Among the charred grounds of the Murrah stands the community hall, its colourful and intact exterior a welcome sight.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Committee members of the Murrah Hall said they were having mixed feelings of relief and shock in the aftermath of the Coolagolite fire, which broke out and spread to surrounding areas including the Murrah in the afternoon of October 3.
"It feels a bit miraculous really," Murrah Hall treasurer Rosie Watt said.
"We had recently celebrated the hall's 120th anniversary, so to see it still standing with all its history is amazing."
"It's history will remain for future generations and this will be a story we can tell, thanks to our wonderful fire brigade members who volunteer their time," she said.
Ms Watt said several of the neighbouring property owners, one of which was a fire fighter, had helped the committee prepare the community hall in the lead up to the fire.
"Over the last year our neighbours have spent a lot of time clearing away all the trees around the fence line, removing any logs and making sure there wasn't any debris lying around," she said.
"We have spent the last few years renovating the hall, putting new weather boards, fresh paint and everything else so there's been a lot of working going into it," she said.
"We then spent that extra time maintaining the land around the hall, which really helped."
Ms Watt said the committee had been worried about more than just the survival of the hall during the fire, with a few members' homes being affected as well.
"A few of the committee members had some pretty hairy situations with their own houses, but thankfully their homes are still standing as well," she said.
We really thought the hall had gone, so to find out that it was all okay, was a really comforting thought, especially that it's like a second home for us.
- Murrah Hall treasurer Rosie Watt
Ms Watt said stepping back and seeing the outcome of the whole situation with the hall having survived, she mostly felt relief.
"Our president has been our there a couple of times since it burnt and I know for him, knowing that it's still there and still a safe place to go to was just a massive relief," she said.
Ms Watt said while some members had been out to check on the property, they weren't able to assess the full damage yet.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.begadistrictnews.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking news and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @Bega_News
- Follow us on Instagram: @begadistrictnews