A meeting of the Stanley District Council was first held on May 5th 1868, the main outcome of which was a petition to call on the Government to establish a local court there. The Register of June 5th 1868 listed A. Melville, J.P. as Chairman and Patrick Dowd, George Faulkner, Daniel Brady and Henry Jolley as Councillors. About 9 years after the first meeting the Council Chamber, now known as the Civic or District Hall was built. It was linked to the adjoining Institute in 1942, ten years after the Stanley District Council was amalgamated with the District Council of Clare. The Civic Hall, on the right, was built in 1877 and the adjacent Institute was built a year later in 1878.
The Institute has been the centre of the town’s social, cultural and entertainment activity. It has served as a polling booth and centre for issuing ration books, and on its walls are hung the various Honour Rolls of the Fallen as well as prominent local citizens. A bio-box was added in 1949 and in 1951 it was noted that the Institute “… was equipped with modern fluorescent lighting, Dunlopillo seats in some chairs, a bio-box and an electric tea urn is the centre of communal life”. In 1987 the recent extension linkage was built and both buildings restored and upgraded. The buildings were originally enclosed along the front by picket fencing which survived as late as 1951. Again, in 2019, the Institute was refurbished, adding wheelchair access to the supper room and an all-abilities toilet, as well as refitting the kitchen with improved facilities. This refurbishment was supported through a Building Better Regions Fund grant in conjunction with the Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council.[1]
The Institute continues to be a hub for the Mintaro community, for meetings and events, and as a place for gathering on solemn occasions. The annual ANZAC Dawn Service is held by the war memorial in front of the Institute.
With its upgraded facilities the Institute is available for public hire as a venue for meetings, conferences, weddings, receptions and the like.
Notes
- Mintaro conservation study, McDougall & Vines (Architectural & Heritage Consultants), Norwood, South Australia, 1988.