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Braybrook / Sunshine Memorial Hall
 Hampshire Rd, Sunshine

Sunshine Municipal Chambers Hampshire Rd
Sunshine Townhall.jpg
Sunshine City Council Chambers 1957 Photo 01.jpg
Sunshine RSL 2021 Photo 06.JPG
Sunshine RSL 2021 Photo 07.JPG
R. T. Pollard Reserve 24th April 2020 Photo 03.JPG

The Braybrook Memorial Hall in Hampshire Rd was built as a memorial to the soldiers of the Great War.

 

A marble memorial tablet was positioned in the portico of the building that listed the names of the district’s men who lost their lives in the war.

 

Beloved soldiers who fell in the Great War

1914 - 1919

Alford, R.H.

Bailey, D.L.

Barnett, V.C.

Breen, H.

Bunnett, W.

Day, C.

Day, E.

Doyle, M.

Fisher, M.

Gum, F.

Kenny, F.C.

MacKay, W.

McLean, H.T.

McColl, A.K.

Neal, R.E.

Somerville, G.D.

Stewart, J.

Steers, W.R.

Steers, L.

Williamson, J.

Watson, A.

 

The building had previously been the Mechanics' Institute Hall that was built in 1907. The Council acquired the building in 1922 and modified it to include the Shire Offices and an upstairs for Returned Soldiers Club. The hall also housed a library and reading room.

By 1924, the first timber hall on this site had reached it's usefulness life due to it's limited size and under mysterious circumstances the hall was destroyed by a fire on the night of the 2nd September 1924. As plans had already been prepared for a new hall, it did not take long for Council to approved the construction of a new hall.

 

In 1925, the new hall opened and it became the Sunshine Memorial Hall and was used as the City of Sunshine's Administrative Offices and Town Hall for many years.

After the end of the 2nd World War, another marble tablet was installed in memory of our beloved servicemen who fell in World War II or died while on service.

Anderson, G.J.

Anderson, R.

Ayton, L.

Baird, A.C.

Ball, J.L.

Barrett, R.

Bell, J.C.

Bell, S.V.

Benness, A.W.

Boreham, K.G.T.

Bradley. R.C.

Buchanan. N.J.

Burgess, M.J.

Cary, A.E.

Clayton, T.J.

Comley, W.

Cornwell, R.

Dawson, J.T.

Dickson, M.L.

Drake, J.

Gee, A.E.

Gilmour, R.J.

Gooding, H.A.

Gratz, W.A.

Haden, J.

Henderson, K.T.

Hibba, R.V.

Holland, R.D.

Howard, E.

Kermeen, P.M.

Killeen, K.F.

Laming, G.

Lawson, J,

Lewis, J.L.

Lynch, M.M.

McElroy, G.S.P.

Martin, D.E.

Menrha, W.F.

Mudford, L.F.

Murphy, E.F.

Porter, H.

Roberts, K.C.

Roberts, R.C.

Roussac, L.A.

Ryan, K.

Saliba, S.

Sproul, L.J.

Surman, F.H.

Taliintyre. N.

Tennant, W.

Tyres, K.H.

Waite, W.J.

Williams, W.C.

Wilson, F.

Further alterations and extensions were made to the building. The latest building was severely damaged by fire in 1964 and was finally demolished in 1972.

 

The site is now the location of R. T. Pollard Gardens. These gardens contains a plaque to commemorate Hiroshima "To remember Hiroshima is to abhor nuclear war. To remember Hiroshima is to commit oneself to peace".

Both of the original memorial tablets are now positioned in the R.S.L's Memorial in Dickson St, Sunshine.

Ref: When The Whistle Blew, A Social History of the Town of Sunshine 1920 - 1950, Prue McGoldrick

Photo: Sunshine Advocate

Photos: S&DHS

R. T. Pollard Reserve 24th April 2020 Ph
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