Ophir First World War memorial hall in c1986 (main image) and in 2014 (click on thumbnail).
The Ophir Peace Memorial Hall was formally opened by MP James Horn and Vincent County Council chairman James Ritchie on 26 May 1926. The ceremony was followed by a fundraising bazaar, with an opening dance being held the following night. The hall, which was described at the time as “the finest country hall in Central Otago”, had a roughcast façade but was otherwise clad with corrugated iron. It included a vestibule, committee room, hall with stage and projectionist’s booth, dressing rooms and refreshment room.
As the above photographs show, it seems to have been renamed a ‘War Memorial Hall’ at some stage during its life, but was redesignated a 'Peace Memorial Hall' sometime after 1986.
See: ‘Ophir Notes’, Otago Daily Times, 24/5/1926, p. 5; ‘Ophir: Peace Memorial Hall Opened’, Otago Daily Times, 31/5/1926, p. 3.
Community contributions