Te Puna Hall centenary celebrations
An exciting family day of activities for all ages has been planned for Saturday 1st October, to celebrate the centenary of the Te Puna Memorial Hall.
The original hall was built in 1922 as a community effort to memorialise those who served and who ended their lives in what was then known as the Great War.
The land for the first hall was donated to the district by the Armstrong family, and the hall itself was built by master builder David Borell, assisted by volunteers from the area who donated labour and materials. A government grant for war memorials that were also community assets was also a big help.
The hall was opened in an important ceremony on 22nd November 1922, with the plaques being unveiled by Mrs Tangitū and Mrs Armstrong.
The old hall had to be demolished to make way for the roundabout at the intersection of Te Puna Road and SH2, and the new hall, which is sited as close as possible to the original, was completed in 2020.
The new hall is purpose-built with a large stage and backstage area, a stateof-the-art kitchen which opens onto a supper room, two additional meeting rooms, full wheelchair access and disabled toilet facilities catering to a wide variety of uses.
The names of all the men from Te Puna who went to both WWI (The Great War) and WWII are listed on the granite plaques mounted in the foyer, with many of their families still living in Te Puna today.
The Te Puna Hall Committee, which is organising the centenary celebrations, welcomes local families to join in the various activities.
There will be something for everyone, including circus activities, a variety of food vendors and an evening cabaret.
The Have a Go Circus starting at 11am, gives people of all ages a chance to participate and will be followed by two performances in the hall by Ringmaster Rowan of Circus in a Flash.
The first performance will be tailored for the younger children, and the second performance for a more general audience.
The evening supper cabaret features The Madeleines performing their ‘Old Hollywood Cabaret’ show. They are a vintage vocal trio with international experience. With beautiful costumes, sophisticated harmonies and tight choreography, tailored to suit the centenary celebrations, these ladies will transport the audience to an era of jazz, swing and glamour.
Attendees are encouraged to get into the spirit of the era and dress in theme.
There will be complimentary bubbles on arrival, a cheese platter and dessert provided by local company Blank Canvas Catering and a cash bar. Tickets are $60 available online as 'Madeleines' on Eventbrite or via Events on tepunahall.nz
More information and updates will be available at www.tepunahall.nz and the Te Puna Community Facebook page.