ANNE Morley has just a few dashes left to make around Victoria as she puts finishing touches to a book on the history of tin halls in country communities.
The retired Gippsland architect has 140 halls to feature in the publication - she started with 40 a decade ago.
“They are the most humble little buildings and unsung heroes,” Anne said.
Her field trips have taken in Derby where Rob Pollock showed her through the now-disused hall on the Calder Highway, attending a trivia night at Dingee and a 50th birthday at Fentons Creek.
Anne made a return visit last month when the Yando Hall was the setting for the district’s Christmas party.
“I first saw a tin hall in the Riverina in 2012 and I have been blown away by them ... they don’t have the elaborate facades that you see on halls in larger towns like Boort,” she said.
Paul Haw shared the story with Anne of the Yando Hall being transported from Oakvale in the 1950s.
“The teams brought it in a straight line - cutting the fence in front, the tractor pulling the hall through and then re-joining the fence before moving along,” Paul said.
“They took three days to shift the hall to Yando.”
Anne said each of the 140 halls was different “with their own personality and their own stories”.
Throughout the latter years of her architectural career, Anne developed an interest in heritage.
“I have always had a love for corrugated iron and the rustic scenes,” she said.
“Some halls don’t have any internal lining but every tin hall is a hub for local life ... 21st birthdays, parties, voting,” she said.
Anne started photographing the halls in 2017 but the COVID pandemic “put a big hole in the middle of my field work”.
Dingee was among the first halls visited. “It has the most amazing facade and the honour boards for Dingee and Tandarra are great”, she said.
Anne said her research aimed to record the history within the walls of the halls.
“I’m also interested in the makes of pianos inside and where they came from.
“And the trademarks on tin - they are also part of the history.”
Anne was able to make a visit to the Buckrabanyule Hall before honour boards were shifted to the nearby fire station and the hall closed after more than 100 years in 2023.
Glenloth East, Lake Meran, Tragowel and Macorna have also been on her research itinerary and now Anne says she has just one hall left to visit before finishing the book.
“Every hall has its own little story,” she said. “Sadly, two have been demolished since I started writing the book.”
Anne hopes to have her publication in print later this year.