News Corp awards $25k bushfire grant to Cudlee Creek Soldiers’ Memorial Hall

The Cudlee Creek Soldiers’ Memorial Hall - which has been instrumental in providing refuge for bushfire victims - has been named the recipient of a $25,000 bushfire grant.

A community hall, instrumental in providing a place of solitude to residents impacted by the Cudlee Creek bushfire, has secured much needed funding support.

The Cudlee Creek Soldiers’ Memorial Hall has been awarded $25,000 through the News Corp Bushfire Fund to help replace its ageing roof.

Hall chairman Bryan Redden said the funding would cover around a quarter of the repair cost, which has been estimated to be around $90,000.

Built in 1956, Mr Redden said the Hall had been a place for functions and events for 64 years, however a lack of maintenance had seen the facility become severely corroded.

This is despite significant efforts by the community to restore the building over the past 10 years.

The Cudlee Creek Soldiers’ Memorial Hall has been awarded $25,000 through the News Corp Bushfire Fund.

The roof’s replacement has also always been out of scope due to the significant cost involved.

“With the roof being as it is, there is significant concern that the hall’s ceiling and parquetry floor will become severely water damaged during a storm; putting at risk the only facility within Cudlee Creek where the community can come together,” he said.

“A large number of people who use the hall are fire affected and still suffering the psychological, emotional and financial effects following such a disaster.

“So I’m very happy that we’re receiving this funding, it will go a long way and we now hope to start repairs before the next big wet.”

A total of $341,280 was allocated to 20 communities as part of the third round of grants, allocated in partnership with the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal.

News Corp Australia’s community ambassador Penny Fowler said it’s been almost a year since the Cudlee Creek fires tore through the Adelaide Hills.

“Almost a year on, we know some of these communities are feeling like they lived through a ‘forgotten crisis’. But there is still so much work to be done, now and in the long-term,” she said.

“This third round of grants builds on the ongoing needs of each community to recover at their own pace - whether that be upgrading essential town halls, providing mental health programs for firefighters, or bringing people together through drive-in movie sessions.

“Recovery takes years, not months and we are committed to standing by these communities, remembering their loss, their stories, their pain and their bravery.”