Hall Stories with Damian Callinan

23/09/2026

The Woodleigh Hall comedy show with Hall Stories with Damian Callinan and Bass Coast Cultural Venues is fast approaching. (Friday October 9th)
We need your stories, memories, facts, photos, newspaper cuttings and ephemera.
Remember the real bees 🐝, the working bees, the badminton, the Toga Party, the casserole teas, the Cup sweep BBQs…..the weekend the hall celebrated 100 years…….just to name a few.

Two sessions to “meet & greet” on Thursday the 8th of October to share what the Woodleigh Hall means to you!
3pm to 4pm
7pm to 8pm.
Come along and have a cuppa , a chat and get to meet Damian Callinan.

19/09/2026

Every hall has a story to tell, and Damian Callinan will be the wall that’s talk. A night of comedy & storytelling celebrating the quirks, traditions & characters of rural Australian halls and meeting places.

We are so very lucky to have Hall Stories with Damian Callinan happening in St. Arnaud. Come and share stories about the Band Hall and St. Arnaud with Damian on the 15th of October and he will weave our stories into a fabulous night of entertainment just for us! Message us to book a table for a group, or just buy a ticket at the door. We can't wait to share this with you all!

28/08/2026

How did Santa Claus fit through the door of the hall in an Aston Martin? How did the Minister cope when the tranquility of his Sunday church service was shattered by the powerful Hornet Super Speed Boat on Lake Glenmaggie? What was the most recent sighting of the Glenmaggie Weir Ness Monster? Come & join the fine people of Glenmaggie as the relive key moments in the living history of their beautiful hall.

Thanks to the team at The Wedge for producing this show. In particular Niamh Hassett, Sam Jones & Andrew Thompson. Thanks to everyone who shared their stories, and Merryn Stephenson for being a wonderful local guide.

The link is below the waterline of the weir.

20/08/2026

Hall Stories will be back on the road in the spring. Here's where you can see the show. Reach out if you want me to come to your hall in 2027.

03/08/2026

It wasn't uncommon for community halls to be used for mother's health care once a week. However, in 2010 the Woodside Hall took things a step further, when Michelle Dillow gave birth in the foyer. En route to the Yarram Hospital from her home at Woodside Beach, her waters broke. She was faced with the choice of either going to the pub or the hall for assistance. Knowing that the mother's group session was in full swing and that a midwife was amongst the attendees, she chose the hall. On the night of the Hall Stories show, we recreated that sliding doors moment to see what would have happened if she'd chosen the pub. Charlotte, now 16, was at the show, and received a huge cheer when she stood to acknowledge her dramatic, hall birth. These are the moments that make Hall Stories special. We also recreated the infamous fundraising Monster Auctions, investigated the mysterious fire that took out the first hall and delved into Woodside's role in the 1977 Wooreen Primary School Kidnapping. They even went method by getting Sandy Gordon to abduct me and take me to the kidnap cave.
Thanks to my wonderful local guide, Jane Gordon & my team at The Wedge who produced this project - Niamh Hassett, Andrew Thompson, Benny & Wade.

03/08/2026

Molly Costello was the teacher at Munro Primary School from 1954-72. Over that period she directed a Nativity Play at the Munro Hall every year. According to those who were subjected to her tyrannical direction, the play did not change one iota in 28 years. On the night of the Hall Stories show in Munro, we recreated the play and many could still remember their lines. You can here this story, and other such gems from the Munro community in Episode 10 of Hall Stories podcast - Munro Hall. Thanks to The Wedge for producing this project. Link below in the Manger.

01/08/2026

Munro Hall delivered stories in spades - Couples falling in love during bushfires; cat hair infused scones; possums sh****ng on unwitting touring bands from the exposed rafters; exotic drought ending; rain dances; a Danish woman’s confusion over what ‘bring a plate’ actually meant; a nativity play that remained unchanged for 27 years & an entire community scarred by it’s fire & brimstone director. The Munro community were natural storytellers &, as a result, this is a BIG one, but it is well worth jumping on the Bedford and bouncing around for the journey to that vibrant little town just past Stratford, 200k’s east of Melbourne.

Thanks to The Wedge Theatre in Sale for making this project possible & Sam Jones, Niamh Hassett, Andrew Thompson Georgie & Wade for making it happen. Couldn't have done in without my tenacious local guide, Jenny Dunsmuir who made sure the hall was full for the Meet & Greet & the Hall Stories show.

Munro Hall delivered stories in spades - Couples falling in love during bushfires, cat hair infused scones, possums sh****ng on unwitting touring bands, exotic drought ending, rain dances, a Danish woman’s confusion over what ‘bring a plate’ actually meant, a nativity play that remained unchan...

15/07/2026

Working with the team at the Glen Eira City Council Arts and Culture team, has been one of my favourite Hall Stories experiences of the year. It can be tricky trying to gather stories in the larger urban centres, but digging for stories about Glen Eira Town Hall became a joyful experience thanks to the team effort. This Substack post, 'Sharpies & S**t Ghosts', shares a handful of the stories that we unearthed during the

https://bit.ly/4plt710

12/07/2026

You never know what you're going to learn when you delve into the past of any hall, but the Dookie Memorial Hall threw up some entirely unpredictable results. Along the way we learnt the secret to making a pennant winning cauliflower sheep at the St Luke's Chrysanthemum Show; we got to the bottom of the inconsistent height of the door handles in the supper room & toilets (used to be a kinder in the supper room); discovered that when local lasses couldn't find a local lad to partner them in their Deb Ball, they had a secondary pool of choices up the road at Dookie Ag College; we finally cracked the crockery colour code that determined which cups & saucers belonged to which church group; revealed that the secret ingredient of the milk coffee served at supper was mustard; my mock up of the Dookie overpass was given tacit approval & the town folk reluctantly agreed that dragging a blue tarp over a mound of bodies doesn't constitute a cemetery.

Thanks to Di Feltdmann for being a legend by - tracking down locals to provides stories, sourcing photos & historical resources, answering my myriad questions, giving me a tour of Dookie's other halls & making the Hall Queen crowns. Thanks to Matt Schroeders for again supporting the Hall Stories project & all the Riverlinks team, who always make working together seamless & enjoyable. Thanks also to the locals and hall committee members who shared their stories - Maree, Des, Peter, Karen, David, Liz & Sandy.

Thanks once more to The Wedge Theatre Sale, the next stop is Woodside Community Hall - Saturday,July 18th @ 7.30pm. We'll be holding a Meet & Greet session on Thursday, July 16th at 5.30pm.

15/06/2026

It was my absolute pleasure to help the Savernake School of the Arts Hall community, accidentally celebrate their centenary one year too early. They'd made the sign, booked the show & then checked the old minutes book & discovered the opening night ball actually occurred in 1927 ... Oopaday! It was my third time performing at this hall & it won't be the last. Savernake is so small, you don't have to change speed as you pass through, but this community is something special. The hall has a reputation for putting on a great event, & their supper is legend. As well as the immediate locals, so many extras came from Albury, Corowa, Wahgunyah, Balldale, Yarrawonga, Mulwala, Rennie, Berrigan & Canada, extra chairs had to be wheeled out. The night featured the inaugural airing of a new Riverina dance craze. Inspired by poor mobile reception (recently rectified thanks to tenacious local campaigning), everyone in the room happily jumped in to participate in 'The Savernake Black Spot.' Amongst many revelations, we learnt that on the night of the B&S Balls in the 1970's, the branded wool packs of each of the single sheep farmers were hung on the fence outside hall so the ladies knew who was available; we got to the bottom of why the 'Catch the Rooster' & 'Greasy Pig' events were banned from the annual Savernake Picnic & heard how Jacki Weaver reacted when she had to use the pit toilet, whilst on a regional tour. Big thanks to Chantelle Gorman, Chris Gorman, Ken & Kathryn Bruce, Alex & Ann Sloane & the rest of the hall committee. Your community is lucky to have you. Big shout out to Siiri Metsar for making the trip up with the gear and teching the show. Always more fun when you're there. I should also acknowledge the efforts of Matt Dowling & Heather in recreating a RSPCA friendly hybrid 'Greasy Pig Chicken Chase'. Thanks also to Carm Hogan for the pics & bringing the Wahgunyah crew.