The Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce and Community (MCCC) had written to council over the weekend to say that they needed to take action to preserve the Mullumbimby Scout Hall and other heritage buildings in Mullumbimby as they were being damaged by vandalism and neglect. Then at 1.45am Tuesday morning the NSW Fire and Rescue Mullumbimby Station 388 and Brunswick Station 240 were called to a fire at the Mullumbimby Scout Hall.
‘We have three buildings cyclone fenced. All of them are heritage structures (the Mullumbimby Railway Station, the Signalman’s Cottage near the rail line, and the Mullumbimby Scout Hall) and we have been asking for action from Council to look after them now for years,’ Paul Prior, President of the MCCC told The Echo.
‘It has taken them so long to assess, get grants, and actually take action on the Mullumbimby Scout Hall that by the time they did almost all the windows had been smashed and shuttered, and the site has sat so long, and been vulnerable to vandalism, that it became too expensive to save and they voted to demolish it.’
The MCCC were asking Council not to demolish the Scout Hall but look at ways to save it including the possibility of moving the it to the Mullumbimby Showground for a third rebirth.
Not the first time it’s burnt
According to the secretary of the Brunswick Valley Historical Society, Susan Tsicalas, the top section of the Scout Hall was the original Mullumbimby Bowls Club. After it was first burnt, it was rebuilt and finally replaced in 1957 when the original clubhouse was moved to its current site as the first storey of the Scout Hall and the lower level was built in.
Dean Stanford, Acting Deputy Captain of Station 388, told The Echo that it appears so far that it was a bin fire set alight at the front door of the ground floor that was the source of the fire.
‘The fire burnt part of the front of the building moving to the upper part of the building and the upstairs landing,’ explained Deputy Captain Stanford.
The fire crews were able to put the fire out before it was established inside the building.
‘There is some water and smoke damage inside. It is the two front doors, upstairs landing, and outside wall around them where the primary damage has occurred,’ he said.
What is the Scout Hall’s future?
The MCCC had been calling for the Scout Hall to be renovated or moved to an alternative location rather than being demolished. They were also raising concerns over the risk to the oldest building in Mullumbimby, the Signalman’s Cottage, which they have been asking the Council to help them with leasing so that they can renovate it and provide it for community use. They have also been asking Council and state rail to take action to help preserve and rebuild the heritage Mullumbimby Railway Station that burnt down in 2024. ‘Council need to take action immediately to preserve these buildings and get them working for the community again. The old Byron Rail Master’s Cottage was destroyed by fire in May this year and now the Scout Hall,’ Mr Prior pointed out.
‘The Mullum Scout Hall building is still in good condition with minor fire and water damage. Council need to get onto this immediately, get it cleaned up, secured and use it or move it. Leaving these buildings languishing and unused makes them vulnerable not only to squatters and vandalism but to losing them in fires as we’ve seen. They need to get moving so that we don’t lose any more heritage buildings in the town.’
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