MEDIA
RELEASE
10
SEPTEMBER 2012
 |
Somerset Regional Council Mayor
Graeme Lehmann,
show ball organiser Patti Jaenke
and Esk Show Society president
Michael Jess.
Photo: Tom Threadingham, Gatton Star.
|
THE Esk Show Ball and Esk Community Choir concert were the first events to be held in the newly constructed Somerset Civic Centre at the weekend.
The
$5 million facility on Esk-Hampton Road replaces the former Lyceum Hall in Esk
which community groups used until it was destroyed by fire in 2010.
The
new state-of-the-art building also owned and operated by Somerset Regional
Council welcomed almost 400 people for the inaugural Esk Show Society ball on
Saturday night.
The
following day hundreds gathered for the Esk Community Choir concert which was also
a huge hit.
Somerset
Mayor Graeme Lehmann said both events were “absolutely fantastic”.
“The
centre was definitely put to good use and it was fantastic to see so many
people come out and support these community events,” Cr Lehmann said.
“The
old hall would never have fit this many people, so it’s great to see this new
hall will get plenty of use and its facilities put to good use.
“There
were only a few minor teething problems with sound but that’s nothing we can’t
fix. Overall both events went really well and were really enjoyable.”
The centre includes an auditorium, foyer, dressing rooms,
kitchen, bar and multi-function room.
The civic centre is more than twice the size of the former
Lyceum Hall and has the capacity to seat 800 people in the main auditorium and
can cater for 120 people in the foyer.
The next event that will be held in the civic centre is the
Valley FM Rave Awards on Saturday night (September 15).
The Somerset Civic Centre was funded by a $2 million grant
from the Federal Government’s Regional Development Australia Fund, $1.6 million
insurance claim and Somerset Regional Council invested the rest.
By: Melanie Maeseele
