The new use of the former Nyrang Creek Public Hall as The Men's Shed in Canowindra has prompted recollections of the hall in its earlier days. The hall, near the entrance to the Canowindra Caravan Park, was moved from Nyrang Creek to its present site in 1960, by special arrangements with the Boree Shire, to be a permanent meeting place for Scouts and Guides and was named the Nyrang Scout and Guide Hall. The move followed agitations spearheaded by Brownie Guide leader, Mrs Nancy Bigg, in conjunction with leaders and parents of the Scouts. After closure of both Guide and Scout movements in Canowindra about 1990, it had various uses and for a time was a shop. In recent years, the unused hall had become a maintenance concern for Cabonne Council .
From the early 1860s, Nyrang Creek had developed as a roadside settlement where the road from Bathurst to Forbes crossed the Nyrang Creek between Canowindra and Eugowra. By the early 1900s it was the centre of a closely settled farming community.
The Nyrang Creek Public Hall was built on site at Nyrang Creek in 1911 by Thomas Mobbs junior with much help from others. It was a great community project as many people donated the timber and other supplies, some helped carrying materials while others supplied cash or labour. It was built for about fifty pounds ($100.00) and served as a centre for many activities over its forty-nine years at Nyrang Creek. There was a good crowd at the opening of the hall as seen in the photograph taken on the banks of the Nyrang Creek. The hall was located in the Reserve area on the right hand side of the Eugowra Road coming from Canowindra just before the gateway of Corella , the farm currently owned by Peter and Val Sanders.
The Nyrang Creek Public Hall was run by a group of government appointed trustees and it is believed that Dave McCarron was the first honorary secretary and Tom Bassett the treasurer. The corrugated iron structure was originally lit by kerosene lights and the dance floor treated with sawdust and candle-wax to give a smooth surface. Before bands and even three-piece ensembles, music was supplied by an accordion. A piano was purchased later for seventy pounds ($140.00).
The hall had many uses as a venue for public meetings, dances, parties, political meetings, kitchen teas, concerts, church services and Magic Lantern pictures. The latter event was a series of photographs projected onto a larger screen, the forerunner of coloured slides or today's power point presentations.
A school at Nyrang Creek had operated from the 1870s in a primitive building on private property but this had closed in 1932. A subsidised school reopened in 1935 in the Public Hall with Miss Gwen Gosper as teacher. By 1937 there were sufficient numbers for a Public School and Mr P.T.(John) Murray began his long period of teaching service (1937 - 1960) to the Nyrang Creek community.
The hall continued to be used as a school until 1941. John Murray's recollection of the hall as a school was that "it was not very suitable". As the corrugated iron building was unlined, classes were often held in the small kitchen adjoining the main hall as it contained an open fireplace, the only heating available.
Many others remembering the hall in those times have also commented on the lack of heating in the winter. "You had to keep on dancing or you froze to death," was a common statement.
Everyone came to the hall on horseback, sulky or just walked and lots of "eats" were provided by the ladies. The tea was boiled in kerosene tins on a big log fire just outside the back door. The men's and ladies' toilets were down at the back of the hall.
Occasionally social activities had to be curtailed as the Nyrang Creek, being very swift and fast flowing in flood, could rise quickly and prevent people from reaching home if they lingered too long at the dance.
During the Great Depression of the 30s the hall was often the camping spot for "swaggies" on the road as they moved from town to town.
The last functions at the hall would have been in the late1950s as the hall was moved into Canowindra on 13th September 1960. Neville and Ross Bowd of Bowds Transport moved the hall in one piece on the back of their GMC low loader. The photo is taken at the corner of Tilga and Ferguson Streets as the truck negotiated some low hanging electricity wires.
After much renovation, cladding and painting, the old Nyrang Creek Public Hall began its new life in Canowindra where many boys and girls spent enjoyable weekly afternoon or evenings at Cubs, Scouts, Brownies and Guides.
The long colourful history of the Nyrang Creek Public Hall now begins it third stage of life as The Men's Shed. If walls could talk, imagine the stories this Hall could tell! In 2011, the original parts of the hall will be 100 years old - quite an achievement for recycling!
Information compiled by Dorothy Balcomb and Mim Loomes, mainly from articles and letters supplied by Charles McCarron Senior, Jack Mobbs and John Murray.
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