Beachmere celebrates 150 years with $1 million gift

You might not be able to say sesquicentennial, but Beachmere is celebrating this milestone in style.

To mark 150 years since European settlement in Beachmere, Moreton Bay Regional Council has unveiled a $1 million refurbishment of the old RSL Sub Branch building into a new vibrant community facility named the Beachmere Hub.

Mayor Peter Flannery says this had been a project he’s been passionate about for some years.

“I see the Beachmere Hub as a major step towards restoring the town to its glory days when it was once an epicentre for Brisbane holidaymakers,” Mayor Flannery says.

“I really hope this will be the beating heart of Beachmere, bringing locals and visitors together for community events, activities and celebrations like the one today.

What the hub now offers

“This facility has been totally refurbished into a district-level community hall with renovated kitchen, large function area and meeting rooms that can be booked out by community groups or the general public for meetings, classes, functions and events,” Mayor Flannery explains.

“I hear the local U3A has already signed up to start using the amazing facilities and we hope to see many more as word gets out.”

Who’s running it?

Council has handed the keys over to new manager Beachmere Area Network Group (BANG) under a five-year management agreement.

BANG president Karen Harris says she can’t wait to see the local community making the most of the revitalised Beachmere Hub.

“We had originally planned to celebrate Beachmere’s 150^th birthday with a festival of events that have now been postponed due to COVID-19,” Karen says.

“But to see the Beachmere Hub come to fruition in this milestone year is cause for celebration in itself and the silver lining is that it’s given BANG more time to settle into the venue. We have had a great deal of interest and we’re already taking bookings which is very exciting.

“I’d like to thank Mayor Peter Flannery, who supported this project from the outset, and Moreton Bay Regional Council for its generosity to fund a wonderful community asset.”

Beachmere’s place in history

New Division 2 councillor Mark Booth says Beachmere is a proud seaside village, steeped in Queensland history.

“It’s quite amazing to think that Beachmere is one of the older European settlements in Queensland, after Thomas Edwin Bonney first moved here back in 1870,” he says.

“The town was once known by Brisbanites for its beaches and the iconic annual sand garden competitions that took place here for years.

“We hope this awesome new facility helps to continue to make Beachmere a thriving community for locals for another 150 years to come.”

Special features

Hanging on the wall in the main function area, is a quilt crafted by Chris Sutton and Di Newell from the local quilters group.

The colours, fabrics, feature panels and four indigenous-print turtles pay tribute to Beachmere’s history, before and after European settlement – acknowledging its importance to the Gubbi Gubbi people - and symbolise the township’s position at the mouth of the Caboolture River.

The Beachmere Hub also has two beautiful mosaic pots created by Helen Riley, of the Beachmere Mosaic Club, and a lectern carefully crafted by members of the local men’s shed.

It’s clear, the township’s community groups have already embraced their new home.

For more information about the Beachmere Hub, visit the BANG website

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