiar with the district it seems hard to realise that in the space of ten weeks such a transformation could have taken place. Instead of the old hall that has done duty for the past 33 years and that had loner since outgrown the needs of the district and for the past year or two had unmistakably shown that, there is now an imposing structure of which, a very much larger district would be proud. Certainly in Taranaki, there is no country hall to equal it. Built on modern bungalow style with everything under one roof, it is a very commodious and complete structure, as the floor space of 66ft. by 66ft. shows. The gable fronts the 'road 1 and is of neat and pleasing design, being lofty with a I2ft. 6in. stud at the walls, rising to 24ft. The front is.of weatherboard, with shingle under .the over-, hanging eaves, and the cantilevers picked out in white, giving a neat finish. There is in front a lofty porch' for .use as a picture box, whilst on either side are two large double sash mullion windows with shingled hoods. On either side again are large double. windows, so that the wide' frontage is not only pleasingly broken but there is ample. light. The sides and back of the building are covered with inch corrugated iron which is not only weatherproof but- presents a neat appearance,.relieved as it is .by mullion and double windows in keeping with the front. .. FACILITIES OF HALL. On the left-hand corner ia the commodious .and well-filled box office, the slide- of which one has to pass in reaching thernain entrance, which is at the side of the hall. Here a porch lead/? to wide double doors, which' give access to a 14ft. lobby, at the further end of which massive swinging doors give entrance to the -main hall. On the righthand side of the lobby is the men’s dressing room', 24ft. long by 15ft. wide, well equipped. On the left is a canteen 9ft. by Bft. filled with plenty of shelving, and a broad passage then leads into the ladies’ dressing room, 25ft. lomr by 15ft. wide. Opening the swinging” doors (though each dressing room also edves direct access) one enters the main” hall, and if the outside creates an air of solid prosperity certainly the interior not only amplifies it but adds a distinctive air of completeness, comfort and convenience. The hall itself provides a- dancing floor space of 51ft. by 35ft., and in addition there is a raised stage of 14ft. by 50ft, With 16ft. Gin. stud there is no lack of height, and that is also by the cone ceiling. An unusual feature with a new hall, It is lined throughout with 4in. T. and G. Oregon pine. This hag been placed upright and dark stained to dado height, the remainder of the walls and the cone ceiling being lined horizontally in lighter shade Oregon, the ceiling being panelled with rimu battens. Special attention has been given to the floor, which is laid down in threeinch' matai that has been given a smoothing finish in an electrical sander, and has also been secret nailed, making a perfect dance floor. A cloisely fitting bevelled skirting board not only gives a neat finish but largely eliminates dust. The stage, at the correct height, has a proscenium of 20ft. by 12ft. 6in. high, giving a full view from all parts of the hall. It, too, is neatly lined in keeping with the rest of the hall, whilst well-finished steps with handrails lead from the hall, and also from the dressing rooms to the stage. Special attention hae aleo been devoted to the ventilation, ventilators in the ceiling and the walls permitting a through current of air, whilst in the warmer weather the large mullion windows in the front and the casement' hung eashes over the stage will also .contribute their quota to ensure coolness.

THE SUPPER ROOM, Running the full length of the hall and Isft. wide is the supper room and well-equipped kitchen. The supper room, 50ft. long, is fitted with tables to comfortably accommodate 70 couples at a sitting, whilst the kitchen, 15ft. by 15 ft,, is equipped with two modern pumice coppers, tho necessary bench, shelving and sink accommodation not only te>° adequately cater for that seventy couples, but also to prepare for the next sitting with the minimum of delay. It is so fitted that the ladies in charge can. keep in close • touch with the . supper arrangements throughout. There is plenty of light through mullion sashes, in keeping with the rest of the building. All windows are glazed with white artec obscured glass in the lower sashes and plain glass in the upper. Two solid rimu doors enable the supper room to be worked in such a manner that even with the largest crowd there is no congestion. The hall la well lighted throughout with electricity installed by Messrs. J. B. Mac Ewan and Co., the same, thoroughness being shown here as in all other directions,, whilst the sanitary arrangements are also modern and complete. Built on a solid concrete foundation, the hall should stand as a monument for many a long day, not only to the progressive spirit shown by the committee, but also to the faithful work of the contractor, Mr. S. R. Smith, Vogeltown, and his sub-contrac-tors, Messrs. Tingey inid Co. (painting) and Casey (plumbing), as well as te>° the skill of tho designers, Messrs. Messenger, Griffiths and Taylor, architects. Mr. Owen Penwarden was the supervisor. There is ample seating accommodation, a contract for 36 backed seats having been let to Mr, W. Baird, New Plymouth, whilst the tables and forms for the supper room provide but another instance of the spirit of selfhelp that has permeated the campaign for tho new hall fund, being tho outcome of working bees by the energetic committee.