Future of Patrick English Pavilion
The long-term future of the Patrick English Pavilion in Malanda will be considered after Tablelands Regional Council received the latest structural assessment report.
‘Regular structural assessments by external engineers have been conducted on the pavilion since 2015 and the assessment conducted in May focused on general structural condition, adequacy of the subfloor framing, and cost of repairs,’ said Deputy Mayor Dave Bilney.
‘The major findings of the report are the failure of the curved timber trusses that are the primary structural elements of the building, and failure of framing and other components of the subfloor and stage.
‘The supper room is free of structural deficiencies and its condition was rated as fair.
‘We are unable to open the supper room because of the risk of it being damaged if the hall structure collapses.
‘The repair work required at this stage is estimated at $2.3M however this does not address other ageing components like the electrical and plumbing systems, and the addition of air conditioning.
‘This means the pavilion, including the supper room, will remain closed until the Councillors can discuss the future and budget implications of the pavilion.
‘One of the options is to restart community and stakeholder discussions on a multi-use facility for Malanda that can meet the needs and requirements of a broad range of users.
‘This potential new facility is included in our 10-year capital budget, and we are looking at external funding opportunities.
‘The Malanda Show Society has moved into our Malanda Boardroom, and we are continuing to work with them on identifying and addressing their requirements for the show,’ Deputy Mayor Bilney said.
The Patrick English Pavilion has arched timber trusses spanning about 17m over the 560m2 floor area.
The pavilion was built in Danbulla during the 1940s and served as an army igloo during World War II.
Following the war the pavilion was relocated to Malanda as a community hall — the stage was added (year unknown) and then the supper room.
The pavilion is important to the Tablelands community as generations of families have used it for weddings, dances, balls, parties and other occasions.