A $1 million grant from Central Lakes Trust – Queenstown’s third million dollar grant from the trust – is a “huge step on the way" to a proposed $2.56million upgrade and facelift of Queenstown Memorial Hall.

Announcing the grant today (Thursday, November 3), Central Lakes Trust chair Sir Eion Edgar said his fellow trustees unanimously supported their significant contribution to what was "an excellent and well presented community project".

Central Lakes Trust’s previous million dollar grants were to Alpine Aqualand and Wakatipu Trails Trust.

Among the Hall upgrade proposal’s major changes are a new external foyer and extended lobby, removal of the mezzanine, significant structural strengthening, raising the stage roof, widening backstage, gaining internal access to the unused downstairs changing rooms, and a new retractable tiered seating system increasing tiered seats from 124 to 172.

A working party - with representatives from the Queenstown Lakes District Council, community, performing arts sector, RSA and conference and events sector - has been "beavering away in the background" on the project since December last year , working party chair Cath Gilmour said.

"It is inescapably time to upgrade our Hall - the rather bedraggled home of so many community celebrations, musical and drama productions, commemorations, amazing school shows, Anzac Day services, festivals, concerts, zumba sessions and social gatherings."

"This superbly generous grant from Central Lakes Trust means that we will be able to transform Queenstown Memorial Hall into the community centrepiece it deserves to be."

The long-term goal remained a purpose-built performance venue, but the fragile economy meant this was not currently a realistic answer to Memorial Hall's shortcomings, Cllr Gilmour said.

"We acknowledge that the Hall will never be a supreme performance venue, but it could be closer to a superb sow’s purse than ragged pig’s ear with some strategic, cost-effective spending on structural and resource improvements.

"Feedback from a broad brush of representative users since February - from schools and the RSA to local and national performance groups, event organisers, backstage crew and the urban design review panel - led to some significant changes to the initial concept." 

Among these is a retractable wall that can be used to create smaller, more flexible performance spaces and conference breakout rooms.

The community will have the opportunity to view plans and tour the Hall to see the proposed changes with working party members this Saturday (November 5) from 11am to 2pm.

Working party member Steve Wilde triggered the proposal with his request for $20,000 to investigate the viability of a Hall upgrade in last year's annual plan after he saw rain falling on RSA president Dave Geddes’s head during the Anzac Day concert. 

“It really did make you wonder about the future of the Hall.  But with the upgrade, it's now going to continue to be exactly what was first envisaged – a living memorial at the centre of community cultural life.”

Mr Geddes, also on the working party, said the Hall would be a far more fitting memorial and more usable, enjoyable community centre.

Fellow working party member and Showbiz Queenstown president Alex Derbie said the raised stage roof and increased stage capacity would get Queenstown back on touring show circuits, as a performance venue with greater flexibility and facility for productions. Creating internal access to the currently unused downstairs changing rooms and creating more wing space will be a “major plus” for performers.

Mayor Vanessa van Uden said councillors had given their unanimous support to the project and $300,000 would be included in next year's Long Term Plan for public consultation.

She said the upgraded Hall would complement the proposed new conference centre by boosting the town’s capacity for smaller conferences, although community use would remain its primary function.

Pending success of the planned community-based fundraising campaign handsomely kick-started by Central Lakes  Trust’s grant, the Hall's transformation will begin in August 2012 and be completed by the end of next year, Cllr Gilmour said.

The working party has prepared a sponsorship package for individuals and businesses to contribute through the Queenstown Memorial Hall Trust, now being formed.

 “We're planning on this being a major community fundraising effort.  Needless to say, we would love to hear from all cultural philanthropists!"

Showbiz Queenstown, QLDC, the RSA, Noel Tapp Designs ,  MacAlister Todd Phillips, Lakes Environmental, Maltbys Ltd, Lakes Leisure, Marshall Day Acoustics, Lewis Bradford and Associates, John Edmonds and Associates, Cooke Consulting, Aurum Surveyors and Wakatipu Rugby Club have already made or pledged contributions to the project.

Showbiz Queenstown, Mr Wilde and fellow working party member Simon Green are organising three fundraising concerts from next February;  Motown, ANZAC Day and “Memorial Hall – This is your life”.  Approaches will also be made to the Community Trust of Southland, New Zealand Lotteries Community Facilities Fund and other funding agencies.

Queenstown Memorial Hall, built in 1959, was last upgraded in 1998. Plans for a purpose-built performance and conference centre on a downtown reserve - talked about since the mid-1980s - were dropped in 2009, primarily because of discomfort over its multi-million dollar cost.

If you have any further queries, please contact Cath Gilmour 4422306/0274900057 or Sir Eion Edgar 021 808099. Further information about the proposal and working party can be found below.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Working party members

• Kylie Britain (Destination Queenstown Conference and Incentive Bureau manager)
• Alex Derbie (construction & property lawyer, director & former acting CEO of Rugby Southland, president Showbiz Queenstown, president Invercargill Musical Theatre, former director of Hong Kong international Airport)
• Dave Geddes (former RNZAF officer, Vietnam veteran, manager New Zealand Antarctic Programme, currently business consultant, president Queenstown RSA)
• Cath Gilmour (QLDC community services committee chair,  journalist, working group chair)
• Simon Green (event organiser, Queenstown Winter Festival manager, Showbiz Queenstown member)
• JD Marrable (Lakes Leisure events and venues manager)
• Jan Maxwell (QLDC arts and events coordinator)
• Margaret O'Hanlon (Queenstown Performing Arts Charitable Trust chair, professional musician, event organiser)
• Angus Welsh, honorary treasurer (QLDC accountant)
• Steve Wilde (Radio New Zealand journalist, Showbiz Queenstown member, RSA member)

Working party objectives

• To upgrade Queenstown Memorial Hall so that it becomes a safer, more versatile, sustainable, comfortable and attractive primary cultural, arts and social venue for the community until Queenstown gets a purpose-built Performance Centre.
• To ensure that it remains a valuable and valid multipurpose secondary venue after this time.
• To make the hall a useable Conference and Incentive venue, to increase its sustainability and value-add to the town.
• To strengthen the hall’s Memorial character, in recognition of the sacrifices made by Wakatipu families to the two World Wars and subsequent wars.
• To, in achieving the above, create an invaluable facility to enrich and enliven our community in cultural, arts, social, recreational, civic and heritage areas.
• To do so as a community-based project, acknowledging that Council funds for such projects are limited.

By: Jo Blick