Trust grant supports valuable community asset
The Galatea War Memorial Hall
The Galatea War Memorial Hall has always been held in high regard by its community. According to its hall committee chairman, a dedicated band of volunteers has always maintained it to a high standard, but the passing of time will always catch up.
Galatea Halls and Reserves Committee Chair Scotty Muir says 18 months ago, the decision was made to invest in the future of the hall by embarking on an upgrade project.
“The hall has always been well-used and we wanted to make sure that it continued to be a desirable gathering place for the community - a place people could come to for a range of public and private events, and also a facility that was up to standard as a base for a Civil Defence response.”
“As it turned out, the majority of the $107,000 project was energy-related, including kitchen equipment, LED lighting, a hot water system for bathrooms, a fire alarm, and industrial generator, so we were very relieved when the Eastern Bay Energy Trust agreed to support us.”
The improved kitchen facilities will also see Galatea School using the hall for its food technology classes, in addition to assemblies and school productions.
“Frankly, without outfits like the Energy Trust, small rural clubs and organisations would be sunk. There’s only so much you can draw out of small communities by way of fundraising, it’s just not feasible for what is essentially a handful of residents to find the funds for significant projects. There’s always local people who are willing to put in the effort to make things happen, but funding is another matter,” Mr Muir observes.
Having said that, the hall committee did have $10,000 to contribute, with the Eastern Bay Energy Trust funding just over $79,335 across three stages of the project, and the Lion Foundation granting the balance.
Eastern Bay Energy Trust Chairman Don Lewell says it was an easy decision for Trustees to, last month, grant the final $7,140 requested to complete the hall upgrade.
“We know that properly-resourced community halls are at the heart of rural settlements. They are essential for community cohesion and strength. They are the place people go in times of joy and times of challenge and the Trust is committed to supporting communities to maintain such essential assets.
Full list of Grants approved by the Eastern Bay Energy Trust at its first meeting for 2018:
Whakatane District Council ($500.00 towards sound system hire for Wild Food Challenge).
Te Teko Community Development Trust ($1,500 towards sound & lighting for Mataatua Regional Kapa Haka Festival 2018).
Whakatane Returned Services Association ($4,540.52 for sound, video and lighting for the Anzac dawn service).
BOP Opotiki Rodeo Association ($900.00 sound system hire for Opotiki Rodeo 2017).
Rotary Club Whakatane West ($1500 for sound system hire for the Christmas Float Parade & Mistletoe Market).Whakatane Baptist Church ($13,099.85 towards LED lighting upgrade).
Galatea Hall ($7,140 for the fitting of a gas califont, regulator, bottles and cage).