Warnertown Institute of 1901 with World War One Memorial Portico, South Australia
*Portico a World War One Memorial.
Yesterday was a red-letter day for the residents of Warnertown and the surrounding districts, the occasion being the opening of a new institute erected by the combined efforts of a small band of willing workers. There were many visitors from Port Pirie, some of whom came by excursion trains, while many preferred a pleasant drive of about eight miles on a fairly good road. Other places also sent their quota, and never before had such a crowd been present in the small and unpretentious village.
Warnertown itself does not boast of many inhabitants, but the Hundred of Napperby, in which it is situated, provides a living for a large number of tillers of the soil.
A piece of land was granted by the Government and vested in trustees, and donations were liberally subscribed by residents near and far to the amount of £111. Several of the residents not only provided material for construction, but also carted it to the spot. They also cleared the ground, and by these means did work which would have cost about £40.
The contractors for the building were Messrs Gilmour & Averis, of Teatree Gully, and the plans were drawn, free of cost, by Mr J Firman Jenkins.
The hall is 50 ft long by 27½ ft wide, and when furnished will be compact and useful. Its cost to date has been £271, and a piano which has been purchased and the furnishing of the room will cost another £100, so that the total debt when everything is completed will be about £260. This will be considerably reduced by yesterday’s efforts, as the gates alone at the races and sports reached £26 6s.
The programme for the day was opened with horseracing and sports and was well carried out. There were good fields and exciting finishes. The officials, especially the chairman, Mr T Forrestal, and the secretary, Mr A W Dow, worked like Trojans, and were rewarded beyond their expectations. A number of ladies ran a booth, and sold fruit and refreshments in aid of the funds.
In the evening a concert was given in the new hall, which was crowded. Before these proceedings were commenced the ceremony of opening the hall was performed by the Hon A Catt MP. He said he felt it an honour to be asked to declare the hall open.
The successful issued of the undertaking represented a great deal of work on the part of a few individuals, and he congratulated the members, the committee, and the public generally on the acquisition of such a fine building. He never expected to be asked to open an institute in such a sparsely populated district as that was, and he recognised that to achieve that end there must have been some willing workers.
City life had an attraction which seemed to draw the population to the larger centres, but work of the kind which they had just performed would go a long way to solve the problem of dispelling the dead monotony which young people in the country complained so much about. He hoped that in the compilation of their list of books for the library they would see that a good foundation was laid, and selections made from the works of such writers as Scott, Thackeray, Lytton or Dickens. He paid a high tribute to the ladies for their activity in helping with the undertaking, and having been handed a key by the chairman of trustees, Mr W Smith senior, he unlocked the door, declared the hall open, and wished them every success.
Ref: The Register (Adelaide) 22-2-1902
Warnertown Institute of 1901 with World War One Memorial Portico, South Australia
*Portico a World War One Memorial.
Yesterday was a red-letter day for the residents of Warnertown and the surrounding districts, the occasion being the opening of a new institute erected by the combined efforts of a small band of willing workers. There were many visitors from Port Pirie, some of whom came by excursion trains, while many preferred a pleasant drive of about eight miles on a fairly good road. Other places also sent their quota, and never before had such a crowd been present in the small and unpretentious village.
Warnertown itself does not boast of many inhabitants, but the Hundred of Napperby, in which it is situated, provides a living for a large number of tillers of the soil.
A piece of land was granted by the Government and vested in trustees, and donations were liberally subscribed by residents near and far to the amount of £111. Several of the residents not only provided material for construction, but also carted it to the spot. They also cleared the ground, and by these means did work which would have cost about £40.
The contractors for the building were Messrs Gilmour & Averis, of Teatree Gully, and the plans were drawn, free of cost, by Mr J Firman Jenkins.
The hall is 50 ft long by 27½ ft wide, and when furnished will be compact and useful. Its cost to date has been £271, and a piano which has been purchased and the furnishing of the room will cost another £100, so that the total debt when everything is completed will be about £260. This will be considerably reduced by yesterday’s efforts, as the gates alone at the races and sports reached £26 6s.
The programme for the day was opened with horseracing and sports and was well carried out. There were good fields and exciting finishes. The officials, especially the chairman, Mr T Forrestal, and the secretary, Mr A W Dow, worked like Trojans, and were rewarded beyond their expectations. A number of ladies ran a booth, and sold fruit and refreshments in aid of the funds.
In the evening a concert was given in the new hall, which was crowded. Before these proceedings were commenced the ceremony of opening the hall was performed by the Hon A Catt MP. He said he felt it an honour to be asked to declare the hall open.
The successful issued of the undertaking represented a great deal of work on the part of a few individuals, and he congratulated the members, the committee, and the public generally on the acquisition of such a fine building. He never expected to be asked to open an institute in such a sparsely populated district as that was, and he recognised that to achieve that end there must have been some willing workers.
City life had an attraction which seemed to draw the population to the larger centres, but work of the kind which they had just performed would go a long way to solve the problem of dispelling the dead monotony which young people in the country complained so much about. He hoped that in the compilation of their list of books for the library they would see that a good foundation was laid, and selections made from the works of such writers as Scott, Thackeray, Lytton or Dickens. He paid a high tribute to the ladies for their activity in helping with the undertaking, and having been handed a key by the chairman of trustees, Mr W Smith senior, he unlocked the door, declared the hall open, and wished them every success.
Ref: The Register (Adelaide) 22-2-1902