Muttama community marks a century of tin, timber and treasured times

In 1925, with gum trees lining the dusty roads and horse-drawn carts still common in the main street, the residents of Muttama gathered in their bead and lace trimmed silk to celebrate a milestone — the opening of their own village hall.

Now, 100 years later, the town is preparing to mark that same hall’s centenary with a weekend of events that will honour not just a building, painstakingly restored, but a century of shared stories.

The area around Muttama is famed for the discovery of gold at Muttama Reef in the 1860s, with the Muttama post office opening in 1876 and a rail station in 1886.

With construction funded by a bank loan guaranteed by locals, the Muttama Hall opened on 20 May 1925.

The hall’s history reads like a social diary of the region. As reported in The Cootamundra Herald in May 1925, the grand opening ball was a full-house affair, attended by locals and visitors from Cootamundra, Gundagai, Tumut and beyond. Even the big smoke.

“A splendid supper was served, and dancing continued into the early hours,” the paper noted.

Additionally, The Gundagai Times reported that the opening was “anxiously looked forward to” and noted the large attendance, reflecting the hall’s importance to the local community.

It was the first of many such nights that would become part of the fabric of Muttama’s identity.

Six years later the locals bore witness to technological advancement.

Again, The Cootamundra Herald reported, “An innovation at the hall to-night [sic] will be the dancing to city music supplied by wireless. These are wonderful days. Could the pioneers of Muttama roll over in their graves, would they not marvel at what science has done!”

From the roaring 20s to the war years, the hall evolved with the times.

During World War II, it hosted Red Cross fundraisers and farewell events for departing soldiers. In July 1940, a public meeting held in the hall formed the local War Fund Committee, part of a national effort to support Australia’s defense needs.

The hall also played host to debutante balls, film nights, cake stalls, monthly markets and the Muttama Catholic Ball — an annual event that raised funds for the church and hospital.

In 1936 it was the scene of a record-breaking Undergrads’ Ball with more than 150 couples dancing well into the night, according to archived reports.

It assisted the indisposed. Like the Muttama footballer R Millar who was unlikely to have hit the dancefloor on Saturday 17 July 1937 due to a broken ankle sustained in a match against Wallendbeen.

But the benefit dance to assist in paying his medical expenses promised a fabulous night of good music from 8 pm to midnight.

And each December the community would celebrate the raising of the annual Christmas tree in the hall to preside over all things festive.

Like many rural institutions, Muttama Hall faced lean years. Maintenance funds dried up, and as younger generations drifted toward bigger towns the dust settled on the forlorn building.

For locals it seemed terminal.

But, said Abb McAlister, mayor of Cootamundra Gundagai Regional Council, people started coming back — retirees, tree-changers, even young families.

“And the hall started living again,” he said.

Restoration work since 2016, funded through state heritage grants and tireless local fundraising, gave the weathered building a new lease on life.

The original pressed metal ceiling was carefully preserved, the timber floorboards repolished with some sections replaced, and the old stage structurally reinforced. Upgrades to the kitchen and supper room were completed and a fresh coat of paint and new landscaping gave the exterior an elegant and welcoming finish.

The permanent war memorial display was also restored and rededicated and a new flag pole was raised, ensuring future generations remember not only the fallen and the returned, but also the hall’s narrative in supporting wartime efforts.

Another plaque in the hall honours farmers Allan and Paul Rolles, members of the Muttama Fire Brigade who lost their lives in the January 1987 bushfires.

Now, as the centenary approaches, the hall committee is planning a celebration that reflects both history and hope, thanks in part to $5000 in funding under the Cootamundra Gundagai Regional Council’s Section 355 committee fund.

The big weekend at Muttama, named ‘100 years of Community – Lest We Forget’, is set down for 17 and 18 May.

A ticketed formal centenary dinner will be held on Saturday 17 May from 6 pm with speeches, archival displays and the sealing of a new time capsule, while Sunday 18 May will see a family fun day from 11 am complete with barbeque, market stalls, local music and dance acts, vintage machinery displays plus a giant sandpit and lawn games on the green outside.

If the weather is favourable, there also is talk of hot air balloon tether rides.

Right now the committee is madly organising historic maps and other memorabilia for display, while the call has gone out for stallholders to book their spots and invitations are being issued to former Muttama residents and other interested residents to attend and enjoy abundant history and atmosphere.

One hundred years on, Muttama Hall remains much more than timber and mini orb tin. It’s a meeting place, a memory keeper, and a cornerstone of community life. And this May, under the same roof that sheltered generations before, the people of Muttama will raise a glass to the past — and to the next hundred years.

Abb McAlister said he was looking forward to the event and congratulated the committee on its efforts.

“These village halls have played such a huge part in the history of our communities. The Muttama Hall Section 355 committee work extremely hard to ensure the hall will continue to play a part in Muttama’s history. I’m delighted the committee have taken up the centenary project to celebrate and share this historic hall’s past,” Cr McAlister said.