Hunting competition to support hall

The Hindon community is rallying to keep its local hall alive.

Sheep and beef farmers Ken Bain and Cathy Anderson are part of a committee holding an inaugural hunting competition next week to raise funds to maintain the Hindon Hall, about 30km northeast of Outram.

The hunting competition begins on Matariki.

Teams of up to four hunters, aged 16 and older, and individual children, aged 15 and younger, can enter.

The teams can weigh in boars, deer, ducks and possums at the hall from 2pm on Sunday, June 22.

Children can weigh in freshwater crayfish, goats, hares, possums and rabbits.

A hunting competition works as a fundraiser because there was a lot of new forestry in the district, which was a breeding ground for pests so it was a "win-win", Mr Bain said.

Fewer people in the district had made it challenging to keep the hall functioning and viable.

Although the population was small, it had a big heart, he said.

A recent working bee included weeding, washing windows, cleaning a chimney and clearing spouting, and the turnout blew him away.

Past generations had worked hard to fundraise for the hall to open in 1982.

"You don’t want to lose something like this," he said.

Ms Anderson said fundraising efforts to build the hall included adults felling trees for firewood and children collecting pine cones to sell.

"Everyone was involved."

Mr Bain said the hall was an important part of the community because it helped people connect and it also housed a defibrillator for the public to use in an emergency.

When Ms Anderson was young, the hall was frequently used for activities including badminton, cards, church services, indoor bowls and pony club.

Ongoing maintenance included an exterior paint job, changing it from decades of being pink.

To combat noise echoing off the walls, fadge caps had been stuffed and hung to act as acoustic panels to make the room quieter.

The caps had the names of local farms stencilled on them.

Outstanding issues included water leaking down walls and mouldy curtains.

Mr Bain said the Strath Taieri Community Board had given grants for hall maintenance before but a more sustainable way to generate regular income was needed.

"It is unfair to keep going back to local businesses and tapping them on the shoulder for donations."

Ms Anderson said any fundraising method needed to be "low risk".

A fundraiser which did not work was booking a band to perform in the hall last year.

"We didn’t pre-sale tickets and it was the thickest fog in 10 years and you couldn’t see two foot in front of you and no-one turned up."

Mr Bain said a successful annual fundraiser for the hall was community members docking nearly 2500 lambs on a local farm.

shawn.mcavinue@alliedpress.co.nz