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Inside the hall — polished timber floorboards, ceiling fans, the honour board and stacked chairs at the far end, and the servery window through to the kitchen

OUR STORY

A Century of Gathering

Rooted in the Table Top district, built by the people who call this place home.

Our Heritage

  1. Early years

    For many years the people of Table Top gathered wherever they could — in private homes, in woolsheds, in the railway goods shed, and in the early Union Church.

  2. 1933

    As the rising waters of the Hume Weir flooded the church at Bowna, a new Presbyterian Church was built on the western side of the railway line.

  3. 1971

    The church became the Table Top Church Hall, renovated to host local functions alongside services of every denomination.

  4. 1977

    The church was sold, and the district was once again left without a permanent meeting place.

  5. Five years

    Undeterred, residents formed a steering committee and set about building their own. A site was chosen on the old Recreation Reserve, east of the highway, and the district raised money however it could — collecting and selling railway sleepers, catering for clearing sales, holding antique auctions, bush dances and fashion parades. Those efforts brought in more than $35,000, a remarkable sum at the time. A grant of $7,000 from the NSW Department of Youth, Sport & Recreation was the only outside money the project received.

  6. 1984

    After many working bees and countless hours of volunteer labour, the Table Top Community Centre opened as a Public Hall — officially on 22 April 1984, fittingly during the centenary year of Table Top Public School.

  7. 2018

    A grant from AlburyCity Council funded a major upgrade: a full kitchen renovation, interior painting, a new roof, and split-system air conditioning throughout. Once again local volunteers made sure every available dollar went as far as it possibly could.

The events held within these walls have changed over the years, but the Centre remains a reminder of what this district can do when it decides something matters.

The 1984 Centenary Album

From the scrapbook of the Table Top School centenary, Easter 1984 — the weekend the hall was officially opened.

Tap a photo to see it larger.

  • Children in period costume, with adults in a top hat and bonnets, lined up in front of a small weatherboard school whose gable reads Public School Table Top 1883
    Dressed for the centenary outside the old school, whose gable says 1883.
  • A procession on a dirt road under gum trees, led by a hand-painted Table Top banner and a sign reading Easter 1984 School Centenary
    The village procession, behind the Table Top banner.
  • A man in a suit draws a flag back from a plaque on a large granite boulder beside a brick wall
    A plaque is unveiled. The album sets this photo beside the programme line "Official Opening of Community Centre".
  • People among parked cars outside the Community Centre, a brick hall with a flagpole, a marquee to one side
    A crowd outside the Community Centre on the centenary weekend.
  • A white horse harnessed to a buggy carrying three people in period dress, beside a small weatherboard cottage
    A horse and buggy, and period dress, for the celebrations.
  • A man speaks at a timber lectern in a garden, with people seated on chairs in front of him
    From the album page for the launch of "History of Table Top 1824–1984" at Maryvale homestead.
  • An old steel-wheeled tractor pulling a covered wagon painted Fruit and Vegetables
    A steel-wheeled tractor and a fruit and vegetable cart.
  • A red tanker truck lettered Table Top on a country road, a second truck behind it
    A Table Top tanker on the road.

What We Do

Host Community Gatherings

From working bees to celebrations, our hall is where the district comes together.

Provide an Affordable Venue

Our hire rates are set to cover costs and keep the hall accessible to locals.

Preserve Our Heritage

The committee maintains the hall and its grounds so future generations can gather here too.

Our Committee

Volunteers who keep the lights on and the tea hot.

Hugh Watson

PRESIDENT

Cara Crosswhite

VICE PRESIDENT

Sue Gugger

SECRETARY

Marion Taylor

TREASURER

Trish Pearce

GRANTS OFFICER

Jemima Batt-Andersson

BOOKINGS OFFICER

Ted Bates

MAINTENANCE OFFICER

Kylee Imlach

PUBLICITY OFFICER

John O'Neill

TENNIS CLUB PRESIDENT

Everyone Is Welcome

There is no membership and no subscription. This is a community centre, so everyone is welcome — come to an event, join the tennis club, or lend a hand at the next working bee.

Get in Touch