Part 2 of Community Halls in the Shire of Mundaring - The Mt Helena Hall

Mount Helena, once called Lion Mill, has had three Community halls. The first one was part of Mr Honey’s mill site which was approximately where the current oval is now.

Image: A printed announcement to celebrate the 9th anniversary of the opening of the Lion Mill Hall 1918.

One report in the West Australian in 1890 says that there were many buildings on the site including “a large and commodious room” with a stage used as a schoolroom, a concert hall and a ballroom.

As time went on and the town grew, a committee was set up in 1909 lead by C.E.Brinkworth (called “Brinkie”) by the locals to draw up plans and a design and raise money for the building. It is interesting to note that “Brinkie “argued that Lion Mill by then had a population of 500 and was the largest “industrial centre” between Midland and Northam.

In fact, the government contributed 90 pounds towards the building and Bunning Brothers provided the timber. The new hall was built on the site next to Greenmount Road Board Office (now the Veterinary Clinic, READ MORE HERE).

The Official Opening was on 27th August 1910 by the then Premier Sir Newton Moore and the local MLA Mathieson. H. Jacoby.

Photograph of Lion Mill townsite in 1924. The building on the left is the tavern, the oval is in the distance, which is where the first hall would have stood on the same site as the timber mill.

The hall became very popular, and people came from as far Bayswater, and also the Chidlow Army training camps came on the train to dance on the wandoo floor right up to the 1960s. The floor would be polished with candle chips and then a hessian sack would be dragged over, often with a child sitting on it!

Mount Helena Primary School children outside the second hall in 1952. The hall was used as an extra classroom until the new school was built. Note the movie posters, and the entrance to the doctors surgery on the left.

The hall played host to dances, parties, wedding breakfasts, community singing nights, variety shows and even boxing matches. In the 1920s Hatfield’s moving pictures were shown on Sunday nights. In the 1960s cabaret nights were held and families bought their own suppers - at that time young children were not allowed in the hall because of the liquor licensing.

This hall was demolished in the early 1970s and from then on community meetings and activities were held in the new Eastern Hills Senior High School, which had expanded in the 60s and by 1975 opened to Year 11 and 12, and by 1980 a new community recreation centre including a gymnasium had been opened.

Demolition of the hall, demolished in the 1970s. Image taken by Mr V Huxham.

We would love to find more photographs of this well loved hall so welcome any from your own personal albums which we could scan.

You can read more about Mount Helena HERE.