Refurbishing a 1960s style hall to fit the needs of a community at the start of the new millennium has resulted in a number of practical and financially positive outcomes for Wyndham City Council. It will also mean that the inadequate and unused former Centenary Hall will be a part of a new Community Cultural Centre, the jewel in the crown of Werribee’s newly revitalised CBD.
Spokesman Councillor David McLaren said Council faced a number of issues, including how to best use the resources available to accommodate a broad range of community needs.
“We considered a number of options and looked for the most suitable, financially viable response to our community’s needs,” Councillor McLaren said.
The $5 million Wyndham Community Cultural Centre will be a multipurpose community facility. The centre includes a 480 seat theatre to accommodate the performing arts, musical recitals, conferences, speech nights and dance exhibitions; an art gallery; a 60 seat café; a ‘Wyndham Hall of Fame’, as well as a visitor information centre and office facilities. Also included will be the CBD library which will be relocated to the new Centre, providing a more modernised and bigger facility.
“The Community Cultural Centre covers a range of needs,” Councillor McLaren said.
“We currently lease the building that the library is located in, so there will be a cost saving by relocating. Council’s Economic Development Division will also relocate to the Centre and while the building it is currently in is Council owned, it will be surplus to our needs and we will place it on the market.”
While it will serve a number of practical purposes, the Centre will also feature a magnificent 22m long and 2m wide art glass ceiling. The beautiful piece tells the story of Wyndham, and how it evolved from a fertile natural habitat into an area supporting a present-day community of many cultures.
Glass artist Pam Stadus created the ceiling, entitled ‘Cultural River’. Pam was selected on the basis of her previous successful work on the chosen theme, and her creative experience with glass art. The piece is a collaborative effort and Pam is working with local community groups, a glass fabricator and the centre’s Project Control Group in the development, construction and installation of the work. Incorporated in the piece are works by local community representatives, including Koori groups.
It includes texture maps, script language and photos, which will be projected by natural light onto the interior walls. The work is intended to imitate the nearby Werribee River, by capturing and reflecting the moving ‘river of light’ as it travels through its daylight path and fills the interior space.
The Cultural Centre’s opening is scheduled for March 2001.
