Numinbah Valley School of Arts

The School of Arts Hall in Numinbah Valley dates to 1925. Dances and sports days raised funds for its construction. The timber was donated and cut and dressed free of charge by workers at Yaun's Sawmill in the valley. Schools of Arts were symbolic of a coming of age for a community, indicating prosperity and status. Often forerunners of local technical colleges, they usually provided a library and community meeting spaces where visiting lecturers could inform farmers of new equipment or methodologies. Most were all-purpose community halls. The Numinbah hall functioned as the first school from 1926 until 1934. By 1937, new settlers to the area established banana plantations and the increased population needed a larger hall. An eight metre extension was made to the rear of the hall and cloak rooms were added at the entry. Further extensions were added in the 1960s with a side veranda and new kitchen. The murals on the interior walls were painted by one of a group of prisoners from the Numinbah Prison Farm who assisted with extensive alterations carried out in the early 1980s. The School of Arts remains the social centre for the Numinbah Valley today.