23/08/2026
COOROY Memorial Hall’s 100th Anniversary celebrations filled the street during an afternoon of fun events, dancing, heritage displays and storytelling, attracting Cooroy families like the Bonnells, Christensens, Diamonds, Robinsons and Dwyers to name a few.
The celebrations were the idea of the volunteer hall committee, with a minute taken to acknowledge principal organiser Amy Dwyer who passed away during preparation for the event. Lea Taylor’s team stepped up to organise.
The story of the Cooroy Memorial Hall is, in many ways, the story of Cooroy itself: practical, determined and generous.
Following the First World War, Cooroy residents wanted to honour the local men who had served, including those who would never return.
By 1918, fundraising was underway, and in 1919 the community resolved to build both a monument and a memorial hall. The Wide Bay Dairy Company donated £100—a very substantial contribution at the time.
The community raised funds through bazaars, socials, dances and donations of both money and materials. The Cooroy nurses even donated £12 from their annual fees.
The proposed hall had a very clear purpose: to honour the fallen, provide a meeting place for returned soldiers, and serve the sporting and social life of the community.
Plans by Mr W. Fenwick were approved by Council in 1925. Construction progressed under builder Fred Fenwick, assisted by yet another round of community fundraising—including a Queen competition organised by the Women’s Guild.
The Hall was dedicated on 15 August 1926 and officially opened five days later by Major E Costello DSO. Committee president Mr Archdall described its completion as:
“…an epoch in the history of the town… an edifice which would in a manner honour the memory of those who had done their duty, and, unfortunately, would not return.”
For the next nine decades, the Hall did precisely what its founders intended; It hosted films, dances and balls, wedding receptions, school concerts, church services, sporting activities, markets, public meetings, polling booths and ANZAC services.
But by November 2015, serious health and safety concerns forced the Hall to close. For a time, its future was uncertain.
Then Cooroy did what Cooroy does best: the community rolled up its sleeves.
In 2016, the Cooroy Community Memorial Hall Action Group formed. Council agreed to accept trusteeship of the land, and community consultation helped establish a pathway forward. In January 2017, local media reported that 50 passionate residents gathered at Cooroy Library, determined to rebuild and reopen their Hall.
That was not merely public consultation—it was a declaration that the community was not prepared to let this place disappear.
The Cooroy Memorial Hall Association then undertook the demanding work of managing and financing an extensive restoration.
The structural repairs and renovations were estimated at around $384,000, addressing the roof structure and modern fire and safety requirements.
With support from Noosa Council, Bendigo Bank, local businesses, tradespeople, community organisations and volunteers, the Hall reopened on 21 April 2018. Bendigo Bank contributed $50,000, but the restoration depended equally on the time, expertise, materials and sheer persistence contributed across the community.
The Association itself described how it had worked tirelessly for 12 months to manage and pay for the renovations.
Since reopening, the Hall has again hosted concerts, exhibitions, dances, meetings and civic events.
It welcomed the Festival of Small Halls in 2021, 2022, 2023 and again in 2025—described by the festival as a hall refurbished with “old time community love.”
That phrase captures its story beautifully.
This building is important not simply because it is old, but because every generation has found a reason to care for it.
The people of the 1920s raised money to build it. Later generations repaired, re-roofed and re-stumped it. The community of 2016 refused to surrender it. Volunteers, businesses and governments worked together to restore it.
And today, people keep it alive by walking through its doors.
The best memorial is not an empty building preserved behind a fence. It is a place where remembrance continues alongside music, meetings, celebration and community life.
For that we have the volunteer hall committee and the Cooroy community itself to thank.
Cooroy Memorial Hall was built to honour service—and it was saved through service.
May it remain both the memory and the meeting place of Cooroy for the next hundred years.
August 22, 2026
