Town’s soldiers memorial hall to celebrate centenary

PILTON residents will celebrate 100 years since the official opening of their Soldiers’ Memorial Hall on Sunday, January 26.

Pilton’s Soldiers Memorial Hall will celebrate 100 years this month.

PILTON residents will celebrate 100 years since the official opening of their Soldiers’ Memorial Hall on Sunday, January 26, remembering the servicemen and women in whose honour the hall was constructed.

The committee responsible for organising the day is calling on families of servicemen and women commemorated on the hall’s honour boards to get in contact and come along on the day.

The hall was officially opened on January 26, 1920 and was constructed by returned service men who were paid with government repatriation funds.

It has since become a focal point for the community and represents the reciprocity of service and community spirit that is such a vital part of rural communities.

The Pilton Hall Centenary will run from 9am to 4pm on January 26, and will begin with a church service commemorating 100 years of worship in the hall.

After that, there will be an unveiling of a gift from the local Uniting Church, morning tea, vintage fashion parade at 11am, lunch, and the official ceremony will start from 1.15pm.

The Clifton RSL will also run a short commemoration service in memory of the servicemen and women who have enlisted from the district, and many families of these servicemen and women will be travelling to back Pilton for this special day.

Throughout the day there will be the opportunity to view displays on the history of the hall, and the servicemen and women commemorated at the hall.

There will also be a static vintage vehicles display, “old school” games, a bar and drinks available for purchase, a multi-draw raffle, and the opportunity to view our new branding board.

The hall’s rich history has been recorded tirelessly by local historian Shirley Murray, and her new book commemorating the centenary will be launched and available for purchase on the day.

As the hall was built by soldiers (and other members of the community who volunteered their services), it meant those who had just returned from the horrors of war had a common purpose to build a community space in which to hold a myriad of events, which in turn helped both those who served overseas and those who remained home and maintained farms and supported troops.

As well as the Boer War, World War I and World War II honour boards that hold pride of place in the hall, there is also an illuminated address presented by and signed by the returned soldiers, thanking the local women who supported them during the long years of war.

For more information, call Kirstie on 0402 694 225.