Callignee Hall Opens Its Doors
The small town of Callignee in the Latrobe Valley celebrated the opening of their new multi-purpose community centre last week.
Callignee continues to rebuild after the devastating Black Saturday bushfires which claimed lives and destroyed many homes and buildings in the area, including the Callignee Hall and Fire Station.
Major Projects Coordinator at Latrobe City Council, Damian Blackford said the community is slowly getting back on its feet.
“It’s been a bit of a challenge since the fires. The community reference group is really committed to the project and they’ve definitely got their fingerprints on the build, it’s been a real community process,” he said.
Latrobe City Council, the Victorian Government and several corporate sponsors have worked in partnership to re-establish community infrastructure that was lost.
The government has contributed $300,000 to the project through the Small Towns Development Fund.
The new multi-purpose facility includes a community hall with stage, large kitchen and amenities, a meeting room and store room. External doors open up onto a large patio which looks out over the two remaining oak trees in the township.
“The two oak trees are over one hundred years old and are landmarks in the area. The playgroup has played under them for many years, and couples have also been married under them,” Damian said.
The facility also includes a new Country Fire Authority building and cricket pavilion, which are connected to the main building by an undercover walkway.
“As there is not a whole lot of open space in Callignee, we have really tried to maximise the public open space around the building, including linking the new hall, oak trees and the community oval,” Damian said.
The new community centre will provide an invaluable resource for Callignee residents who have been without community facilities for over 18 months.
“We have really tried to give the Callignee community something a bit special, and something that will encourage people to move back to the area. We are bringing a range of different users together under one roof to try and maximise the use of the building,” Damian said.