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In the 1970s, Stuart Wilson joined a committee working to improve the Hinds Hall but he never imagined he would still be involved 50 years later.
This year, Stuart marks an extraordinary five decades of service to the Hinds Community Centre playing a part in some of the biggest decisions and developments in the centre’s history.
And to mark the remarkable milestone, the Hind Community Centre committee presented Stuart with Life Membership at their recent annual general meeting recognising his outstanding dedication and contribution to the centre.
Hinds Community Centre chair Fiona Keir describes Stuart as “a stalwart of the Hinds community and said 50 years of service was a remarkable contribution which has never been done before and unlikely to ever be repeated.”
For Stuart, the milestone is less about his own achievement and more about the community he has spent a lifetime serving.
“It has just been a real privilege to contribute to the community of Hinds,” he said.
His involvement began in 1974, when a “ways and means” group was formed to investigate upgrading the hall.
Two years later, the Hinds Hall Building Committee was established and Stuart, then aged 35, became secretary. He remained in the role until 1988 and has also served as president during his many years on the committee.
Alongside president Bob Moore and a dedicated committee, those early years involved plenty of meetings, planning and fundraising.
One of the biggest early decisions was where the future hall should be. Proposals included, shifting it to the Hinds Domain or retaining its existing Rogers St location.
Rogers St ultimately remained its home.
The supper room was completed in March 1979, attached to the original hall, before the old hall was demolished and the new main hall was built, opening in July 1983.
For Stuart, joining the committee was a natural extension of a life already firmly rooted in his community.
In his younger years he was involved with Young Farmers, before moving on to Jaycees and Hinds and Districts Lions, later serving on Federated Farmers and then local council.
The Hinds Hall of 50 years ago was a busy place.
The Hinds school, Playcentre, Lions, badminton and bowling clubs and Young Farmers were among its regular users, while dances, weddings, balls and other celebrations made it an important social hub.
Stuart recalls the supper room being built with a high ceiling to accommodate badminton and remembers its floor as the best indoor bowling floor in the district.
Some of his memories also provide a glimpse of just how much community life has changed.
Alcohol could not be consumed at the hall until the early 1980s, while locals would gather at the community centre to watch All Blacks’ games in black and white – sometimes a couple of months after the game had actually been played.
During 50 years there have been plenty of memorable occasions, but among those that stand out for Stuart are the 1981 Hinds School Centennial, the Lions-run High Society District Convention and the launch of the History, Heritage and Highlights of Hinds and Districts book.
Despite his own contribution, Stuart is quick to share the credit.
“The Community Centre has been built on the generosity of the Hinds community, and I consider myself just a small part of that story.”
Fundraising over the years has included everything from growing potatoes and catering to collecting slink skins, alongside donations and countless hours of voluntary labour.
Stuart is proud to have played his part, including being involved in some of the big decisions around the initial borrowing to build the community centre and particularly proud of the fact this facility was built without local council funding, and the centre continues to be self-funding today.
He is equally proud of the work of recent committees, which have breathed new life into the facility and ensured it remains modern and fit for purpose.
After 50 years of volunteering, Stuart would like to see more young people become involved in community organisations, although he acknowledges finding volunteers is more challenging today than it was when he started.
With his and his family’s roots firmly in Hinds, Stuart isn't quite ready to call time on his involvement on the committee, although acknowledges he can’t be as hands on involved as he used to.
A recent decision to upgrade the centre’s toilets means, in Stuart's words, there is still “work to be done” and he knows the current committee will see the project through.