THE Murrabit community gathered on Sunday to celebrate the rebirth of a piece of history that had seemed destined to succumb to white ants.
The renovated T.A. Lornie Scout and Guide Hall was officially opened as part of Murrabit Heritage Weekend celebrations.
The work was undertaken by members of the Murrabit Men’s Shed, which was recently constructed adjacent to the hall.
“Before we built our shed we visited other shed and were told not to have the team rooms in the workshop because of the dust, so we decided that one of our first projects would be to do up the Scout hall as our tea room,” shed secretary, Stephen O’Donoghue said.
The work was funded with $2500 from Gannawarra Shire Council, $6000 from the Australian Men’s Shed Association, $3000 from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, $1000 from the Murrabit Lions Club and $2792 from the shed’s coffers.
Mr O’Donoghue said members contributed several hundred hours of in-kind labour to revive the hall, which was severely damaged by white ants and had fallen into a state of complete disrepair since the Scout group folded in 2001.
“It’s been a massive effort to get it looking like it is and now we have a real asset that will last a long time,” he said.
The official opening was performed by Wendy Pandey, the granddaughter of Tom Lornie, who restarted Boy Scouts at Murrabit after World War Two.
In 1956 the T.A. Lornie Scout and Guide Hall was opened as a tribute to Mr Lornie for his long service as a scoutmaster.
“This is an absolute honour and privilege,” Mrs Pandey said as she unveiled a plaque commemorating the occasion.
“My dad and grandpa would be absolutely thrilled to think the hall has been done up as part of the Men’s Shed.”
Following the opening, several former Scouts shared their memories of Mr Lornie, including 83-year-old Hugh Webb, who recalled he was a “thorough gentleman” who was gentle, kind-hearted and patient.
