Acknowledging past volunteers – the lifeblood of the Hall

Published on 01 March 2024

Last month, the Hall hosted a gathering in honour of the remarkable dedication of Louise Rawson-Harris and Mark Willis, who tirelessly managed the Bellingen Memorial Hall (BMH) from 1995-2018, alongside their incredible volunteer committee.

Homage was paid by all those gathered, with Louise’s outstanding contributions summarized in a warm-hearted speech given by Seth Jordan. Previous committee chair Mark Oliver reflected that, improvements made under Louise and Mark’s tenure transformed BMH from a basic country hall into a cutting-edge performance facility that could accommodate any type of performance or event.

Another past committee member, Annie Arnold remarked that Louise’s leadership and drive were an inspiration to local women working in the events industry.

Roughly 10 years into Lousie’s 23-year voluntary stewardship of the Hall, she was joined by her partner Mark Willis, who looked after sound, lighting equipment and other infrastructure, while Lousie focused on administration and applying for grants.

Along with their management committee, they curated shows and exhibitions, facilitated hires, organised working bees and supervised a grant-funded installation of sound baffles, PA and multimedia equipment, theatre lighting, a kitchen, an air conditioning system, painting of the entire building and replacement of the main roof and guttering! All up, over the years they successfully applied for and dispersed $500,000 in grants on behalf of the community for the Hall’s upkeep and development.

Louise, Mark, and their loved ones were joined on this special occasion by Council staff members and Deputy Shire Mayor Councillor Ellie Tree, who delivered an acknowledgement and thanks on behalf of the community. A plaque honouring the hard work of these volunteers has been erected in the Hall foyer.

Commenting on seeing her name on the plaque, Louise quipped, “I’ve been immortalised!”

While acknowledging that I have big shoes to fill, I was chuffed to report to this assembly of passionate Hall supporters that the venue hosted a whopping 220 bookings in the second half of 2023 and that, in line with the 3-tiered pricing system, Council subsidised 86% of rentals in the same period. In supporting community and not-for-profit activities, the Hall is truly living up to its reputation as a community cultural hub.

Can anyone live up to the example set by Louise and Mark? Maybe not, but I’m going to give it a red-hot go.