Kangaroo Flat Indoor Bowling Club Hall formed 1934, at times also referred to as the Roseworthy Indoor Bowling Club and the Bowling Club Hall.
*The annual meeting of the Roseworthy Indoor Bowling Club was held on Thursday night, when the following officers were elected: — President, E Rice: Captain H Dahlitz: Secretary, J Thompson: Treasurer, G H Bammann. Ref: Bunyip (Gawler SA) Friday 8 July 1927.
*To assist the rebuilding fund, a dance was held in the Roseworthy Memorial Hall. Novelty dances were won by Mr R A Dahlitz and Miss Vera Dahlitz and Mr Milton and Miss Hazel Carter. Music was supplied by Miss D Ormsby and Mr H A Dahlitz was MC.
After a lapse of two years the Roseworthy Indoor Bowling Club has been reformed.
A dance was held in the Scout and Guide Hall, near Roseworthy College the proceeds of which were for hall funds. Miss D Ormsby was the pianist. Ref: Advertiser (Adelaide SA) Tuesday 24 April 1934.
*To bid farewell to Mr and Mrs Ralph Baker, from Roseworthy Agricultural College, the members of the Kangaroo bowls club gave a social in the club hall. Mr Hurtle Day, on behalf of club members, expressed regret at the loss of the guests as members, and presented them with a set of crystal jug and goblets. Other speakers were Mrs E A Mitchell, Messrs Lucas, V W Day, Humphries senr, and S Alexander.
Owing to the infantile paralysis epidemic it has been decided not to hold dances in aid of the Soldiers' Memorial Hall at present. Ref: Bunyip (Gawler SA) Friday 18 February 1938.
*On Saturday, 25th May, an enjoyable evening was spent in the Kangaroo Flat Bowling Club Hall, the occasion celebrating the coming of age of Mr Walter Haydon also a kitchen evening to his fiancee, Miss Joyce Nottle. Friends from Adelaide, Kersbrook, Mallala, Willaston, Two Wells, Gawler, Reeves Plains, and Wasleys were present, amounting to over 100. Mr M Hatcher occupied the chair, and Mrs J W Curnow was pianist. Games, solos, recitations, competitions, community singing and dancing were indulged in. A dainty supper was handed around. The guest was asked to cut his three-tiered birthday cake. Speeches were made by Mr W Leak, Mr E Beckwith and Miss J McDonald. A presentation of a travelling rug and a gold mounted pencil was made to Mr Haydon and a large table of useful kitchen utensils to Miss Nottle. Mr Haydon suitably responded. Ref: Bunyip (Gawler SA) Friday 31 May 1940.
*Kangaroo Flat Babies raise a total of £350 11/9.
At a well attended dance in the Bowling Club Hall at Kangaroo Flat on Saturday evening, the final of the Red Cross Junior competition was decided.
The membership of the Kangaroo Flat Circle this year is 31. The dance to be held in the Kangaroo Flat Hall next Saturday night will be for the successful baby Jillian Dawkins in the Country Baby Competition. Ref: Bunyip (Gawler SA) Friday 27 November 1942.
*The Kangaroo Flat school had its Break-up and Christmas tree in the Bowling Club hall, Thursday evening, December 17th The chairman (Mr Oates) presided. Items were given by the school children. Miss Jean Growden was the accompanist. The headteacher read the report. Father Christmas was in attendance and each child received a gift and sweets from the tree. Strawberries and cream were served, and cool drinks were on sale. Prizes were presented. Ref: Bunyip (Gawler SA) Thursday 24 December 1942.
*Returned Soldiers Club Building Appeal
A dance has been arranged by the people of Kangaroo Flat to aid the Appeal. This will be held in the Bowling Club Hall opposite the College on Saturday, September 28th at 8 pm. A good orchestra has been engaged, there will be a Monte Carlo dance and a very nice supper. Tickets are 1/11. Ref: Bunyip (Gawler SA) Friday 20 September 1946.
*ROCA Digest – Autumn 2019
However, during two recent oral history recordings, one with the Hon Dr Bruce Eastick AM (RDA 1947) and the other with Brian Condon OAM (RDA 1946), they both talked about the Saturday night dances held every month, an important event on the social calendar for male students at the time. Back to the beginning: In 1929, the local Girl Guides needed a hall, so a committee was formed. The College Principal at the time, Walter Birks, chaired the first committee. A loan was secured from the State Bank for a hall to be constructed on land (about ½ hectare) purchased from Bill Fairley for £25. The hall cost £270, built by Sidney Halford Pimlott, completed in 1931. However, the Girl Guides and Scouts got into financial difficulties and could not service the loan.
A group of locals came forward and took over the Hall that was then used for indoor bowls, table tennis, dances, wedding receptions, meetings and other events. The Kangaroo Flat Indoor Bowling Club was formed in 1934 and is still going in 2019.
The Table Tennis Club started in 1953, an added activity enjoyed by the locals. I must say that so far in my research I have not found any reference to student participation in the bowls and table tennis. Perhaps they wanted these activities for the locals only and didn’t want to get swamped by a mob of lads!
The dances were another matter though. Both Brian Condon and Bruce Eastick had attended these. Bruce ended up as MC in his last couple of years as a student. Bruce recalls that there was a fairly good supper laid on at the dance and to the young men at Roseworthy College, young women and good food were both attractive (especially as there was food rationing at the time). However, there was a bit of a scheme hatched by the senior students. Young women were chaperoned by their mothers who brought the supper. So to ensure a regular supply of supper, the First Years were directed to make sure all the girls had regular dances during the evening. There were to be no ‘wallflowers’ at this dance – if girls stopped attending it would decrease the supply of good suppers!
The band was a simple ensemble of a pianist and a basic drum kit. A piano accordion or other instruments joined in on some nights. The dances waned as motor transport became more common and Gawler became the main attraction for socialising. Many of us will remember the ‘New Boys Test’ as part of our initiation into life at the College in our first couple of weeks as First Years.
NEWS FROM THE ARCHIVES On a blank map of the college, among all the buildings, staff houses, landmarks, facilities etc to identify, there was an old galvanized iron hall at the very north of the staff houses along the road to Wasleys just short of the entrance to the old Piggery. This was known as the ‘Tin Tabernacle’. The proper name was actually the Kangaroo Flat Hall but no one at College seemed to know that. There didn’t seem to be much other information about it. It didn’t belong to the College and I don’t think any student had been in it for a long time when I started in 1968. The Tin Tabernacle – blast from the past!
The Hall is a great survivor given its age and wooden structure. There is reference in the Club Minutes to the Hall being treated for white ants in 1956. Perhaps they used DDT which, with a shelf life of 50 years, would account for its resilience, given it's still standing on wooden stumps 87 years later. Ms Evelyn Stanley, a descendant from one of the original families that started the Indoor Bowling Club, is now ‘anchor person’ for the club and has lived through its entire history. She very kindly agreed to show us around - the Hon Dr Bruce Eastick, David Purdie (Manager of Student Services) and myself.
The Hall interior is a step back in time, well preserved with accompanying memorabilia of honour rolls, tournament pennants, photos, framed certificates etc. If those walls could talk, a lot of local history would be recalled. Ref: Ref: The Roca Digest Autumn 2019 online - [Roseworthy Old Collegians Assn 1883]
This hall has recently become private property.
