POPULINS HALL 95-97 QUEENS STREET AYR 1963 ONWARDS SOME MEMORIES

Recently an article appeared in our local newspaper Burdekin Life (Thursday July 11 2024 The Treasured History of Populin’s Hall.  This bought back some memories which we would like to share with you. The Ayr Water Festival decided to call this particular Festival in 2024, The Maria Populin Festival in Memory of Maria when Populin’s Hall was opened sixty years ago.
Mr. Demetrio Populin and his wife Marie began their building construction business in Ayr in the late 1940’s. George his son has expanded the business from the Burdekin to Townsville. By the 1960’s Maria had a dream with her husband to build a function hall that could be used by the people of Ayr and the surrounding district catering for all occasions.  Where the shops and Populin’s Hall are today in Queen Street, there were some old shops and a muddy watercourse.  This land and old shops were acquired by Demetrio and Maria.  The shops were demolished and building began with foundations for five new shops and above the shops a function hall, in 1960. Sadly, Maria died in 1963 but Populin’s Hall and shops were built and opened for business in that year.
Populin’s Hall consisted of two stairways entrances from Queen Street and one set of stairs from the lane from Edwards Street.  The back stairs led into a small room on the right wall of the building which consisted of a sink with a bench along the wall and a table.  There were toilet facilities on the left side of the building with a small balcony along the back of the building.  There was a vast dance floor which would be used for weddings, balls, and functions. The vast room had doors that opened onto a balcony that overlooked Queen Street.  This balcony has been used for crowning the Queens of the Water Festivals. The two stairwells from Queen Street were on the left and right of the building.  The left stair well had yellow vinyl tiles for décor and the right stairwell had red vinyl tiles which is still the case in 2024. Mr. George Populin informs us that there is a future upgrade to the floors of the foyers, sometime in the future. The rear entrance to the hall is by a lane from Edward Street between Harvey Noman and the service station.
Some of the shops underneath were Buchan’s Cycles, Singer Sewing Machine, Ryan’s Dress Shop and Kaye’s Shoe Shops. There would be others shops here later. By 1964, at a meeting consisting of nineteen clubs and organizations was held and they formed The Burdekin Entertainment Committee which would hold dances on a Saturday night for the young people of the district. The hall would also be used for Weddings and Concerts, and the secondary school functions.  Mr. Populin kindly donated hall free for the opening function. Rent on the hall was on a weekly basis for a trial period. It would appear that the first function to be held was in early February. By June 1964 The Burdekin Entertainment Committee was holding Dancing Classes and seventy-three lads and lasses were learning to dance.
The Burdekin Entertainment Committee consisted of members of the community.  There were sporting clubs appointed to run the dancers with each club rostered to work the Saturday Night venue.  Five of those associations were Pony, Ski, Tennis, Aero, BMX and maybe a sixth sporting associations. (Maybe someone can enlighten us).  Every few months each of the clubs received a monetary donation for their efforts.   The dancers were entertained by local, Townsville Bands and artists. Bands included The Elite 5 (Norm Adcock, John McCathie, Bill and Russel Williamson and David Atzeni), John and Alan Sinclair, Peter Wheeler, Ron and Micky Odgers.  Some of the bands from Townville were The Shadows, The Squares and The Legends (the Voss Brothers) There are others who played.  Some of the people associated with the Burdekin Entertainment Committee were Mrs. Caddis Mrs. Roxborough, Rajah Reed of the Commercial Hotel opposite Populins Hall, (It was he who decided that the stairwell on the right of the hall would be used as this was the entrance closest to his Hotel), Mr. Col Stewart and his wife along with Mr. Stan Hughes and his wife and Merl of the Pony Club, Mr. Ray Conley and his wife of the Ski Club, Mr. Walter Elliott representing the Tennis and Aero Club. Mr. Tony Viero and Harold Cislowski of the Aero Club and Mr. Frank White, Mr. Fred Zable and Frank Ravizza. There would be many others who worked with this committee.  Many young ladies and men met and married from these dances. Sadly, these dancers closed down in the mid 1970’s, as the young folk found cabarets which were held at the hotels became the place to be.
Sometime in the 1970’s, Mr. Fred Zable and Mr. Fred Guerra formed a partnership and opened Fred’s Furniture Shop.  A lift to carry furniture up to hall was installed near the left-hand door, facing Queen Street. This business operated for some years until it closed down. The hall returned to being used for weddings and other social functions. By 1998 there was and upgrade done to the building and a kitchen was installed along with the toilets. By 2005, with the advent of more schools, weddings and social functions as well as Water Festival events being held at Populin’s, the kitchen was renovated and extended, along with the toilets.  The back entrance consisted of two sets of stairs.  Provision was made for a lift to be added to in the future.  The old set of stairs was renewed and widened and a second set of stairs built around the lift well.  It was not until 2017 that the lift was installed.
This year for 2024, the Water Festival was named the Maria Populin Water Festival to honour Marie, (her dream of having a community hall for the Ayr District.)

Some memories of the 1960’s.  
Stephen and Bob Gray with their wives ran a convenience store in Edwards Street along with a butcher shop, Courtney’s, and a fish and chip shop and Tommy Ties.  They were burnt down and while the Grays waited for the shop to be rebuilt, they rented a shop under Populin’s Hall in the 1960’s.  They opened on a Saturday night till about 9.00pm.  Bob said it was awful because of the bands playing and the dancing from above, and the ceiling vibrating, made it very hard to hear and think as well as work.
One never to be forgotten memory of mine, circa 1967.  The Saturday night dance had closed down and the rostered club on, was stacking chairs, sweeping the hall and tidying up and a band including a female singer, from Townsville were gathering their musical instruments to return home.  Some local Ayr lads erupted up the stairs and began chasing the Townsville band around the hall, yelling and screaming.  Some blood was drawn. The Committee stood against the wall, aghast, with our mouths open wondering if we were going to be hit too.  The Band and the local lads, eventually all ran down the stairs. We followed to see what happened. Someone must have called the police and waiting at the bottom of the stairs, was Helpful Harry, the local motor cycle policeman with his baton and the Black Maria Van. All of the miscreants were bundled into the Black Maria and those hurt were taken to the hospital. All we ever found out that there had been some bad blood with the Townsville Band and the Ayr lads in the weeks before and the local fellows were out for revenge. Just imagine the hue and cry today regarding police batons and the public.
Another night while on the dance floor one of the female dancers had a blackout and fell to the floor.  The ambulance was called and it was very difficult to get the patient on the stretcher down the steep narrow back stairs into the lane. She should have been taken down the front stairs into Queen Street. It would have been easier.  All I can say as the song goes “Those were the Days my Friends”
I wish to thank Mr. George Populin of Townsvill and Mrs. Napier of Ayr for without their assistence this piece of history could not be written.
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Glenis Cislowski

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