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New Callignee Hall To Be Officially Opened On Australia DayThe new Callignee Hall will be officially opened by Russell Northe MP on Wednesday 26 January 2011 at 11.30am; linking in with Callignee’s Australia Day ceremony hosted by Latrobe City mayor, By Latrobe City - 20th January 2011 - Back to News Councillor Darrell White, that will begin at 11am.
The new multi-use centre was built to replace the former Callignee Hall, the former school building and the local fire station that were destroyed in the February 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.
Latrobe City mayor, Councillor Darrell White, explained that the project had a strong community focus from start to finish.
"The community showed great strength and solidarity in the wake of the fires, with many beginning the process of resurrecting what was lost as soon as possible. The community have had a high level of involvement from the beginning of this project, including input to the design to the naming of the facility.
"It will be an honour to be a part of the official opening and to be able to congratulate and celebrate all of the people who worked tirelessly, under immense stress, to create the wonderful new facility," Cr White said.
Callignee Hall Community Reference Group chair, Gunyah Ward councillor Ed Vermeulen, added that the opening of the Callignee Hall would cap off the day’s celebrations for the wider Callignee community.
"Almost two years on from Black Saturday, this fantastic new facility will open; representing another great milestone in the recovery of the community.
"I could not think of a better day to have the opening. The whole community will have the chance to come down to the new centre, enjoy each others company, and celebrate all that is great about our country and, more specifically, our region," Cr Vermeulen said.
Latrobe City acting general manager built and natural environment, Deirdre Griepsma, commented that the new facility includes a community hall, a large community kitchen, foyer, community meeting space with kitchenette and storage, a CFA building and a cricket pavilion.
"The CFA building is linked to the community amenities by an enclosed walkway while the cricket pavilion is joined by a covered walkway. External doors open from the hall to a patio that provides views of the Callignee landscape and the two surviving Oak trees.
"Architectural firms Design Urban and Blomquist + Wark undertook a comprehensive community consultation process and developed detailed designs for the Callignee Hall. Part of their work included realigning Old Callignee Road, which separated the former Callignee Hall site and the community oval, to connect the two sites and improving safety by not having to cross the road. Macallister Constructions then built the facility.
"Funding assistance came from the former Premier, who announced approval of $2.5 million in State Government support for the project in June 2009. Alstom International Pty Ltd, who have a workshop in Morwell, were also extremely generous in providing funding for solar panels, solar hot water systems, grey water systems and other environmentally sustainable technologies; making the centre eco-friendly" Ms Griepsma concluded.
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Media Relations Team
Telephone: 5128 5458 or 0407 862 977
Jacinta Kennedy, Manager Community Relations
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Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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