All posts by Judith Buchanan

Civic Hall News

Action, Event, News

Keep up to date with all the Civic Hall news post Covid19 restrictions by visiting our Facebook page Save Ballarat Civic Hall.

This site is now archival and an online record of issues and events relating to Civic Hall 2013-2018. Our latest news is shared through Facebook.

We look forward to Civic Hall re-opening for business with some amazing concerts and events once the Covid19 restrictions are lifted presumably in 2021. We look forward to seeing you.

Don’t forget that Civic Hall will celebrate a milestone on it’s 65th year of the original opening on August 20 2020. Keep in mind that there will be a celebration of some kind around that date. We hope that restrictions on gatherings will be eased by then. Keep in touch through Facebook.

Greetings from the Save Civic Hall Group. While we have been locked down due to the Covid19 restrictions we have been working behind the scenes to continue working with the Ballarat Council and officers to ensure the Civic Hall will be viable and and used to capacity when restrictions are lifted presumably in 2021.

You can continue to be updated with Civic Hall News through our Facebook Page Save Ballarat Civic Hall . This site is now an online archival record of issues and events 2013 -2018.

2021 will mark the 65th anniversary of the original opening of the Civic Hall on August 20 1956. An event celebrating this milestone is planned around this date in 2021 so keep up to date with the news on our Facebook page.

A Celebration of Civic Hall’s 62nd Anniversary…Movie and After Party

Action, Event, News

An invitation to join us at a special movie fundraiser afternoon and party:

The 2018 Ballarat Heritage Award Winners Save Civic Hall  invite you to attend  this very special event to Celebrate the 62nd  Anniversary of the opening of the Civic Hall and everything that Save Civic Hall and the community have achieved over the years.  A new movie “The Book Club” will be screened at the Regent Theatre  Sunday August 26 at 4.30 pm to coincide with Jane Fonda’s visit to Australia to launch the premier of the movie. 

Following the movie  the party will continue at the George Hotel with a toast to the grand old lady and the cutting of a sensational celebratory cake.  Tickets are $18.  Tickets are selling fast so secure your tickets for this very special event.   

Phone :   Rod 0438930117 or Merle 0419324042

 

Save Civic Hall-Finalists in the 2018 Heritage Awards

Event, News

Save Civic Hall group is so proud to announce that we are short listed as finalists for the 2018 Ballarat Heritage Awards in the category of Communicating, Promoting and Celebrating Heritage.

The nomination came unexpectedly from a member of the community and supporter of the retention of the Civic Hall.  We nominated in 2016 but did not make the short listing. So much has happened since then and the Civic Hall is now seen as an asset.

To be finalists in this prestigious award is great acknowledgement to the extensive work of our group members and to the many people in the community who supported us over the years.   Winners will be announced on Tuesday May 15, we certainly have our fingers crossed!

http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/media/4475999/peoples_choice_save_civic_hall.pdf

 

Voting is now open for Save Civic Hall in the 2018 Heritage Awards National Trust People’s Choice Award.

Please vote for Save Civic Hall in the People’s Choice here:

https://mysay.ballarat.vic.gov.au/peoples-choice-award

 

Thanks to all of our supporters for your continued support, the fight goes on to save the Lower Hall.

Celebrations for Civic Hall’s 61st Anniversary

Event, News

61st Anniversary Celebratory Cake

Civic Hall Celebrates 61 years

Civic Hall Celebrated the  61st anniversary of her Grand Opening on August 20 with a Fundraiser movie ” Hampstead”  a delightful romantic comedy addressing some very relevant issues pertaining to Civic Hall and the campaign to save Civic Hall from being demolished and the crown  land given over to developers.  

We had a good turn out of people and met some new supporters who were passionate that the entire Civic Hall should be retained, restored and re-opened as soon as possible.  We sang Happy Birthday, raised a glass to the Grand Old Girl and devoured an amazing cake, but left the Lower Civic Hall portion intact…..symbolic of the overall community sentiment to save it.  

A big thank you to all those people who purchased tickets and supported this event.  We raised some much needed funds to continue our work to save Civic Hall.  

The opening of the Ballarat Civic Hall August 20 1956

Meeting with Council Officers, The Mayor and Architect, John Clark

On Wednesday August 23 ,representatives of Save Civic Hall and Ballarat Arts Alive met with CEO Justine Linley, Mayor Samantha McIntosh, Council Officers and John Clark, Architect of Baumgart Clark Architects. 

This was a very good opportunity to see the latest re-development plans and ask questions of the Council and Architect John Clark.  There were some serious flaws with the plans and people from Ballarat Arts Alive were able to point out what would and would not work with potential users.  

We were advised that experts in Theatre Design were about to be brought in to further develop the plan.  it was the first meeting and we were assured that there would be further opportunities to view any further plans and offer feedback.  

It was a very positive meeting, however there was still no assurance that the Lower Civic Hall would be included in any further plans, something that does not sit well with us and we will continue to lobby for its retention.

Lower Civic Hall Foyer

Public Meeting Tuesday September 5 , 2017

Everyone is encouraged to attend a free Public Meeting to discuss the future of the Civic Hall on Tuesday September 5 at Frangos & Sons Greek Restaurant, 313 Sturt St (next to Myer).  We hope to see you there to share any information and ideas.

Songways Music Mapping

Civic Hall is now featuring on Ballarat Historic Urban Landscape website, including the wonderful INXS poster for our Backspace exhibition in 2015.

http://www.hulballarat.org.au/cb_pages/songways_stories.php.

 SongWays Stories
Explore live music stories across Ballarat places and spaces …
HULBALLARAT.ORG.AU

 

 

 

 

 

Civic Hall Celebrates 61 years with a film night fundraiser

Event, News

 

Help us Save the Lower Civic Hall from Demolition.

Film Fundraiser to save the Lower Civic Hall.

Save Civic Hall is having a Movie Fund Raiser on Sunday August 20 at 4.30pm to celebrate the 61st Anniversary of the opening of the Civic Hall on 20 August 1956.
Funds are needed to continue our work to lobby Local and State Governments to retain the entire building including the retention of the Lower Civic Hall for community events and performances now and into the future.

The Lower Civic Hall is vital to the overall viability of the Civic Hall as this is where all the necessary amenities are located for successful performances.  The Civic Hall was purpose built to cater for all the needs of the community and performances.  It is cleverly interlinked and is one building with two halls.  Although they can both hold events at the same time they are integrated and should never be separated as the building would be ruined should demolition of the Lower Civic Hall take place.

 
Any unused funds will go towards the development of a Civic Hall Foundation.
Come along and join in the fun at the Regent Cinema and later at the George Hotel for drinks and a cake. 

The movie is Hampstead, a delightful romantic drama/comedy that deals with issues of ageing and homelessness.

To purchase tickets:
Visit – Frank Ford Travel, 1209 Sturt St, Ballarat
or phone Merle 0419324042 or Brian 0447486719

 

 

Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser this Sunday August 6

Save Civic Hall is having a Sausage Sizzle fundraiser this Sunday August 6 at 10am-2pm outside of Coles Supermarket , Bakery Hill Shopping Complex, Victoria St, Ballarat East 

https://www.google.com.au/maps/dir/”/coles+supermarket+ballarat+east/data=!4m5!4m4!1m0!1m2!1m1!1s0x6ad145ab1df69b93:0x598974c5d736b7cc?sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi-z__N67rVAhXIsJQKHUPgDLEQ9RcIfjAL

Please call past, say hello and buy a delicious Sausage and/or drink.  Tickets for the Film fundraiser will also be on sale.   

 

 

 

State Government plan for the Civic Hall Site

Event, News, Uncategorized

The South West Corner of The Civic Hall

$47.8 Million GvtHub office:

On Friday May 5 the State Govenment revealed to the Courier Newspaper their plan for the Civic Hall site.   According to the Media Release of May 4…

“The GovHub funded in the Victoria Budget 2017/2018, will be home up to 1000 government employees, including 600 new positions to the city, and will help revitalise a major part of the Ballarat CBD.  This brand new office will include employees across:

  • Dept of Education and Training,
  • Dept of Justice and Regulation
  • Dept of Economic Development, jobs, Transport & resources (DEDJTR)
  • Dept of Economics, Dept of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP)
  • State Revenue Office
  • Vic Roads,
  • Service Victoria.

The site will be developed in partnership with the Ballarat Council.”

The Courier dated May 5, revealed the State Government’s  artist’s impression of the new office building that is proposed for the site.

 

http://www.thecourier.com.au/story/4640000/premier-announces-which-departments-are-coming-to-ballarat/

It raises more questions than answers!

Firstly this is an artist’s impression what are the specifications?

The drawing indicates that it  is a massive building …will it really fit on the site or is it a Pie In the Sky?

If it was to go on the site it will certainly dwarf the Civic Hall and it will surely not be sympathetic to the heritage of the Civic Hall and surrounding buildings in the Heritage Overlay 171 Lydiard St.

Lower Civic Hall To Be Demolished:

The State Government wishes to demolish the Lower Civic Hall to make way for their enormous office building.  This will severely impact on the viability of the remaining Main Hall as the features which make it functional will be destroyed such as, dressing rooms and Assembly area for performing groups and bands.  Save Civic Hall will advocate for the Lower Civic Hall to be incorporated into any development on the eastern side of the Civic Hall site.

The Civic Hall is one structure not two,  and it was cleverly designed by Architect and Mayor Les Coburn for both halls to be integrated as one and make use of the undulating land to maximize the use of the current site.  It is not appropriate to remove any part of the building as advised by Council’s own Heritage adviser Brian Benson.  To do so would compromise the integrity of the building.

Library Expansion:

If Council continue with the current Master plan, the Main Hall will be given over to the Library Expansion and the opportunity to host large events will be lost forever.   The Library can still expand but not into the Main Hall.

1000 Jobs:

Save Civic Hall supports jobs coming to Ballarat and we also do not object to appropriate development on the Civic Hall site.   The jobs that will come to Ballarat may not be long term as 500 are construction jobs which will eventually end as the project ends.  The government jobs are existing jobs and relocation for employees from Melbourne .  There is no evidence of any long term local  job creation.

350 Carparks

We can not deny that we need more parking in the CBD.   The Council have just re-made the car park on the eastern side of the Civic Hall.   According to the State Government’s artist impression of the proposed development an office will be build on it.  So the Council have wasted how much?

If the State Government were not allocating  the land at the Railway Station to Developers there could be more parking available on that site.  The car parks that are planned will be for the serviced apartments and not for commuters.

Civic Hall Plaza:

The Civic Hall Plaza development is well under way with the area fenced off and will be for some time.  We are disappointed that there are only three  of the original trees left on the south west corner, far more trees were removed than what we initially understood would be the case.  Also disappointing is the removal of the two Silver Birch trees that stood tall and proud outside of the entrance.  The works are expected to be completed by the end of the year.

 

The Civic Hall Plaza S.H.E.A Plan

The Courier Front Page  May 5, 2017

 

 

 

 

Civic Hall is here to stay for the next generations

Event, News

A word from our Save Civic Hall Secretary

“Dear SCH Committee and supporters,

We are at an interesting (& slightly nail-biting time) with the Civic Hall.

Our years of lobbying and educating Council and the community has resulted in a Council commitment to saving at least most of the Civic Hall from demolition, and to reopening the Civic Hall as soon as possible. However, there is still some doubt about the future of the Lower Hall, and we are waiting to hear the details of the interior works to start soon. A few points – 
1.  Work has already begun on the landscaping. We are disappointed to see more trees removed than was suggested by the plan, but have been told that for every tree taken out 7 or more will be planted. Some of the removals were probably necessary to accommodate better access for everyone. The steps and ramp are to go, with the ground built up to the level of the foyer. 
2. Baumgart Clarke Architects have been appointed for the interior design and “connection” if any, to the Library. We will watch this carefully, and believe we will be consulted. Their brief is fairly broad and vague – to activate the site, make it available for large-scale events, opening asap (possibly by end of year or early next). Some of the additional material given to the architects was terrible – the worst ideas from the “community consultation” (eg. blocking off the stage and balcony) and building removable, but soundproof partitioning in the main space. So we keep pushing against these costly and silly notions which would seriously affect usage of the main hall.  The Lower Hall is not included in the designated works – so that’s a clear risk, especially if the east side of the site is developed. 
3. Visit Ballarat is keen to use the hall for major events and exhibitions, and wants to start programming for main and Lower Hall now. Hopefully their clout will help.
4. Songways is an new online mapping project to document Ballarat’s live music heritage, with photographs, memories, stories, ephemera. We’d like to ensure that Civic Hall is  particularly well documented. (Material will be photographed etc – you don’t have to donate). Contact Georgina Williams or Deborah Klein, 5320 5643, or email  Georgina Williams on trimble99@gmail.com ”         …………  Merle Hathaway
The Turning of the 1st sod on the Civic Hall Plaza
Mayor Samantha McIntosh turned the 1st sod on the Civic Hall Plaza Landscaping Development at the end of March.  The Tender was awarded to S.H.E.A. and work of the landscaping is progressing and is expected to be completed in August.
                                                        Turning the 1st sod
                                                             S.H.E.A. Won the Tender
Internal Works:
Although the interior restoration plans have yet to be released …..Design services – Council’s website notes that Wendy Jacobs heritage
advisory will be involved – “The next steps will include a comprehensive
internal survey and condition audit (including heritage), the
development of concept designs, and identify possible early works”.
http://www.ballarat.vic.gov.au/pbs/major-projects/active-major-projects/civic-hall.aspx
Planned Event for Civic Hall:
Sunday 20TH August is Civic Hall’s 61st Anniversary and there is an event planned.  The details are currently being finalised and will be posted when they become available, so put this date into your diary!….We would love to see you there!  
 WATCH THIS SPACE!
Mechanics Institute Fund Raiser….Friday May 5th  7.00pm Trivia
Please join us for the fundraiser for the Ballarat Mechanics Institute .  A trivia quiz Trivia featuring the Heritage Photographs of Max Harris.  Entry is $10 .  We hope to be able to get enough people to form a table of Save Civic hall supporters.  if you would like to join us please phone Judith 5335 6290 before 1st May.  You can also purchase tickets at the Mechanics Institute Library.
Details are on the following link:
 Max Harris Trivia Night
Hope to see you there to support this wonderful Ballarat iconic building!

Civic Hall could Enhance White Night projections

Event, News

Photo by Judith Buchanan

White Night:

After experiencing the most incredible event to come to Ballarat it is now time to reflect on what it means for this amazing city.  White Night attracted 40+ thousand people to the city. Guest houses, hotels and motels were booked out.  Cafes and restaurants reported their best ever trade.  The projections and entertainment were magnificent.  We can be proud of our local artists and performers who really gave their best and put on outstanding shows and performances.  The enormous  crowd soaked up the  atmosphere of the massive street party and entertainment……we marveled at White Night.  Please come back next year!

The Civic Hall looked splendid with her facade and sides lit up as they do every night since the restoration of her facade.   People  admired her as they walked to and from their cars on route to  Lydiard St.   If  White Night should return, The Civic Hall could be lit up with projections and be a beacon of welcome from the Creswick Road entry to the city.  After all Civic Hall featured in the very first Laser Kinetics show in Victoria.  What a spectacle it would be!

In 1984 the Civic Hall was the canvas for the very first Laser Kinetics Supershow in Victoria by pioneer Joseph Stanislaus Ostoja-Kotkowski, known for his ground breaking works in Chromasonics, Laser Kinetics and sound and image productions.  His show formed part of the Begonia Festival celebrations.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stanislaus_Ostoja-Kotkowski

Photo by Judith Buchanan

The Future of Civic Hall:

Council now has to consider Tenders for the restoration of the interior of the main hall and landscaping of the Plaza and Western side.   Save Civic Hall supports the Council’s application for funding of $4 million to the Federal Government  for  the implementation of the necessary works.  However we do not support any loss of its heritage and functional  features such as  the stage, balcony, dress circle and flytower.  Nor do we support demolition of part of the Lower Civic Hall.  We support the restoration of the hall in its entirety and its original use as a venue for community events and performance.

With the amount of festivals and events growing the need for a large public hall has never been greater.   With 40,000+ people attending White Night it is a no brainer! 

Photo by Judith Buchanan

Historical Documents of events now available through FOI:

Documents have just become available through Freedom of Information,  giving us a picture of the type of community  events and attendance numbers for 1995-98.  a picture emerges indicating that it was a thriving venue.  


Civic Hall Lights up and Tenders are called

Event, News

 

Things are a lot brighter for the Civic Hall in more ways than one!

Tenders for works on Civic Hall:

Council has called for Design Services Tenders for the redevelopment of the Civic Hall.  This Tender closes on February 22 2017.

Tenders were also called for the Landscaping on the Doveton St side.  This Tender has now closed on February 8 2017   A car park has now been established on the Armstrong St side of the Civic Hall

https://www.tenderlink.com/ballarat/

 

Mood Lighting:

On December 17 the Civic Hall lit up for the first time in more than 15 years with beautiful mood lighting on the newly restored front facade and east and west sides.  If you have not seen it yet, take a walk or drive to the Civic Hall Site as it gets dark and watch it light up.  It looks spectacular!  After years of debate and angst, Civic Hall is finally being given the face lift it needs  to bring it into the 21st Century.  The work has really just begun, the interior is next…. it is a great start!

CEO Justine Linley, Mayor Samantha McIntosh. Councillors Rinaldi and Coates and  also members of the Save Civic Hall Group were present  to witness this monumental event on Dec 17 2016.

Heritage Victoria Appeal Hearing February 10, 2017:

In 2015 The Art Deco and Modernism Society of Australia nominated the Civic Hall to be added to the State Heritage Register for protection.  The Save Civic Hall group appealed the decision by the Executive Director not to add the building to the Heritage Register for State Listing.

The appeal was heard in Ballarat yesterday February 10.  The Executive Director agreed that the building has great social and cultural significance .  They also agreed with some of our arguments to have the building listed.  The Civic Hall is unique as it is the only “Stand Alone” civic hall of the Post WW2 era  in the State of Victoria  (maybe Australia?….research is continuing).  The Executive Director agreed that its size was monumental and no others compare.

The Executive Director also  agreed that the Civic Hall is rare.   Our research revealed that the Ballarat Civic Hall is a precursor to the later 1980’s Performing Arts Centres.   We have not found another example of an early pre-1960’s Stand Alone, mult-purpose events and performing arts venue in Victoria.    All others had Municipal offices attached or were part of a complex of municipal buildings.  We will have to wait for around 8 weeks for the Results of the hearing .

Watch this space!

 

You could be the lucky owner of this amazing artwork….

Event, News

DSCF2264

A chance to make this artwork yours…

This wonderful artwork depicting the Ballarat Civic Hall is offered by  Silent Auction at the 60th Anniversary of the opening of the Civic Hall this Saturday 20th August at the Trades Hall and offered for sale by Silent auction on the day.  Bidding will commence shortly after 3pm at the Trades Hall and will close at 5pm when the winning bidder will be announced.

Artwork Details:

Artist:          By prize winning artist Brian Lawrence

Dimensions:    62 x 57 cm including the handcrafted  frame – Mounted with glass

Media:                Acrylic in Oil Style on Art Board

Please read terms and conditions before making a bid in Save Civic Hall messages on Facebook

Terms and Conditions:

We must be able to contact you on the day the event.  If there is no response by the winning bidder , the next highest bidder will be offered the opportunity to purchase the artwork at the price that he/she bid.

Payment must be made by cash or cheque only.   If paying by cheque, purchaser can not take delivery of the artwork until the cheque has cleared by the bank which is normally 3-5 working days after it has been deposited.  

The sale of this artwork  is a fund raiser and the proceeds of the auction will  benefit the Civic Hall into the future.

See You there!