Member for Bega Andrew Constance announced this week that Central Tilba School of Arts Trust would receive a NSW Government heritage grant to enable the hall acoustics to be upgraded.
The $31,046 grant was one of almost 40 grants awarded under the latest round of the Government’s Heritage Near Me Activation Grants Program.
Mr Constance said this grant will allow installation of acoustic panelling in the large Central Tilba hall, which was built 1911, that fitted will reduce reverberation time sufficiently, to allow clear intelligibility of speech and usability of the Hall as a multi-purpose venue.
“At present the hall is significantly impaired due to poor acoustics, this grant will see it transformed,” Mr Constance said.
“This funding doesn’t only mean we can invest in protecting and preserving our local heritage but it means we’re giving more people the opportunity to appreciate their local history,
“These grants acknowledge and support the vital role owners and managers of locally listed heritage items play in protecting our local heritage.”
The Trust is involved in lots of work at both the Big and Small Halls, including resanding and polishing the floors of both halls, while work continues on the meeting room under the Small Hall.
Heritage Minister Gabrielle Upton said the funding was designed for local government, businesses and community organisations to reactivate and preserve local heritage spaces and precincts.
“This funding will help communities build on the knowledge they have with their heritage. Nobody knows their heritage better than the locals who live and breathe it,” Ms Upton said.
The Heritage Activation Grants, which are part of the Heritage Near Me program, are specifically for items listed on council Local Environmental Plans.
For more information on the Heritage Near Me program, including the Heritage Activation Grant program, visit www.environment.nsw.gov.au/heritage/heritage-support.htm
