The Vale Ladies will be hosting an afternoon tea on Saturday, October 28, at 1.30pm to mark 70 years of the Vale Hall.
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The event will be held at the hall and all are welcome.
The Vale of Clwydd was founded in 1867, two years after coal was found in the area at a depth of 225 feet.
Ground near the mine allotment was set aside for workers’ homes to be built and the Vale was born. Its name, Clwydd, came from the Welsh word ‘clwyd’, meaning simply ‘rocks’.
The mine saw the founding of Lithgow’s first union, the Lodge, in 1875.
Among its chairmen was Joseph Cook in 1885 and 1886, who went onto become Prime Minister of Australia and received a knighthood.
The Vale area’s population grew and, on October 25, 1947, a community hall was officially opened by then Lithgow mayor HG Coastes.
At the time of the hall’s opening, there were active groups among the Vale community supporting the opening of the hall, including the Vale of Clwydd Progress Association, the Ladies Club and the Australian Labor Party.
The Vale Ladies, which will be hosting Saturday’s anniversary party, formed in 1941.
In its early years, the group raised funds and created packages to be sent to the Vale boys during the war. They also created care packages for Britain.
The formation of the Vale Progress Association followed in 1946. The members, working with the cooperation of council, constructed the hall.
“The services of a hall for the Vale community have been a long felt want, and now that the building is established, should play an important part in the social welfare of our residents,” Progress Association secretary Mrs J Madden said at its opening.
Lithgow had been declared a City just two years prior, in 1945, as the population climbed to over 15,000 and remained there for five years.
All are welcome to the celebration. Call Vale Ladies president Jan Hawken for more on 6351 2845.
