{"id":356315,"date":"2024-12-19T23:59:31","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T13:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=356315"},"modified":"2024-12-20T18:23:32","modified_gmt":"2024-12-20T08:23:32","slug":"another-milestone-for-kumbia-hall","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2024\/12\/19\/another-milestone-for-kumbia-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"Another Milestone For Kumbia Hall"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sandra and Bill Steffensen, from the Kumbia Hall Committee, with Wade Frahm from the Frahm Engineering Group at Wyalla, the principal contractor for the hall restumping project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

December 19, 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

With the completion of Stage 2, there’s just one more stage to go: Stage 3 which comprises 96 stumps under the supper hall.<\/p>\n

The Kumbia & District Memorial School of Arts was built in 1922 and is the much-loved and much-used heart of the Kumbia community.<\/p>\n

But the building had begun to show its age with failing stumps causing the floor to warp.<\/p>\n

The Kumbia Hall Committee was warned that unless something was done urgently, the building could reach a crisis point by Christmas.<\/p>\n

The task was enormous, to replace more than 230 wooden stumps with adjustable metal versions, concreted into place.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Letters were sent to residents seeking support and a public appeal was officially launched at Kumbia’s “Christmas In July” celebration.<\/p>\n

Since then, an amazing $115,000 has been raised, with small and large donations from individuals and organisations being complemented by other fundraising activities and sponsorship from Stanwell, Coopers Gap Wind Farm and RES.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The first stump was removed on October 23 and by the end of November, Stage 1 had been completed with 80 of the most critical stumps removed and replaced.<\/p>\n

The work is difficult, dirty and dangerous with tradies spending hundreds of hours clambering around underneath the building.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Bill Steffensen, from the Hall Committee, said all the contractors were based locally.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As well as Frahm Engineering, there were Nanango-based Wil-Pump Concrete and Holcim Concrete, and Wards Electrical, from Kingaroy.<\/p>\n

“We’re setting the hall up for another 100 years,” Bill said.<\/p>\n

“We are really, really grateful for the support we have received.”<\/p>\n

But with still almost half of the stumps yet to be replaced, fundraising is still continuing.<\/p>\n

All donors who give $500 or more to the project will be acknowledged on a plaque inside the hall.<\/p>\n