By Andrew Rawsthorne

The 4th of June 2026 marked an important milestone in Trundles history with it being 100 years since construction started on the Trundle War Memorial Hall.
The history of the Hall commenced with a letter from the Trundle Progress Committee dated 6th September 1892 to the Minister for public works requesting that he place on the estimates for 1893 an amount of 100 pounds as a grant towards the cost of erecting a School of Arts at Trundle estimated to cost 200 pounds. The letter pointed out the importance of the district and the bonafide settlement taking place. The Trundle School of Arts is believed to have been erected in 1893 in Gobondery Street.
Gas lights were connected to the Hall in 1912. In September 1914 a public meeting was called to raise funds to erect a new Hall adjacent to the existing structure, the contract was let to A.E Ware on the 10/12/1914 with the grand opening taking place on the 3rd of February 1915.
The Hall became a very important facility for the community with dances, pictures and concerts taking place at regular intervals. All local bodies utilised the Hall for their meetings.
As well as these activities the Hall contained an extensive collection of books which were available to subscribers a quarterly subscription being 2/6. The then Prime Minister of Australia Billy Hughes made a speech at the Hall on the 20/11/1922.
On Thursday the 23rd of March 1923 the Hall and its contents were completely gutted by fire with nothing being able to be saved.
On Friday, 30th March, 1923, a special meeting was held in the Soldiers’ Club Room to consider the position as all records had been burnt. On 3rd April, 1923, Trustees W. Long and J. J. Moloney had a meeting on Finances. The amount received from the Insurance Company was £1000 (one thousand pounds), which was then invested in the Government Savings Bank and the Commonwealth Savings Bank.
The final chapter of the School of Arts was written when this block of ground where the building stood was sold by order of the Education Department. First, it was offered by Public Auction by Medlyn Bros on 18th August 1923. There was no bid. It was later sold to the Church of England.
In 1924 Mr. E. L. Jones donated block of land in Forbes Street, F.H. Sect. 8, Part 10-11, with an 80ft. frontage. At a meeting held on 15th November, 1924, H. Cameron moved, J. Henson seconded a motion which was carried, reading as follows: “That a War Memorial School of Arts and Hall be built on the new site”. The title was changed in May 1925 to Trundle War Memorial School of Arts.
Mr. J. B. McDonald, M.I.A., Macquarie Street, Dubbo, was then requested to draw up plans for the new Hall and secure tenders for the building of same. On 10th March, 1926, a Contract from Edward Beale, 117 Pitt Street, Sydney, for £5,295.00 was accepted by the Committee. This figure was later amended to £5,395.00.
I have always been in awe of the communitys vison and foresight and the efforts made by the people responsible for pulling it all together.
As a special money-raising effort, Back to Trundle Week was organised and held from lst-5th June, 1926. The various money making efforts were as follows: Bazaar, Fancy Stall, Hoop-la, Sweets Stall, Flower Stall, Confetti Stall, Art Gallery, Athletic Sports organised by the R.S.S.A.I.L.A., Golf Tournament by the Golf Club, Tennis Tournament by the Trundle Backwater and Yarranvale Clubs, Football Match by the Football Club, Pigeon Match by E. A. Long, Grand Concert by W. W. Haynes, Grand Race Ball, Ugly Man Competition (contestants being J. Medlyn, Geo Berry, Lai. Carey).
Profit from the week being £2,296/12/0. This week was really a wonderful effort by the people of Trundle, especially all those who helped in any way organise the above functions. Visitors came from all the surrounding districts and many former residents, from all over the State came to enjoy the festivities. The Foundation Stone of the new Hall was laid by Major General Sir Charles Rosenthal, K.C.D., C.M.G., D.S.O.V.D., on 4/6/1926.
The building was completed in February, 1927, and officially opened in the afternoon on 15th March, 1927, by Mr. E. L. Jones. The Soldiers’ Room, which had been incorporated in the original plans, was opened at a Dinner Rally on 23/3/1927. On 25/4/1930, a Marble Honor Roll showing the names of all those who had enlisted from the District for the 1914/18 War was unveiled by Major-General Sir N. R. Howse, V.C.
A new supper room built as a memorial to the men and women from the Trundle District who served during the Second World War was completed and opened by Mr. W. Yeo, State President R.S.S.A.I.L.A., after a banquet attended by many leading citizens on 2/3/1956. Also, in 1956, a new Bronze Honor Roll showing the names of all those who had served in the Second World War, was erected in the foyer of the Hall next to the Marble Honor Roll, already there.
On the 20th of June 1977 a Trust Fund was established by Mr R. Ledger, Mr K. Turner and Mr E. Little with the interest earned to assist with the cost of maintaining and insuring the Memorial Hall. This remarkable gift is still in operation.
The Hall is owned by the Trundle community with the Hall Committee managing the Hall on the community’s behalf. We all own a small piece of the Hall.
I am eternally grateful to the hard-working volunteers who have contributed so much to the Hall over the last 100 years. In recent years these volunteers have:
• Replaced rotten timber framed windows with new aluminium framed windows
• Undertaken repairs to the Memorial Hall roof and guttering through 2014. The Trundle RSL Sub branch committed $35,000 to support this work to prevent water damage to the ornate plaster ceilings of the Memorial Hall.
• Built new amenities
• Rewired the Hall
• Built a new kitchen
• Repaired the Halls floor
• Carried out painting
• Replaced old and worn-out seating and tables
• Installed new display cases and created a new display area dedicated to Trundles Anzac Legacy
• Installed air conditioning
• Renovated the new supper room to create a new 24hr community gym
• Commenced landscaping beside the Hall to create a new park
This is a mighty achievement and a great credit to these volunteers.
The Hall Committee plans to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Halls opening with a memorial service and a black-tie ball on the 20th of March 2027. All proceeds will go towards the following projects currently being planned by the Committee including:
• Replacing the roof of the Main Hall
• Repainting the interior of the Main Hall
• Replacing the ceiling in the Main Hall
• Creating a new war memorial in the Park beside the Hall
• Expanding the current display area in the old supper room with new display cases
• Framing a large quantity of maps brought back from the First and Second World War as well as photos that are currently in storage and placing them on display
If you are at all interested in helping the committee achieve these goals, below are some ways you can help:
Firstly, we need some new members on the Hall Committee. We are pretty light on at the moment and have since our AGM in November 2025 had to cancel four meetings due to insufficient numbers. Many of the Committees current members have been on the Committee for many years. I am also standing down as President at our next AGM in November 2026. Its not hard or time consuming to be on the committee, its very rewarding and you’re contributing to the Halls great legacy and anyone who is interested would be very welcome.
Secondly, we need some volunteers to help on a sub committee to organise and run the black-tie ball in March 2027 especially with decorating as well as the pack up and set up.
Thirdly we would like to compile the most accurate list of former Committee Members possible so they can be included in the celebrations.
And last but not least we would love to access as many historical photos of the Trundle area as possible as well as photos from functions held at the Hall to be scanned and included in a new display at the Hall.
Anyone who can help with any of these things please contact me directly or email the Hall at trundlewarmemorialhall@gmail.com
Finally, the Hall was built as a War Memorial and its Honour Rolls list 380 names from all conflicts. I would like to take this opportunity to pay my respect and gratitude to all people from our community who have served this country. We all enjoy a life of peace and prosperity because of their service and sacrifices. Lest We Forget.
Thank you
Andrew Rawsthorne
President, Trundle War Memorial Hall
Images and Story sourced from Andrew Rawsthorne via Trundle War Memorial Hall Facebook group.