Working Bee

Dear Friends of the Hall,

This year has certainly flown, and Christmas is just around the corner! So, it is time to polish up the hall, assemble the tree & prepare for Yuletide festivities!

This Saturday 23/11, from 10am till 12 noon, we’ll be having our annual working bee!

If you have any time to spare to help with tidying up the garden and general spring cleaning, it would be greatly appreciated!

Bring along a pair of gloves, a garden tool and a smile to make the hall beautiful for the festive season.

Looking forward to seeing you soon.

Condolences to the Scott Family.

Dear Friends of Mount Eccles Hall,

It is with great sadness that we recognise the passing of Lois Scott.

Lois was born in the area and spent a great deal of her life here after spending some time away. Lois was featured a few years ago at our Light Up the Mount event as one of the people who has made the Hall a vibrant centre of community activity.

Lois has always supported events at the Hall and spent some time on the Hall Committee. We will miss her and her fabulous sponges!

Our best wishes, thoughts and prayers go to her family at this sad time.

The Good News and The Bad News...

SAVE THIS DATE - October 5th!!

This update brings you good news and bad news! The GOOD NEWS is that we have secured our local music maestro, DJ Marco for the Best of British Dance Night...woo hoo!

Are you a fan of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Yardbirds, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Tom Jones, The Sex Pistols, The Cure, Eurythmics, Culture Club, Def Leppard, Amy Winehouse, The Spice Girls, Adele, Ed Sheeran, George Michael, Rod Stewart, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Clash, The Kinks, T-Rex, Radiohead, Florence & the Machine, Sam Smith, Robbie Williams, Elton John, Oasis, The Police, Sting, Wet Wet Wet, Dire Straits, The Who or The Electric Light Orchestra, just to name a few?

Do you like to dance or sing along? Then this is a date you need to save.

Saturday, 5 October from 7pm.

Best of British Dance Night

Mount Eccles Hall

DJ Marco will select music from the past 5 or 6 decades that illustrates the best of British rock’n’roll, pop music, folk music and maybe even some heavy metal.

Please consider dressing for the occasion – as your favourite British singer/band member, in the fashion of the decade you most love, in the Union Jack or ANY British icon (e.g. The Beckhams, the Vicar of Dibley, The Young Ones, Monty Python legends, etc. Who knows, even the King or Queen may grace us with their presence!)

And there will be prizes!

With warmer weather in October, the opportunity to catch up with friends and neighbours, and perhaps do a lap of the dance floor, this occasion will be great evening to gather on the mount.

The BAD NEWS is that the Light Up the Mount Casserole Night on Saturday, 3 August is now CANCELLED. Due to circumstances beyond the control of the Hall Committee, it has been decided to cancel this event.

We hope that you will join in the fun on October 5 to make up for the disappointment of the cancelled event.

More information about the dance night, Footy night, Treccles and Christmas on the Mount will be passed on when available. Look out for this via email updates or join us on our Facebook page.

Barn Dance boot scoot & boogie!

“A stomping good time of line dancing and boot scooting” was how locals described the recent Barn Dance at Mount Eccles Hall.

Amidst hats, gingham tablecloths and checked shirts, approximately 70 adults and children from the community of Mount Eccles gathered for an evening of family fun. Both newcomers to the area and long-time residents attended.  While some (both young and old) tripped over their toes, others kicked up their heels in perfect time to the beat.

The Barn Dance was generously supported by the South Gippsland Shire Council Community Gathering Fund in response to the June 2021 storm event. An earlier opportunity to hold this community get-together was not possible due to COVID restrictions, and other planned Hall events.

Local resident Mark Marbani was the DJ for the evening, with locals leading the dance steps and keeping everyone in line.

“The hills were certainly alive with the sound of music and boots on the Hall floor”, said Nikki Williams, President of the Mount Eccles Hall committee. “The community had a fabulous time, and thanks to the Council, it was a great way to bring us all together not only after last year’s storm events but also after easing of COVID restrictions.”

Community Grants Presentation Night

The Mount Eccles Hall committee received a certificate of congratulations from the South Gippsland Shire Council (SGSC) Mayor and Councillors at a recent Community Grants Presentation Night.

The certificate acknowledged the Hall committee’s success in receiving funding for a publicly accessible defibrillator as part of the Hall’s community safety project. This funding was matched by an in-kind donation from the Victoria Farmers Federation for a Farm Safety talk, which was also part of the project.

Community groups from across SGSC received a total of $222,329.00 as part of the SGSC’s 2021/22 Community Grants Program.

Receiving the certificate on behalf of the Mount Eccles Hall committee are: Nikki and Merv Williams, and Christine and David Corbidge.

Light Up the Mount, 2022

Another wonderful Light up the Mount evening was had by all attendees on Saturday evening up at the Hall. Delicious food, delightful company, lucky-dip prizes & of course, the shining of the light on one of our long standing community members, Lois Scott.

Thank you to all who came along, and we look forward to kicking up our heels with you in September for our Barn Dance!

Mount Eccles celebrates ABC’s 90th anniversary

Mount Eccles Hall celebrated the 90th anniversary of the ABC in appreciation of its role in keeping regional communities informed and entertained. The centrepiece of the Hall’s tribute to Australia’s national broadcaster was a cake portraying a film strip of historic photos from Mount Eccles Hall.  

Established in 1905, the Mount Eccles Hall is the hub of the community; a place for social connection, celebrations, events, and sharing information, in much the same way as the ABC has been since 1932. Approximately, 20 people from the local community joined the celebration, singing ‘happy birthday’ to the ABC before cutting the Mud cake - appropriate in South Gippsland at this time of year! The neighbouring Hallston, Mount Eccles, Wild Dog Valley Rural Fire Brigade was also in attendance, recognising the ABC’s valuable role during emergency incidents.  

“The Mount Eccles Hall committee was very keen to bring the community together to celebrate the ABC’s 90 years and the role it has in our rural area”, said Nikki Williams, president of the Mount Eccles Hall.

Local designer, Teresa Saviane enthusiastically met the challenge of decorating a cake in tribute to the ABC. In conjunction with local historian Pat Spinks, they sourced photos depicting various Hall events. The photos were reduced, printed on edible frosting, then wrapped around the cake in a ‘film strip’ - linking to the theme of ABC television - and ending at the top of the cake with an historic picture of the Hall.

The idea of celebrating the ABC’s anniversary was suggested by the South Gippsland Shire Council (SGSC) Community Strengthening Team which convenes the Halls Network. This unique network is a forum for sharing information and resources amongst the 46 Halls across the hills of South Gippsland, owned either by SGSC or the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP). “The community is very proud of the Mount Eccles Hall; it has a special place in our lives, just like the ABC! said Nikki Williams.

Chats on the Mount, with Christine Corbidge

Introducing our new initiative:

‘Chats on the Mount’, with Christine Corbidge.

We have so many interesting, informative and long standing community members, who can share a wealth of expertise, experience and history.

For instance, Lois Scott, who has lived here her whole life, and has seen many events and defining moments unfold.

Join us next month at the Hall for our Light up the Mount event to see this recorded interview and enjoy a celebratory get together, dinner and dessert.

Put it in your diaries: Saturday 16th of July, 6.30pm.