Community & Business
14 April, 2025
Progressive ideas revitalise Leyburn Hall
While many Community Halls in isolated towns fail to survive changing economic times the women of the Leyburn QCWA are fighting hard to keep their community hall relevant to the needs of the community.
Leyburn QCWA President Sheryle Wieden and her hard working committee have instigated new ideas in an effort to help the hall adapt to the needs of the Leyburn community.
They recognised the small isolated town suddenly had a small group of young mums with preschool age children and saw the need for child daycare.
Tuesday in the Leyburn Hall is now a multi functional day as a section of the hall is adapted for daycare of pre-school age children while a craft group operates within the hall at the same time as a friendship group.
The end result is that the hall becomes a place where women can meet and interact rather than feel isolated at home.
This function of promoting interaction is very much one of the core objectives of the QCWA movement.
Sheryle said the older women of the community love the chance to interact with young children while the young mums have a break.
Like all community halls, Leyburn’s struggles to survive financially with insurance being the biggest financial burden.
The small town of Leyburn has one great advantage and that is holding of the Leyburn Sprints once a year.
This hugely popular event draws thousands of people into town and the organising committee of the Sprints hires the hall for the event.
As a result the Leyburn Hall has undergone a commercial grade kitchen renovation financed by the Leyburn Sprints Committee.
The new, modern kitchen with stainless steel benches and modern appliances is a fantastic improvement for the hall and the community generally.
This modern upgrade allows a variety of functions to be held at the hall such as a recent wedding reception.
While the isolation of the Leyburn township is one of its great disadvantages it has also in a strange way contributed to the town’s survival.
During World War II the threat of invasion of the Australian continent was quite real and as a result there was a need for an isolated airstrip capable of handling heavy U.S. and R.A.A.F. bombers.
The location of Leyburn well to the west of Brisbane was seen as an ideal site and the construction of the Leyburn Airstrip began and the 7000 foot airstrip was completed by April 1943.
The airstrip was abandoned in 1945 and lay unused until 1949 when it was used for the staging of the Australian Grand Prix.
This decision proved to be an absolute game changer for the small town as the event has gradually evolved into the award winning Leyburn Sprints weekend when cars of all types and ages and petrol heads of all types and ages descend on the town.
The event is a boom not only for the town generally but also the Leyburn QCWA Hall because without the financial support the event brings it is hard to imagine the hall surviving.
The hall has had to fight against hardships from its very beginning in 1924.
The first Annual Meeting set for March 1926 had to be cancelled because the President and Vice President both had Dengue Fever that was raging through the town at the time.
Overcoming the initial setback the Leyburn CWA eventually began construction of the hall and it opened in 1928.
The dominant feature of the hall’s exterior is the use of corrugated iron and while this arguably does not present an attractive look the interior of the hall is a pleasant surprise.
The extensive use of timber provides an attractive warm atmosphere that
contrasts with the immaculate white ceiling.
Overall, the interior has been beautifully maintained by the committee and the hall is a wonderful community asset for the town.
The hall has survived numerous problems in its long history and the present Leyburn CWA committee members will no doubt find solutions to the current financial problems.
