Facts and Figures

Some facts about the hall...

Total cost of the hall in 1953 was 7 252 pounds, half the cost was covered by the Government subsidy.

200 folding chairs cost 1 pound, 6 shillings, three pence each.

Electric heaters were installed in the early 1960's.

Storeroom and playgroup room were added in 1986.

The toilets were renovated, roof replaced, exterior and interior painted in the 1990's.

2015-6 Major renovation of the Hall

History of the Hall

Oropi Hall and Oropi school have been inexplicitly linked from the the early days. Oropi School opened in 1899 in the Kensington family house behind Oropi Rural Meats. It closed in 1902. In 1905 the Oropi settlers built a school at Tururu on the corner of Glue Pot and Oropi Gorge Roads on a piece of land donated by Mr J. Seales. Soon after this the settlers built a Hall upon the present Hall site. The land was given by Mrs Blundell on condition there was no charge for church or school functions.

Timber for the first hall was donated by the Gamman brothers from their Mill and it was built by voluntary labour. The hall supper room became a school room for three days a week, with two days at Tururu. Soon the Tururu schoolroom became too small so it was closed and the Hall supper room became Oropi School with the occasional

overflow into the Hall. In 1934 a two-roomed school was opened on the present Oropi School site.

Church services were held in the Hall from its earliest days. Denominations included Church of England, Baptist, Methodist, Salvation Army, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic. An inter-denominational Sunday school was held at the school from the 1930s.

The second Hall was built from timber donated by the Cambie Mill and again built by voluntary labour, especially by Mr Benson, a retired builder. The second Hall burned down and the Oropi Memorial Hall was built in 1953 with a grant from the government as a memorial to the soldiers of both World Wars. The timber for the third hall was given by Mr A Seales and his workmen gave their labour for free.

In 1976 Oropi Playgroup was begun by a mum who was missing adult company. The group met at each other’s homes and as numbers grew they progressed to meeting at the Hall. In 1986 the group fundraised hard and were able to build the playgroup attachment to the Hall.

The current Oropi Memorial Hall and Community Centre was opened in 2016. The project was overseen by local builder Alan Hartwell, designed by Gavin Pendergrast, and built by Hawes Building Solutions.