Built in the late 1940s, Cobargo's Memorial Hall is long overdue for an upgrade.
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Some 50 Cobargo residents got their first glimpse of what the refurbished RSL Memorial Hall will look like at a community meeting on Saturday, July 23.
Glen Morrison, president of Cobargo RSL sub-branch, said the hall no longer met council requirements around fire regulations, kitchen and bathroom amenities and accessibility.
It meant the RSL could not rent it out to community groups needing a meeting space. Instead, it was leased to a local business for 15 years.
The events of the last two-and-a-half years have demonstrated the need for the hall to be back in community use Mr Morrison said.
A lot of things have fallen into place for this to become a reality.
GIVIT, the national not-for-profit organisation that connects donors to communities in need, introduced PPG, the parent company of Taubmans paint, to the Cobargo community.
As a result Taubmans representative Rachel Lacy became very involved in the hall's restoration, even travelling from Melbourne to attend meetings.
It was Ms Lacy who did the paperwork to support the RSL's application for government funding.
In July 2021 the Australian government's Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources awarded the RSL with a $970,000 grant for the hall's refurbishment.
The CEO of the Australian Institute of Architects also visited Cobargo to meet with Mr Morrison and decided it would like to take on the project pro bono.
So Nigel Dickson of Sydney-based architectural practice Dickson Rothschild is working with the RSL on the hall's design.
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Mr Morrison said the hall will be open to everyone and he would like to see it used by wellness groups such as yoga.
"It will be a major asset for the people of Cobargo," he said.
He said there was considerable community interest in renting the hall and holding markets in the outdoor area.
"Renting out the hall is our only source of income to pay for the hall's maintenance, rates and taxes, and to look after the ex-services personnel and their families," Mr Morrison said.
Work such as upgrading the wiring, and meeting the council's requirements around safety and accessibility, will take priority, while ensuring the ambience of the very popular hall was retained.
Extras such as WiFi and a TV connection may come later.
Donations continue to come in, including Taubmans supplying the paint.
"We are now working through the development application and then preparing the construction site for tender next year," Mr Dickson said.
