|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
This is the first edition of our new, regular feature: My Local.
A lot of things are happening at Buckland Hall, says committee administrator Fran Farrant.
The hall is a fixture of Logan Road, brought back to life in 2023 after being closed for three years. The hall first closed due to lockdown restrictions and later remained closed due to concerns around its status as an earthquake-prone building (EPB).
Buckland Hall reopened in time to host the township’s Anzac service in 2023.
Buckland is an area of Low Seismic Risk, which means the hall has until February 2056 to comply with the latest building standards.
While documents refer to an earlier hall that was too small, the 1922 hall on its current site burned down in 1932. It was replaced with a concrete block hall, before that building was pulled down to build the 1955 hall. The current hall was designed in the early 1950s and opened in 1955.
It was then extended in 1964, and now includes a main hall and a second smaller hall behind the stage.
A recent set of upgrades, including a new sound system and more toilets, offers more options for the community, she says.
“We held a really successful Halloween event here last year and are planning Franklin’s Got Talent here too.”
The committee’s strategy for the hall’s future is to be a facility that the community wants and needs.
Fran hopes schools, theatre groups, and other community groups will utilise the hall.
In the event of an emergency, Buckland Hall will be stood up as a Community Emergency Hub. These hubs are being set up across the region following Cyclone Gabrielle and with the support of funding from The Cyclone Gabrielle Trust and Auckland Council.
Fran says that during an emergency event, providing internet and power are possible, the main vehicle of communication will be via the Buckland Community Emergency Hub Facebook page, emails from their database, and via the LCD screen mounted on the front of Buckland Hall.
Facts
- Build date: Original building 1922, second hall in 1932, existing hall 1955.
- Materials (1955 hall): Frame is radiata-treated pine, rafters Oregon pine
(Douglas fir) with corrugated cladding and roof. Native timber floors. - The Buckland Hall Committee are Andy Gaul, Robert Watson, Angela Morey (secretary), Matt West, Angela Christy, Ian Farrant (chairperson), Monique Askew, Fran Farrant (administrator), Bob Jones, Richard Seeger, Wallace Bremner, Neville Jamieson (treasurer), and Stuart Howard.
