Town Hall project an award finalist

By Zoe McMaugh

May 19, 2023

The Town Hall is a perfect mix of restored historical features and modern architectural elements.

It was many years in the making, and now the work that went into the revitalisation of the Deniliquin Town Hall will be recognised at a state level.

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Edward River Council’s project to bring the historic landmark back to life has been nominated for a NSW Local Government Excellence Award.

The awards night will be hosted in Sydney on June 1.

Council is a finalist is the Assets and Infrastructure section of the awards, for projects valued over $1.5m in communities with a population of less than 150,000.

“It means so much to all our staff that we have been selected as a finalist in these awards,” council CEO Phil Stone said.

“We know the community is proud of the work council has done to bring this icon of Deniliquin back to life, as are our staff, who are an integral part of our local community.

“The support from the community, the mayor and councillors and the hard work of staff, has been pivotal in making the Town Hall revitalisation a successful project.

“To have the project recognised in this way is another testament to the amazing team we have here at Edward River.”

The Deniliquin Town Hall was re-opened in February this year.

The renovation had started more than two years earlier, and the total cost was almost $6 million.

Inside the restored Deniliquin Town Hall.

The building had been closed to the public since 2011 - except for a restricted number of musical performances - due to structural concerns. The stumbling block was a lack of funds available to the council of the day for the massive project.

The Town Hall revitalisation project officially kicked off in 2019 when Edward River Council received funding support from the NSW Government’s Stronger Country Communities Fund.

That initial funding commitment of $1.7 million was enough to get moving on the long-awaited restoration.

Subsequent grant announcements brought the NSW Government’s commitment to the project to $3.86 million.

The remainder of the $5.45 million budget includes $750,000 from Edward River Council and $840,000 from the Federal Government.

The Town Hall we have today perfectly blends old and new, with many of the original features restored or expertly rebuilt and the addition of a glass atrium and courtyard at the new side entrance bringing into yet another new century.

The refurbishment was designed by architect Gerard Brandrick, and the restoration work awarded to Shepparton-based Moretto Building in October 2020.

A number of other businesses, including local businesses, were sub-contracted to work on the project.

Built in the late 1800s, the almost 147 year-old Town Hall retains many of its historic features.

Edward River Council’s project is one of 10 up for the award. Also nominated is Broken Hill City Council, Griffith City Council, Ku-ring-gai Council, Lithgow City Council, Midcoast Council, Orange City Council, Shellharbour City Council, Upper Hunter Shire Council and Waverley Council.