MANILLAThe decision to set up a School of Arts in Manilla was taken at a public meeting in 1880 and a Provisional Committee, chaired by D. E. Veness, was set up to monitor its establishment. The executive of the Committee was something of a family affair with John Veness as Secretary and Stephen Veness as Treasurer. Other members included D. Hartley, F. Mackenzie, W. Hill, A. Matheson and E. Done. In June 1882, the committee was informed that the Government had allocated half an acre of land in Manilla Street as a site for the proposed School of Arts. In the following year, it made available a building grant of £100 on the proviso that the Committee matched it on a two-to-one basis. The Government's offer was accepted and when the committee had raised the necessary money, a tender was accepted from John McFaydon for the construction of a suitable building. It was officially opened on 15 December 1885 by the Mayor of Tamworth, Alderman W. F. Tribe. The building soon proved to be too small and in 1898, moves began to replace it with a larger building. When the Government was approached for financial assistance, it responded by agreeing to contribute provided that the name of the organisation was changed from "School of Arts" to "Mechanics' Institute". This was done and the new building, which cost £1,000, was duly opened on 28 September 1900. After the opening ceremony, a dinner was held at the nearby Royal Hotel. Its licensee, G. M. Olpihant, had been heavily involved in raising the necessary money for the new Mechanics' Institute building. At the same time, there was a concentrated effort to raise funds for a separate hall to be constructed beside the new building. The Trustees were given permission to raise a loan on £300 and work began on the hall which was also completed and opened in 1900, at a cost of £530.
Thirteen years later, in 1913, the Mechanics' Institute building was destroyed by fire. It was replaced by a brick building which was opened in January 1914. The original hall survived the fire and was subsequently taken over by the town's War Memorial Committee which reconstructed it and converted it into a Memorial Hall. A large room upstairs and behind the gallery became a meeting room for the Returned Soldiers League.The Manilla Municipal Council took over control of the hall in 1942. Its StoryFollowing its establishment in 1885, the Manilla School of Arts quickly became the centre of social life in the town. Its library was popular from the beginning, as were its facilities for billiards and cards. By 1899, library patrons had access to over 500 books and the reading room stocked current editions of no fewer than eleven local, State and national newspapers and journals. Some early wedding certificates show that marriages were at times celebrated in the building and there are reports of farewells and other social functions taking place there. Entertainments such as concerts, dances and balls were staged in the original building and when the hall was opened in 1900, it became a popular venue for productions of the Manilla Dramatic Society. It was also used by travelling shows which visited the town from time to time.
The Mechanics' Institute purchased a billiard table in 1902, despite considerable opposition from some sections of the community. The game grew in popularity, however, to the extent that when the institute was rebuilt after the fire of 1913, provision was made for a room to hold three billiard tables. This billiard room went on to become the main source of finance for the Institute and was the venue for many social and competitive games. When the first Manilla Municipal Council elections were held in September 1901, the Mechanics' Institute building was used both as a polling booth and for the subsequent official declaration of the poll. In the years which followed, the building frequently served a similar function for both State and Federal elections. The Mechanics' Institute was also a popular venue for land sale auctions.
One of its most significant early uses was as a venue for various picture shows. As early as 1912, the Institute hosted a travelling show put on by the Warren Family who stated, in their advertising: "Although we have been touring this State for six years, we have never been to Manilla. We trust on this trip to place before you absolutely the best Picture Show travelling the State. Clear, brilliant light - no flicker. We carry a patent light equal in brilliance to the Electric Light and we have miles of photo plays." From 1923 to 1929, an open air picture show also operated at the rear of the building. Over the years, the Manilla Mechanics' Institute also served as an important non-denominational venue for various church and social groups. In 1893, for instance, the Methodist Church conducted a successful three-day Industrial Fair. The Catholic community held a St Patrick's Day function there in 1900 and the Presbyterian Church used it for many years to stage its annual Flower Show. The first Hospital Ball was held there in 1903 and during the 1920s, a back room in the building was used by the Department of Education for cooking lessons. On 23 June 1928, the Manilla Branch of the Country Women's Association opened its meeting room and rest area in the large room at the back of the Institute. This area was also used as accommodation for a Baby Health Centre until 1960 when the CWA was able to open its own facilities elsewhere in the town. A room at the front of the Institute building, opposite the library, was often used as a meeting room and for a period, served as a doctor 's surgery. Its Later UseIn 1959, the Manilla Municipal Council and the Mandowa Shire Council agreed jointly to share the $14,000 cost of renovations to the Manilla Memorial Hall. After the amalgamation of the two councils, the renovation work went on and was extended to the old Mechanics' Institute building, the area of which was largely taken up with a new library, a "Small Town Hall" and an associated kitchen area. The new facilities were opened in April 1960 by P. D. Hills, the New South Wales Minister for Local Government, and are still in regular use. Its Significance to the CommunityFrom its very beginnings in 1885, the Manilla School of Arts, known for most of its existence as the Manilla Mechanics' Institute, served a most important social and community function. Its library services, reading room and sporting facilities were widely used, especially in its early days, and its premises were in regular demand for a vide variety of different types of meetings and social gatherings. Even after it ceased to be a Mechanic's Institute as such, the building still provided an important community function, which it continues to do, in re-vitalised form, to the present day.
|
To Alpha List |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||
