Wellington Civic Centre has become a white elephant as it is too expensive to hire.
Pip Smith’s letter
I am writing regarding the upcoming Council decision concerning the Wellington Civic Centre in May.
I have been a member of the Wellington Eisteddfod Society over 16 years, a parent of children who have attended for 26 years, a volunteer, and a committee member.
Over this time, I have seen first-hand both the incredible value of the Civic Centre to our community and the increasing challenges associated with hiring the facility.
The Wellington Eisteddfod has been running for 48 years, having first been established in 1976, and it is entirely volunteer-run.
The event has become a significant fixture in the local area community, often described as a “cornerstone” that has lasted for nearly half a century.
Each year, the Wellington Civic Centre provides a stage for thousands of performers to compete across various disciplines, including Dance - Solo and group performances ranging from junior to senior levels.
Music and Singing - vocal and instrumental categories, and Speech and Drama - recitals and powerful poetry performances.
It is the largest annual event held in our town, attracting more than 2500 people each year, including competitors, families, visitors and supporters.
As a not-for-profit organisation, every dollar we raise through entry fees goes directly back into running the event, with a significant portion of those funds returning to Council through venue hire and associated costs.
I would like to acknowledge the Dubbo Regional Council staff, who have consistently gone above and beyond to support us. Their efforts in improving areas such as electrical systems, heating, cooling and sound have not gone unnoticed and are deeply appreciated.
However, ongoing issues remain within the Civic Centre that require attention: cracked windows, worn curtains needing replacement, and an outdated kitchen with ongoing electrical concerns.
Furthermore, the infrastructure suggests a need for more dressing rooms. This could be addressed in the space between the bathrooms where the windows and curtains need immediate replacement.
A major flaw of a portable disability ramp or lift to be built to allow access for everyone of which has been brought to the attention of DRC over the past three years.
As a committee we applied for grants but because this building is a DRC, government regulations make it impossible to secure them.
Each year, community users provide feedback, yet many of these issues remain unresolved - not due to a lack of effort from staff, but due to broader constraints.
The cost of hiring the Civic Centre continues to rise, which is having a direct and growing impact.
The Eisteddfod costs approximately $40,000 annually to run. Without the generosity of local sponsors and the commitment of volunteers, it would not be possible.
A large portion of our committee’s time is spent seeking sponsorship simply to cover increasing venue and operational costs.
As a result, we have had to reduce our daily program to approximately 12 hours. While this may seem sufficient, the reality is that this restriction forces the event to run over more days.
In previous years, we were able to run three sessions per day, including evening sessions, which reduced the total number of days required.
Now, the extended number of days increases costs for families - including fuel, accommodation, food, and time away - and directly impacts the number of entries competitors can afford.
This, in turn, affects participation and the sustainability of the event.
Importantly, the Wellington Eisteddfod is just one example. There are many community events - including local school events - that were once held at the Civic Centre but have since moved to alternative venues due to the cost of hire.
The Civic Centre is increasingly becoming the last option considered, rather than the first, unless the event is funded by government or external bodies.
If hire costs were more accessible, the Civic Centre would naturally become a central hub for community life once again.
Community organisations, local groups, schools and individuals would be far more likely to use the space for performances, meetings, conferences, weddings, and community gatherings.
In a town like Wellington, word of mouth alone would drive increased usage without the need for extensive marketing.
Currently, even accessing information about the Civic Centre is difficult. Online searches often redirect to Dubbo Regional Theatre, and accurate, accessible information specific to Wellington is limited.
Listings on tourism platforms such as Visit NSW do not clearly represent the venue, and some booking pages display incorrect or misleading images.
Wellington sits in a highly strategic location within the Central West - often referred to as the “Golden Triangle” between Dubbo, Orange and Mudgee.
The Eisteddfod alone attracts participants from Lithgow, Cowra, West Wyalong, Cobar, Coonamble, Coolah and surrounding regions.
With more accessible venue costs, there is significant potential to expand participation and attract even more visitors.
This delivers a direct economic benefit to the town, supporting accommodation providers, food outlets, retail businesses and local services.
For example, during our major dance weekends, we notify local supermarkets in advance due to the influx of over 2000 people within a 48-hour period, allowing them to increase staffing accordingly.
Beyond economics, the Civic Centre plays a vital role in supporting the arts and community life — including organisations such as Wellington Amateur Theatrical Society, local schools, and numerous volunteer groups.
This is not simply about one event or one organisation. It is about ensuring that a key community asset remains accessible, functional, and actively used.
From a practical perspective, there are clear steps Council can take to improve this situation.
One of the most immediate and effective actions would be to review and reduce hire fees to a level that is accessible for community organisations and local users.
The Civic Centre is a community hall - a hub that belongs to the people of Wellington - and it should be within reach of those who wish to use it.
The more people who are able to hold events at the Civic Centre, the more it will be used. Increased usage will naturally lead to greater awareness, stronger word of mouth, and ultimately more bookings.
In time, this would increase overall hire frequency and revenue, rather than limiting it.
Equally important is listening to those who regularly use the facility.
Over the past 20 years, consistent feedback and practical suggestions have been provided by community groups.
Engaging with these users and acting on their input will ensure the Civic Centre continues to improve in a way that meets real community needs.
I respectfully ask Council to consider a more balanced and sustainable approach - one that supports community organisations, encourages greater use of the Civic Centre, and recognises the long-term social and economic benefits for Wellington.
Pip Smith Wellington Eisteddfod Society INC, Committee Member
“Council demands $1811 a day just to turn the lights on”
A NOTICE of Motion will be lodged at the May 26 Ordinary meeting of Council by Councilor Adam Ryan for the lowering of hiring fees for Wellington Civic Centre.
The motion follows debate via facebook brought on by local resident Scott Wilkinson who stated it was time to turn the lights back on at Wellington Civic Centre, referring to the building as ‘Wellington’s $1800-a-day White Elephant’.
Our Civic Centre is locked up and gathering dust because Council expects our local groups to pay $1811 a day just to turn the lights on,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“We are being priced out of our own hall.”
He said he would attend the May 26 council meeting to speak in support of Clr Adam Ryan’s notice of motion to ‘slash these ridiculous fees’.
“If your community group, charity, or event has been priced out of this venue, I need a formal Letter of Support from you,” he asked.
“I want to walk in and hand the General Manager a stack of letters proving exactly how much damage this is doing to postcode 2820.”
Already in response community groups have or are preparing letters of support.
A co-organiser of a recent Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Forum in Wellington, Marsha Gay replied saying “we tried to access the Civic Centre to host the event but was unable to as they had no staff to open the venue.
“We were willing to even pay to full cost to utilise the facility and was told to use a different date.
“We found an alternative for our event but when we asked again for another date we were once again advised by council we were unable to use the facility.
“However, what upsets me is seeing that the venue was used for a Council event after we had asked to hire the venue. We all know in our community the problems we are having in a daily basis around Mental Health and we as community members need to come together but when council puts up barriers for things like this to utilise the best venue that is easily accessed for everyone makes it hard and difficult to work together.”
In her letter to councillors, Pip Smith said for the decades she had volunteered – “I have seen first-hand both the incredible value of the Civic Centre to our community and the increasing challenges associated with hiring the facility.”
Mrs Smith said she had been a volunteer of 16 years for the Wellington Eisteddfod which had been running entirely by volunteers for 48 years.
“It is the largest annual event held in our town, attracting more than 2500 people each year, including competitors, families, visitors and supporters.
“As a not-for-profit organisation, every dollar we raise through entry fees goes directly back into running the event, with a significant portion of those funds returning to Council through venue hire and associated costs.”
“There are many community events - including local school events - that were once held at the Civic Centre but have since moved to alternative venues due to the cost of hire.
“The Civic Centre is increasingly becoming the last option considered, rather than the first, unless the event is funded by government or external bodies.”
Editor’s note:
Council’s annual budgeting season has commenced and you can bet London to a Brick the motion will pass, but placed on the budget agenda where it will possibly get lost in the lengthy procedure.
These are not the only people complaining.
We’ve heard complaints from Wellington Amateur Theatrical Society (WATS) for many years.
The town hears plenty of complaints as each annual or special event is organised with the Civic Centre in mind.
Council’s business-like determination tends to forget why a council was established however, like the previous Wellington Shire Council, it could look to at least recover expenses and donate a portion of the hire fee back to the non-for-profit hirer.
Wellington Council donated back half the hire cost.
Julie Hancock letter
I am writing in support of the submission regarding the Wellington Civic Centre that is being presented at the upcoming council meeting. Wellington Amateur Theatrical Society (WATS) has been an integral part of the community since its inception in 1910.
We pride ourselves on providing a safe, creative space for anyone that wants to be involved.
Unlike many regional towns, Wellington does not have a traditional theatre from which we can base ourselves, so up until 2018 WATS was grateful to be able to avail ourselves of our town hall, Wellington Civic Centre.
Following the amalgamation of the Wellington Council with Dubbo in 2016, it has become increasingly cost prohibitive to mount our productions at the Civic Centre.
We instead have relied on the generosity and sponsorship of the Wellington Memorial Soldiers Club to accommodate us for rehearsals, set up and performances.
While this has worked well for us, it does compromise the type of productions we can mount and the number of performers/participants we can include.
It also severely restricts the number of shows and audience members we can enjoy, thus further restricting our opportunity for growth.
Each year we look at ways we can return to the Wellington Civic Centre.
We have worked closely with the team at DRTC to look at ways to make it viable, however despite everyone's best efforts, it always becomes clear that the current cost structure would significantly threaten WATS' future financial viability.
Having mounted a show every year for 116 years (with the exception of the two Covid years) this is a risk we are not willing to take.
With the pending redevelopment/upgrade of the Soldiers Club, WATS is looking like becoming a theatre company without a performance venue.
We certainly don't expect to be able to access the Civic Centre for free however would like to think that vital community groups such as ours, could be incentivised to return to what once was, Wellington's cultural and social centre.
On behalf of the WATS and the wider Wellington community, I respectfully request that the Mayor and Councillors of Dubbo Regional Council, review the current fee structure so that is once again a feasible option for groups such as ours to return to our town hall.
Julie Hancock President, Wellington Amateur Theatrical Society