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-	<big>'''Welcome to 150 years of local Goverment in Orange City'''</big>	+	[[File:090766_11280A_Amoco_Normie_edited.jpg|Normie Rowe plays to a packed house on 9 July 1966. Photograph courtesy Orange and District Historical Society, CWD Collection.]]
-	'''Message from the Mayor'''
-	On the 18th of February 1860, a group of residents gathered for the first meeting of the [[Orange Municipal Council]]. The meeting was held in the then [[Court House]] and was presided over by the Chairman, [[John Peisley]] with Councillors [[John Woodward]], [[George McKay]], [[William Dale]], [[Dennis Hanrahan]] and [[William Tucker Evans]] in attendance. Crown Solicitor, [[George Colquhoun]] was appointed Council Clerk and Messer’s [[James Dalton]] and [[Patrick Kenna]] were appointed as auditors.
-	The names read like a [[street directory]] of today’s city. The [[rates]] for that first Council year were £265. The [[population]] back then was '''500''' and there were barely '''90 houses'''. I am sure Chairman Peisley and his colleagues had the future of Orange in mind as they met. I am equally sure these gentlemen would be amazed just how far Orange has come with a population of '''38,000 and 13,000 homes'''.
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-	As we '''celebrate 150 years of local government in Orange''', it is worth reflecting on the role councils over the years have played in how a village evolved into a thriving regional city. A photo in the excellent book ''Orange—A Vision Splendid'' illustrates just how much we have changed and how far we have come. It shows a group of '''30 or 40 men''' (and they are all men), many bearded and waistcoated and all with hats, at the opening of the [[Orange water supply at Gosling Creek]] on the 8th of October 1890. The project cost £32,688 and it was opened by NSW Governor, [[Lord Carrington]]. The photo is dripping with nostalgia. You get a sense of a group proud of an achievement in modernising their town.
-	Fast-forward 109 years to the opening of the [[Blackmans Swamp Stormwater Harvesting]] on the 27th of August 2009. There were no Lords present but again the [[photos]] and footage of the day show a sense of achievement and optimism among those present. It would be fascinating to glimpse how the harvesting project will be viewed when the 300-year celebrations of local government take place in Orange in the year 2160.
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-	While the two opening ceremonies are separated by more than a century, they are linked by more than just water. They show a continuing thread of local government providing for the future and responding to challenges. This principle has been replicated across the city and across the last 150 years with facilities such as the [[Town Hall]] in Anson Street (1888), the [[Olympic Pool]] (1956), the [[Orange Regional Library]] and [[Gallery]] (1986), the [[Sir Neville Howse Stadium]] at [Anzac Park] (2009), [[Cook Park]] (1873), [[Robertson Park]] and the [[Botanic Gardens]] (1982), just to name a few. These are some of the tangible markers of local government. It hasn’t been all about bricks and mortar. Council first employed a [[street sweeper]] back in 1872. Today there is a staff of more than 400 providing a broad range of [[services]].
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-	It is also notable that while local government has played a major role in the development of the city, it is just one element of the [[Orange story]]. Long before [[John Peisley]] chaired that first meeting, the region was home to the [[Wiradjuri people]]. That indigenous heritage and continuing presence are part of what shapes Orange.
-	The presence of [[gold]], from the first payable discovery at [[Ophir]] in [1851] to continuing mining operations in the [[Cadia Valley]] today, has carried great weight. Horticulture has been a common theme from the first [[orchard]] believed to have been planted in the Orange district in 1850s to the region’s growing reputation today as a [[food and wine destination]]. From a strong [[migrant]] Irish Catholic community in the 1840s through to today’s newly arrived Sudanese families, the people who have chosen Orange as home have made their mark. It has been a fascinating 150 years and with my fellow Councillors, Council staff and the [[Orange community]], I look forward to the chapters ahead.	+	== A Shining Example of Community Collaboration==
-	Cr John Davis
-	Mayor of Orange
-	[[Category:Churches of Orange]]	+	The concept of the [[Amoco Hall]] was first mentioned at a meeting at the [[Ophir Motel]] when Mr [[Ernest Tilston]] ‘sold’ the idea of a public hall to the then Deputy Mayor, Alderman [[Ron Hill]].
-	[[Category:Mayors of Orange]]	+
-	[[Category:Parks and gardens of Orange]]	+
		+	Strangely enough the meeting was supposed to discuss the formation of a Bowling Club for proposed bowling greens that the [[Amoco Oil Company]] had agreed to help finance in exchange for the lease of the land on [[Bathurst Road]] on  which their service station was built.Alderman Hill promised to solicit the support of the Mayor, Alderman [[Clive  Hamer]], and if [[Orange City Council]] agreed to a a public hall instead of a bowling green an approach would be made to the directors of the Amoco Oil Company to devote their lease money to the construction of the building.
-	[[church gallery]]	+	Mayor Hamer and Mr Tilston had little difficulty in persuading Amoco and the Mayor was impressed with the need for a community centre. By this time Mr Tilston had secured the full support of the [[Orange Sports and Social Club]] and a not-for-profit company was to be formed to construct the hall. The Club agreed to raise funds and with Mr Tilston’s enthusiasm support began to roll in. The Orange Sports and Social Club raised money, tradesmen promised their labour and good second- hand material was purchased.
		+
		+	But of course like most worthwhile projects there were the ‘knockers’. Letters against the project were written and published in the ''[[Central Western Daily]]''. People who promised support suddenly lost interest. Doubts were raised whether voluntary work could be organised and whether sufficient loan funds would be forthcoming. These objections were overcome and with voluntary help and the use of second-hand material the building was eventually completed for £60,000. One of the early supporters who gave much moral and financial support was Mr [[Geoff Murray]]. The architect, Mr [[F Graf]] donated a large portion of his fees.
		+
		+	The opening of the Hall on 10 June 1965 soon convinced everyone that this was a much needed amenity.On the opening night in June 1965 there was a hugely successful ball complete with live dance band (the Merry Makers).The next evening [[Stomp City]], Orange's answer to Surf City in Sydney - began its amazing run as the town's major weekend entertainment. Three bands - Buddy and the Hermits, the Mystery Men and the Ravens - did half hour stints in turn to keep the dancers happy from 12 noon to 12 midnight. None of the musicians accepted pay that weekend, and neither did the hall staff - the entire proceeds were ploughed back into hall improvements.

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Current revision as of 03:41, 15 April 2021

A Shining Example of Community Collaboration

The concept of the Amoco Hall was first mentioned at a meeting at the Ophir Motel when Mr Ernest Tilston ‘sold’ the idea of a public hall to the then Deputy Mayor, Alderman Ron Hill.

Strangely enough the meeting was supposed to discuss the formation of a Bowling Club for proposed bowling greens that the Amoco Oil Company had agreed to help finance in exchange for the lease of the land on Bathurst Road on which their service station was built.Alderman Hill promised to solicit the support of the Mayor, Alderman Clive Hamer, and if Orange City Council agreed to a a public hall instead of a bowling green an approach would be made to the directors of the Amoco Oil Company to devote their lease money to the construction of the building.

Mayor Hamer and Mr Tilston had little difficulty in persuading Amoco and the Mayor was impressed with the need for a community centre. By this time Mr Tilston had secured the full support of the Orange Sports and Social Club and a not-for-profit company was to be formed to construct the hall. The Club agreed to raise funds and with Mr Tilston’s enthusiasm support began to roll in. The Orange Sports and Social Club raised money, tradesmen promised their labour and good second- hand material was purchased.

But of course like most worthwhile projects there were the ‘knockers’. Letters against the project were written and published in the Central Western Daily. People who promised support suddenly lost interest. Doubts were raised whether voluntary work could be organised and whether sufficient loan funds would be forthcoming. These objections were overcome and with voluntary help and the use of second-hand material the building was eventually completed for £60,000. One of the early supporters who gave much moral and financial support was Mr Geoff Murray. The architect, Mr F Graf donated a large portion of his fees.

The opening of the Hall on 10 June 1965 soon convinced everyone that this was a much needed amenity.On the opening night in June 1965 there was a hugely successful ball complete with live dance band (the Merry Makers).The next evening Stomp City, Orange's answer to Surf City in Sydney - began its amazing run as the town's major weekend entertainment. Three bands - Buddy and the Hermits, the Mystery Men and the Ravens - did half hour stints in turn to keep the dancers happy from 12 noon to 12 midnight. None of the musicians accepted pay that weekend, and neither did the hall staff - the entire proceeds were ploughed back into hall improvements.