Audrey Kapernick, centre, lived across the road from the hall for 68 years but these days is in Castra in Murgon … she’s pictured with daughter Gayle Reid, from Bundaberg, and daughter-in-law Bev Kapernick, Tablelands

April 7, 2025

Is it Tableland or Tablelands? This was the question no one seemed to be able to answer definitively at the recent Hall Centenary held in the small rural area just north of Murgon.

The hall is definitely “The Tableland Hall” (both the signs outside say that!) but Google Maps calls it “Tablelands”, and when residents checked their driver’s licences, they also found “Tablelands” printed on them.

Older residents swear it’s “Tableland”, but a search later on an official State Government website again brought up “Tablelands”, but with no information available about the origin of the place name!

But whatever the name, Tableland(s) has a proud history which residents were eager to celebrate at the Tableland Hall Centenary on March 29.

Unfortunately, heavy rain prevented some of the scheduled entertainers from making the journey back for the event but there were still plenty of current and former residents on hand to swap memories.

And the rain hanging around did not scare off members of the Goomeri Chrome Bumpers car club who parked a display of vehicles outside the hall.

Inside, there were tables packed with memorabilia, including old minutes books, photographs, newspaper clippings and farm equipment.

Tableland Hall Committee president Ross Wessling acknowledged the vision of the farming families who came together in 1925 to build a hall.

It went on to become the hub of the community, hosting many dances over the years.

The first dance was held in September 1925 … but the hall had no roof yet as there were no walls to hold it up.

Sadly, that wasn’t last time that the hall had no roof.

Ross related what happened in January 1983 when a storm hit and “blew the building apart”.

“Such was the community spirit that once again the local farmers and residents got together and rebuilt with an extension added,” he said.

In about 2010, the hall again found itself at risk with the number of committee members dwindling, and there was talk of closure.

But after a public meeting was called, a new committee was formed and now 28 local families are members.

South Burnett Mayor Kathy Duff said the hall’s centenary was an amazing milestone.

She said it didn’t really matter if it was “Tableland” or “Tablelands” as it was a special place for a special celebration of one hundred years.

Tableland Hall Committee president Ross Wessling, secretary Rachel Jolley and vice-president Scott Kapernick were working hard to make the centenary celebration a big success
Val and Harry Pickering, from Bell … Harry, a former Tablelands resident, helped to cut the cake and also performed some bush poetry
Goomeri Chrome Bumpers members Greg Kapernick, Tablelands, and Mark Kunde, Murgon, with Margaret and Gary Long, from Murgon
Glenn Mitchell, Tablelands; Gavin Rewald, Murgon; and Maureen Mitchell, Tablelands

Nanango musician Ken Hall sang several songs on stage before the official opening

Margaret Rhodes, Nanango, with Fiona Jaensch, Tablelands
Marc Bell, from Oakdale (just down the hill from Tablelands), with his 1927 Chevrolet
South Burnett Mayor Kathy Duff with Lorraine Shaw (nee Kapernick), from Bundaberg
Cr Heath Sander, his wife Rowena and volunteers Nicky Watkins and Jackie Wilson were working the food van outside the hall
Leigh Dudgeon, Murgon; Cr Heath Sander, Mayor Kathy Duff, Cr Linda Little, Troy Dennien, from Windera; Josh Steinhardt, Murgon; and Tony Kucks, Murgon
Harry Pickering, whose father was secretary of the first Hall Committee (and donated some of the crows ash for the floor) and former Hall Committee president Neil Collard cut the Centenary cake
Harry Pickering shared some bush poetry favourites from the stage, including “Clancy of The Overflow”
Copies of some of the Minutes from the first meetings of the Hall Committee in 1925
Drinks orders for the Tableland Hall in 1929 … beer was the obvious favourite!
Some of the old farming bits and pieces on display inside the hall
Old photos and musical instruments from a bygone era
The Tableland Hall … one of the two signs outside which spell it this way!

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