Know your town

Meeting places

The district’s first meeting places were the Waihinga and Huangarua Homesteads as these had stables and a well so plenty of water and a canoe for river crossings. The first Bush Inns and Hotels also provided these plus accommodation along with a Public Room for meetings. These were used for everything from social gatherings to inquests and law enforcements.

The Presbyterian Church built in 1811 as a place of worship was also used for meetings and as the first school from 1872 until a permanent school was built in  1875. This school was also used for the Anglican service every other Sunday until 1883.

As Waihenga grew so did the need for a designated public building. Somewhere where auctions of goods and animals could be held, meeting rooms for the likes of the Rabbit and Highway Boards or political meetings. Or to organise the Race Meetings, ploughing matches etc. The Gent’s Club was meeting at Mr Campbell’s house and the Library was at Mr Green’s.

John Martin’s sections coming on  the market added to a town already on the move and an even greater need for a public hall. Meetings were being held in stores, barns and lofts. Mr Bright suggested that the old Smithy could be  rented and done up as a hall. This was tried with a Ball being held which attracted twenty couples and proved the Smithy’s to be too small. 

At a public meeting in 1885 it was estimated that the  town’s inhabitants were capable of raising five hundred pounds ( 2018 = $97,038) through one pound shares and that there was a suitable section at 22 Weld Street. A second ‘packed out’ meeting was held the following year of which the newspaper reported: ‘ Residents need a hall that is comfortable, central, suitable for meetings, Balls, entertainments, Quadrille assemblies etc.’

Nothing more is reported until two years later  it was announced that: ‘George Pain is to erect a Public Hall in Martinborough on section 459. It is to be completed in ten weeks.’- they didn’t mess around in those days. Sure enough the Hall was officially opened on New Year’s Day 1889.

The Hall, owned by George Pain and Mr Green, was let  at no charge  for fund raising events such as for a new piano, or new Presbyterian Church “ What goes around comers around”. Later papers gave very good reports on the Town Hall being regularly used. One such being roller skating which was very popular with the Hall being open for and very busy with this most days.

It was fortunate that Messers Pain and Green came to the rescue as Martinborough did not have a council to arrange a loan and  building a hall – being a ward of Greytown until 1905. Featherston Council had built a Town Hall by raising a loan with a special three quarter of a penny in the pound rate to cover it.  In 1912 the then formed Martinborough Council built the Town Hall raising  a loan at an eighth of a penny in the pound over forty four years to cover it.

Mate Higginson

Highlight: The Hall was let at no charge  for fund raising events.

Photo caption (a) A 1894 Ball ticket , the five shilling cost equates to  $48 today. At two shillings and sixpence the ladies’ ticket cost half the price.

(b) The Hall photographed during the 1982  Centenary celebrations