Lights will always be on at Main Arm’s Kohinur Hall

After being badly damaged during the 2022 floods, the much-loved Kohinur Hall is once again starting to live up to its reputation for being the arts and cultural hub of the Main Arm community.

Structural repairs to the hall were covered by insurance, and now a new solar and battery system has been installed to allow the hall to continue to operate during emergency power outages. The hall functions as an emergency response centre for the Main Arm community in an emergency.

Byron Council says the $79,500 grant from the NSW Government’s Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Program means there will be ongoing, reliable power for the hall which is regarded as a critical gathering place for people during emergencies.

‘The importance of Kohinur Hall to the community is immense, and the fact that this grant will provide for power during emergencies will provide a lot of comfort to residents of the Main Arm Valley,’ said  Mayor Michael Lyon.

‘During the floods the hall was where people gathered to share information and provide support for friends, neighbours and strangers and the lack of power during the floods was an additional challenge that had to be dealt with,’ he said.

Residents grateful

‘I know the residents of the Main Arm Valley will be grateful for the new solar and battery power system and I am grateful to the NSW Government for recognising the importance of this hall to the community,’ said Mayor Lyon.

Lance Hopson, President of the Upper Main Arm Community Association, said the local community and the hall committee were thrilled to have solar installed on the roof of Kohinur Hall.

‘The committee wants to thank the Council and Grants Support for making this possible,’ he said.

‘This is part of our “future-proofing” effort for the hall – when power goes out in the valley the hall will be a beacon, a light that doesn’t go out, a light that stays on during the dark times,’ he said.

The new back-up power system is housed in a vandal-proof cage and located on the exterior verandah, dry and high above flood levels.