Community Halls
Scattered across Marlborough are the 23 local halls that serve as meeting points for their immediate communities.
Generally built by community labour, some of them were constructed as war memorials, symbols of our patriotic past. Some are located in suburban neighbourhoods while others are connected to a country primary school.
Scenes of 21st birthday parties, wakes and wedding receptions, club meetings and country dances over the decades, community halls were the centre of social life, particularly for rural areas.
There has been a revival of interest in some of these halls in places where a sense of community is also re-emerging. Today these buildings still find a use as places where people can meet, play and learn, where groups gather and information is shared. They're a venue for arts, cultural, recreational and leisure activities, places where voluntary groups can meet. Importantly, they're often still the civil defence posts for their communities. Most of all, these buildings can help bring communities together.
Most of our halls are run as community facilities available for use or hire. Some are extremely well-used and well maintained. Small bands of volunteers - the hall committees - do the important work of managing and maintaining these buildings, taking responsibility for their own working bees and fundraising.
If you have an enquiry about your local hall, or if you are part of a group that wishes to revamp or refurbish your local hall, Council may be able to help you with more information. Contact Rosie Bartlett, Council's Reserves and Amenities Manager, Ph: 03 520 7400.
If you want to know more about the events at your local hall or to enquire about hire, Council's Customer Service Centre Ph: 03 520 7400 can tell you the person to contact. You can also check the Community Information Database.