December 19, 2024
The community-led project to save the historic Kumbia Hall passed a major milestone on Thursday with concrete being poured to finish the installation of another 56 stumps.
With the completion of Stage 2, there’s just one more stage to go: Stage 3 which comprises 96 stumps under the supper hall.
The Kumbia & District Memorial School of Arts was built in 1922 and is the much-loved and much-used heart of the Kumbia community.
But the building had begun to show its age with failing stumps causing the floor to warp.
The Kumbia Hall Committee was warned that unless something was done urgently, the building could reach a crisis point by Christmas.
The task was enormous, to replace more than 230 wooden stumps with adjustable metal versions, concreted into place.
Local resident Gordon Coward came up with the idea of inviting people to “Buy A Stump”, and the Hall Committee set a goal of $200,000.
Letters were sent to residents seeking support and a public appeal was officially launched at Kumbia’s “Christmas In July” celebration.
Since then, an amazing $115,000 has been raised, with small and large private donations from individuals and organisations being complemented by other fundraising activities and sponsorship from Stanwell, Coopers Gap Wind Farm and RES.
Even the old stumps have been put to good use, with some turned into bird feeders and pot plant stands and sold at the recent Kumbia Christmas Carnival.
The first stump was removed on October 23 and by the end of November, Stage 1 has been completed with 80 of the most critical stumps removed and replaced.
The work is difficult, dirty and dangerous with tradies spending hundreds of hours clambering around underneath the building.
Wade Frahm, from principal contractor Frahm Engineering Group at Wyalla, said he wanted to give a big shoutout to three of his team who had “absolutely slaughtered themselves” to beat the rain: Riley Lee, Lachlan Stone and Lane Nash.
On Thursday morning, the Frahm team had an extra job to do before concreting could start … pump out the muddy water from the site after the overnight deluge.
Bill Steffensen, from the Hall Committee, said all the contractors were based locally.
As well as Frahm Engineering, there were Nanango-based Wil-Pump Concrete and Holcim Concrete, and Wards Electrical, from Kingaroy.
“We’re setting the hall up for another 100 years,” Bill said.
“We are really, really grateful for the support we have received.”
But with still almost half of the stumps yet to be replaced, fundraising is still continuing.
All donors who give $500 or more to the project will be acknowledged on a plaque inside the hall.
- More information about how to make a donation is available by contacting Bill by email
