Hall Stories

(John O’Callaghan with his brother Bob on saxophone, and his dad on reading materials)This is the first episode of Hall Stories to step outside the format of featuring a specific hall. As Mark Twain once said ‘It’s my podcast and I’ll do what I want!’ The inspiration for this break out episode came when I was interviewing John O’Callaghan for the Port Albert Mechanics Institute Hall Stories project. John had many stories about Port Albert, which you can listen to in Episode 8. However, he had so many recollections about halls & dances across South Gippsland, that it seemed a shame to leave them out just because they didn’t pertain to Port Albert. At the time of the interview John was 91, and while he may have slowed down and had had to retire the drum sticks, his stories are completely intact and exquisitely detail the golden era of country hall dances from the perspective of the musicians. Over his many decades on the drum stool, he witnessed changes in society brought on by the advent of television, changes to drinking laws and the shift in modern music trends, led by the rise of Rock ‘n Roll.I loved speaking with John & Gwen at their home in Yarram. Since the interview in May 2025, John has recently had a bad fall and has had to move into an assisted living home. However, he remains positive and tells me he has more stories to share. I’m not ruling out another John O’C episode.(John, Bob, Janet & Noel at the height of the popularity in the early 1960’s)(John & the band at the Switch On Electricity Ball at the Binginwarri Hall. Most country halls had similar events when electricity finally came to town. At a certain point of the night, they would ceremonially switch from gas to electricity … in this instance, it was when the young lad holding the tilly lantern’s, arm’s gave out )(John, Bob Noel & (maybe) Janet in later years)(John with the surviving part of the drum kit made by his dad.)(The snare was cut from an old mallee heater)Thanks for listening! This is an independently run enterprise & relies on word of mouth, so if you know someone who would enjoy this, share it with them. The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan at damiancallinan.substack.com/subscribe

What dance was banned from the Port Albert Mechanics Institute in the 1960’s? Did a hermit really used to live in the roof? Is a Juvenile Fancy Dress Ball just adults dressed up as kids? We prise the hall door open to answer these and many other questions as Hall Stories comes in with the tide to Port Albert.(Thanks to the Wedge Theatre, Sale & the Wellington Shire Council, for making this leg of the Hall Stories tour possible)Check out the the ABC News story about The Stomp that was referenced in the podcast.While The Stomp began in the USA, it was only in Australia where it became a social phenomenon. At its peak, a National Stomp Dance Competition took place at Lane Cove in Sydney, attracting 45,000 people.(John O’Callaghan (drums) with his brother Bob (saxophone) & his dad (magazines). This was John’s first proper drum kit.)(John O’Callaghan with the surviving piece of the drum kit that his dad made him in 1944. It was cut from an old Mallee Heater)(The Rebels - John, Bob, Jane & Noel. This was in the 1960’s heyday of John’s own band)(Carole & Wynne Hobson at their Port Albert home, overlooking the car park where they first met)( John in full flight on stage at the Port Albert Hall Stories show. Thanks to the Rotary Club Yarram for giving him a lift)(Preparing the locals to recreate the ‘Port Albert Stomp Incident’ of 1963)(The Stomp re-enactment was so good, we danced the HDMI cable out of the projector)(The author with Wynne & Carole Hobson after the show)(The author’s brothers Paul & Chris, broke up their South Gippsland golf trip with a night out at the Port Albert Mechanics Institute)(Port Albert Regatta)(The hall as it is today, looking towards where the stage used to be)(Similar view when the stage was still in place. No sign of the murals … or the hermit. Note the metal poles that claimed many hapless victims during the modern waltz)(The author, front row second from the left, during his school days at Alberton West State School) Get full access to The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan at damiancallinan.substack.com/subscribe

How did a piece of abstract art manage to win first prize at the Omeo Art Show? Why did George Legge disastrously abandon his post when cooking the pig on the spit at the Masonic Installation Ball? How many local blokes met their wives by waiting at the bus stop for the new nurses & teachers to arrive? All these questions & more will be answered in this Omeo High Plains edition of Hall Stories. Get full access to The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan at damiancallinan.substack.com/subscribe

Who’s got the key to the Elmore Hall? Why was there a near riot the night that ‘Gone With The Wind’ screened? If you don’t have any brothers, who partners you at the Catholic Debutante Ball? Why did the paranormal activity team only pick up the sound of kids laughing and town planners reading land titles? Is a shinding the same thing as a shindig? So many questions arose from time in the adjoining Elmore Memorial & Athenaeum Halls. Have a listen … ‘it’s gonna be a hoot!’ Get full access to The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan at damiancallinan.substack.com/subscribe

How many beers did legendary Nurses, Vivien Bullwinkle & Betty Jeffrey, have at the Caramut Pub after stopping to get directions to the hall they supposed to officially open? How was afternoon tea used as a weapon against the Penshurst Tennis team? How did the hall committee lure the author to host one of their trivia nights? Did Strop & Emma really spend their wedding night on a blow up mattress in the cloak room? How did the Bilious Brothers charm their way to victory at the Glenthompson Star Town Concert? All of these questions & more will be answered as you get know the fabulous Woodhouse-Nareeb community. Get full access to The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan at damiancallinan.substack.com/subscribe

Come join me for a tour of the wonderful community of Kaarimba, in Col Grinter’s 1925 open top Chevy, with no brakes. Along the way, you’ll learn how to master making a square chocolate cake; how to power up a vintage air conditioner with a car battery & how to dance the Highland Schottische & hopefully live to to tell the tale.The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan at damiancallinan.substack.com/subscribe

Will BBAC Theatre Production get the rights to stage ‘Wicked’ in the Yando Hall? Will Yando ever forgive Appin for the infamous 1934 Football melee that left half the team in hospital? Will the hall feature in ‘Australian Counrty Wedding’ magazine, despite having drop toilets? All this & more in the Yando edition of Hall Stories. This is a special one.To see photos relating to the stories told in the podcast go to … Hall Stories The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.Thanks for reading The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan! This post is public so feel free to share it. Get full access to The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan at damiancallinan.substack.com/subscribe

The Hall Stories project ventured to Tallygaroopna, Victoria as of part of the 100th birthday celebrations for the hall. I attended the festivities on the Kings Birthday weekend 2024, before returning in July for field research, interviews and to perform the live show. She is an absolute stunner of a hall and as a bonus, there is actually a hall within the hall - an architectural turducken if you like. Turn the urn on for a cuppa, make yourself a mock turkey sandwich and sit down by the fire in the supper room, and have a listen. Get full access to The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan at damiancallinan.substack.com/subscribe

Hall Stories is a multi faceted project that I am currently trialing with Riverlinks Theatre and the Shepparton Festival. In the basic format of the project, I perform a live show in a hall, combining my skills as a storyteller, stand-up and character actor, to share from my armoury of war stories from my time performing on the front line in halls across the land. Basically, I pull back the curtain to create a show about the shows. I also theatrically share the quirky characters, bizarre rules, unique traditions and legendary yarns that I’ve acquired from touring across the country. Each hall has a story to tell, and I aim to be the walls that talk, in a socio historical examination of the role halls play in rural Australian life. The performance is augmented by a hilarious collection of golden photo stories that I’ve panned from the alluvial river of regional touring. The collection includes a gallery of overly officious hall signs; marketing miscalculations; municipal missteps and a retrospective of the rustic, recreation reserve. Part of the show and slideshow is curated to each hall. Hall Stories is me doing what I do best, where I do it best. I know how to talk over a bubbling urn; wind up when the CWA start cutting up the passionfruit sponge and stack the chairs in 5’s at the end of the night. ‘But wait, there’s more’ … in the deluxe version of Hall Stories, I deliver a fully produced HALL STORIES PODCAST, based entirely on the history, legends, stories, characters and events of an individual hall or venue. The podcast features interviews with historians, local legends, committee members, elders and performers who’ve tread the boards in that very hall. The podcast will form part of a series, as I build a national collection.The project was recently pitched at the Regional Arts Victoria Showcase, and I am building a mega hall tour for 2025.Harston Memorial Hall have been the guinea pigs for Episode 1. Make sure you’ve turned the urn off before you leave. If you’d like to see picture galleries of Harston Memorial Hall, see quirky hall posts and follow the project, you can follow Damian Callinan Hall Stories Get full access to The Complete Perks of Damian Callinan at damiancallinan.substack.com/subscribe