THE WEERITE HALL
Located only 10km east of Camperdown, I stopped by the Weerite Hall on the evening of 6 July 2025 just in time to capture it in the foreground of a beautiful winter sunset with Wiridgil Hills just visible in the distance to the hall’s left.
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If you look closely, you can almost imagine that the dancers will be arriving soon...
If you have any additional information or photographs you would like to share, please contact us! We'd love to hear from you.
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The current Weerite Hall is the community’s second public hall, two previous halls were church halls with the second burning down after a supposed lightning strike on 30 May 1933. The Weerite Hall committee was formed at a public meeting on 24 July 1947. Land at the corner of the Princes Highway and Danedite road was donated by Mrs. H.G. Adams. This land is located where the railway station was located previously. This first public hall was formerly one of the stable buildings from Purrumbete. It opened in 1951, but quickly the community realised it was too small for their needs. Mr. Ted Payne purchased this hall in 1958 and removed it to Wright Street in Camperdown where it served his furniture removal business for many years. The community of Weerite then set out to build a larger, purpose-built structure.
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Subsequently, when it opened, the current Weerite Hall represented over a decade of hard work and fundraising efforts by the Weerite community. These efforts included the highly successful Queen Carnivals, as well as many dances (including weekly square dances in 1955), fancy dress frolics, and card nights.
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The Camperdown Chronicle reported that on the night of November 14, 1958 over 500 residents and visitors attended the hall opening. The new hall was so full "it was almost impossible to dance. Cars lined both sides of the highway and the Danedite Road for long distances." The Hon H E Bolte MLA Premier of Victoria, attending with his wife, did the honours of unveiling the official plaque in the hall that night.​​
Hon H E Bolte MLA Premier of Victoria gives his speech at the opening of the Weerite Hall, 14 November 1958. Left to right: Mrs. Borthwick, Mr. E.R. Borthwick (president of the hall), Mr Frank Cust (master of ceremonies), Mrs. Bolte, Premier Sir Henry Bolte, Mr. S. L. Shaw (secretary of the hall), Mrs Shaw, Cr. W.G. Manifold, Mrs Manifold, Tod Sloane, unknown musician. Photograph by Frank Rhodes. Photograph included with permission from the Camperdown and District Historical Society.
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Sloane's Orchestra (Terang), led by Tod Sloane on drums, provided the music for dancing. Local oral and written history accounts suggest Sloane’s were the most sought-after dance band in the region at the time. Additionally, the Camperdown Chronicle advertised them as playing for over 100 dances in 1958 alone – more than any other band.
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Music at the Weerite Hall opening included popular numbers like “Little Brown Jug” (seen on the music stand in the bottom left corner of one of the accompanying photographs). Frank Cust, a well-loved local character, (who, among other things, played drums in the Camperdown Fire Brigade Band
and had his own dance orchestra) was the M.C. for the evening.
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Local photographer Frank Rhodes was on hand, and we are lucky that several of his photographs from that night, including candid shots of Sloane's orchestra and a group photo of the attendees packed into the festively decorated hall, have survived in the collection of the Camperdown and District Historical Society.
Who was in the audience? Please have a look at the group photograph and let us know if you see anyone you recognise. It would be wonderful to put a few names to the faces! Photograph by Frank Rhodes. Photograph included with permission from the Camperdown and District Historical Society.
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Miss Shirley Rippon of Weerite was awarded the “Belle of the Ball.” Her partner for the evening was Eddie Morrisey, who she married in 1959. “Matron of the Ball” was Mrs T. Hallyburton of Colac, formerly of Stoneyford district. Working the ticket-box and door that night were Mr. R. McLeod, Mr. D. Boyd, Mr. G. Boyd, Mr. G. Thompson, Mr. V Rhodes, and Mr. E. Pain.
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The Camperdown Chronicle doesn't give an end time for the event, but similar events were advertised as ending anywhere between midnight and 2:00am. Given the number of people attending, the air of excitement and celebration, and my own personal experience as a musician, and specifically with Western District festivities, I would not be surprised if the festivities didn't last until well after 2:00am in the morning! It would have been, by all accounts, an epic night...​
After the opening, the Weerite Hall continued to host a range of events and was known as one of the social centres for the district. During 1959, its first year of operation, these events included a “Girl of the Year” competition with monthly dances on the third Friday of each month. These dances were aimed to raise funds for the hall, including supplying their new kitchen. The Weerite Hall also hosted an Easter Ball, as well as the Weerite Tennis Club’s Grand Annual Ball. A variety concert to raise funds for the hall was held on August 7. It included performances by the Cobden “Sunshiners,” piano and vocal items by community members, songs from Kevin and Joyce Durdin, Irish dancing from Loraine Foley and the Darcy sisters, and a performance by M. Tarrant and N. McGilvray simply labeled “hillbillies.” The first anniversary ball was held on November 13, 1959 and was broadcast over 3CS (Colac). According to the Camperdown Chronicle, 350 dancers attended this event.
It has been a pleasure to learn more about the Weerite Hall and the community, who have done such a wonderful job of chronicling its history. Special thanks are extended to long time hall committee members Peter and Mary Hay who read a draft of this article and offered comments.
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Article by Laura Flanagan © 2025.
This article was first publish in the July 2025 edition of "Past Matters," published by the Camperdown and District Historical Society Inc.
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Information about the Weerite Hall, along with the remaining 60+ locations, will be included in an online project which is currently under development here at https://www.corangamitemusichistory.com.
Left to right: Mrs Bolte, Hon H E Bolte MLA Premier of Victoria, Miss Shirley Rippon, Mrs T Hallyburton, Mrs W. G. Manifold. Photograph by Frank Rhodes. Photograph included with permission from the Camperdown and District Historical Society.
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SOURCES:
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“Premier Officially Opens New Hall at Weerite.” Camperdown Chronicle LXXXII No. 2913 (18 November 1958) 1 & 7.
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“Weerite Hall Crowded for First Anniversary Ball.” Camperdown Chronicle LXXXII No. 3014 (17 November 1959) 1 & 3.
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Frank Rhodes Negative Collection. Camperdown and District Historical Society.
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Back to Weerite in ‘88: May 14-15. Star Printing, Terang.
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“Weerite Hall Burnt Down.” The Sun News-Pictorial (31 March 1933) 28.
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Further data included from the Camperdown Chronicle with full citations was gathered by Laura Flanagan and currently is lodged in a spreadsheet (held in both electronic and print format) which will be donated to the CDHS on completion of her study.
If you have any additional information or photographs you would like to share, please contact us! We'd love to hear from you.
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