The local hall holds a particular place in hinterland life. It is where people gather for everyday occasions and, once conditions are safe following a disaster, where they come back together to find each other, share what they know and work out what comes next. After the 2022 floods, residents across the Tweed did exactly that. They went to their local hall. They checked on neighbours, coordinated volunteers, handed out supplies and found somewhere to be together.
The 2022 floods damaged halls and centres across the region. Some took water. Some were cut off for days. After the floods receded, restoring them was about more than repairing buildings. It was about restoring the infrastructure of belonging.
Tweed Shire Council, supported by the Australian and NSW Governments through the $15.5 million Community Assets Program, has upgraded halls and hubs across the Tweed since the 2022 floods, making them more resilient, more accessible and better equipped for both everyday use and future events. Each project reflects the two principles that have guided this recovery: betterment and access and inclusion, where funding allowed.
“The Community Assets Program gave us an opportunity to do something more than repair. Every project in this program was assessed against two questions: does it better support our community by being more resilient than before, and is it more accessible for everyone? Across halls, centres and hubs right across the Tweed, the answer is yes.”
Shannon Carruth, Manager Inclusive and Creative Communities, Tweed Shire Council
