Community & Business
14 July, 2026
Inaugural Hall queen returns after 70 years to help save building
70 years after she raised the most money in a fundraising contest to help build the Kingsthorpe War Memorial Hall, Kingsthorpe local Fay Suley is doing her bit to help save the town's only public building.
Fay, who lived at Charlton, was prominent among those who raised funds for the construction of the hall in the mid 1950s.
She remembers there were three groups, each with a local girl as a focus of their fundraising activities.
The girls were Fay Robson (as she was prior to her marriage), Gwen Sloss from Kingsthorpe and Forna Jannusch from Glencoe.
They worked hard to get the funds together and on the night of the official opening, each of the girls was presented with a silver rose bowl.
As the girl who raised the most money - she thinks it was about £779 - Fay was given the honour of turning the key to open the hall doors and shared the first dance with the man who was to become her husband, Fred Suley.
She recalls that the hall was officially opened by the local Member for Darling Downs in the Federal Parliament, Reg Swartz.
The opening was to have taken place on 7th July, 1956, but the weather was totally against it, so the event was deferred for a couple of days.
When the hall opened on 9th July, 1956, Kingsthorpe was not a big town.
Fay said there were a few houses, the hall, a hotel and the post office/telephone exchange.
“The dances here were amazing,” she told the Oakey Champion during Friday’s fundraising launch.
“I had a wonderful time.
“It would be a jolly shame if we can’t resurrect it.”
With the latest ‘Sponsor A Stump’ campaign underway, Fay is again helping to raise money for the work needed.
She has made a beautiful quilt and has donated it as a raffle prize.
The money raised from the raffle will buy one stump.
Beneath the hall, 153 timber stumps supported the structure which was to become the focal point of the district’s social activity.
However time has taken its toll - those stumps have done their job and need replacing.
In an endeavour to ensure the future of the hall, the Committee responsible for it on behalf of the local community, is working to raise $200,000 to pay for the re-stumping and associated works.
At a launch function on Friday afternoon, the fundraising coordinator, Jo Muldoon said the actual stump replacement will cost $1000 per stump.
She is hoping people will come forward to sponsor a stump.
The names of those individuals or organisations who sponsor a stump will be displayed on a memory board located next to the Soldiers’ Memorial Boards in the hall.
Anyone who contributes an amount under $1000 will have their name recorded in a book to be displayed in the hall.
Close to $20,000 is already in hand.
The Committee was holding $8000 for the job and a further $11,865 has been raised through fundraising efforts so far conducted.
Included in this is more than $4500 from a raffle which featured a list of prizes worth around $2500.
Jo Muldoon said most of the prizes were contributed by businesses in Oakey.
She praised the strong support which came from those businesses.
She said Oakey Beef Exports has been a strong on going supporter.
The Toowoomba RSL Sub-Branch has come on board and is supporting the appeal, which has helped ensure that any donations contributed are tax deductible.
Ms Muldoon reminded those present on Friday that the community owns the hall.
“The Committee is working tirelessly, but we can’t do this alone,” she said.
“We’re preserving a piece of our local history.”
She said the hard working committee will be able to improve the facilities of the hall once it has been re-stumped.
Donations can be made by contacting Jo Muldoon via email atjomuldoon70@gmail.com or by calling 0499 922 061.
