The Snowy Mountains village of Thredbo has received nearly $250,000 to help build a new Community Hall which will serve as a memorial to those who were lost in the landslide of 30 July this year. To be located near the church at the western end of the village, the hall will house Thredbo’s only year-round preschool facility; be a venue for social, sport and recreational groups; and generally offer the residents an informal, personal place to hold meetings and other gatherings.
Federal Member for Eden-Monaro, Gary Nairn has presented a cheque on behalf of the Federal Government to the Thredbo community for $100,000. Administered under the Local Government Development Program, the money will supplement nearly $100,000 already raised through voluntary contributions, and a further $55,000 grant from the NSW State Government.
The Federal contribution, announced by the Prime Minister in his special address to Parliament on 25 August 1997, is in response to a recommendation from the Thredbo Recovery Coordination Committee that construction of a new community hall would help the village cope with the grieving.
Mr Nairn said the project is an important part of the healing process for the community and that he is honoured to have been part of the symbolic ‘turning of the sod’ ceremony for the long-awaited hall. Community Hall committee president Dr Steve Breathour, pictured here with Gary Nairn MP, said the project would provide a very real means of helping the community to move forward while still being able to remember those lost in the tragedy.
Building approvals for the hall are expected within the next few weeks and the project should be finished well before next winter.
