Nobody was afraid of the mud when local children turned up in droves to ‘make their mark’ on the Denman Memorial Hall.
Muswellbrook Shire Council, New South Wales, invited the community to a ‘rendering event’ so the youngsters could claim a stake in the rebuilding of their much loved hall.
They joined Mayor, Martin Rush, for a talk on the rebuilding project and to cover a portion of the straw bale walls with earth render.
The reconstructed hall will be 100 percent sustainable – thanks in part to the straw bales which form a large part of the building, now adorned with dozens of small handprints.
A viewing panel has been created and features a part of the area rendered by the children.
The contractors responsible for the construction of the straw bales walls embraced the symbolic gesture and helped out at the event by providing buckets of “kid friendly” mud and safety equipment.
While the kids patiently waited for their turn in the mud their parents enjoyed an overview of the project.
The historic hall suffered significant damage from fire in December 2015.
While the interior of the building was extensively damaged the heritage exterior remained structurally sound. The rebuild will see the restoration of the hall into a multi-purpose centre.
