Hi everyone! Hope you all had an awesome week. Bet you all put your umbrellas to good use. No worries, summer weather will soon be here. Right?
One of our longtime residents in Halfmoon Bay has some local history about the Welcome Beach Hall that was on Redrooffs Road. Here is a small snippet of information Terry Karleen shared.
“Redrooffs area people of the day had a desire to do something which would be of benefit to the community. Meetings were held, plans were discussed, and a new Hall was selected as a Centennial Project. An application was made to the government for a Centennial Grant and the group was successful in receiving a grant for $42. Although there were only 70 people in the area, they worked diligently and organized fundraising to obtain the $1,450 necessary to purchase materials needed for the project. Construction began in 1957, led by a small group of dedicated senior citizens, who ranged in age from 61 to 84. When the Welcome Beach Hall was completed, it was 858 sq. feet in size and its value on opening day was estimated to be $6,390.
“An article in the Coast News reporting on the official opening on Oct. 12, 1958, noted that a crowd of close to 100 joyous people attended. Happy and proud that they had achieved something this wonderful all on their own. The new Hall exuded a spirit of happiness right down to the wood burning stove in the kitchen to heat water for tea and coffee to go along with the sandwiches and cake prepared by the local women in the small community. In those days, the Hall was often referred to as the Redrooffs Community Hall. Over the ensuing years, the Hall received a series of renovations, one of which was adding a new roof in 2006 – red, of course. The Hall was used extensively for a variety of events until it was sold to private residents in 2011. They since have lovingly created a beautiful home that they enjoy.”
Terry asked that if you have any further information such as photos, board minutes, letters, etc., regarding the early days of the Hall, please forward to him at karleen@telus.net. Thank you Terry for providing some awesome history of this little hall on Redrooffs Road.
To add more to this history, the Welcome Beach Community Association was formed in 1947 and held regular events and meetings in the Hall from 1958 to 2011. The Association then moved their event and meeting venue to nearby Coopers Green Park/Hall. In 2015, the Association changed their name to the Halfmoon Bay Community Association (HBCoA). HBCoA has been working with the SCRD for the last six years to build a replacement Community Hall at Coopers Green and their funding request was just approved. More information will be forthcoming in the weeks to come. Very exciting news indeed!
To have your say at the Bay, please contact me before 5 p.m. on Mondays. cindy.kisser@telus.net. Be kind, be gentle, be safe.
