For Kerrie Hall committee member Marlene Leckie, love for the Macedon Ranges’ town runs in her blood. Oscar Parry spoke to Marlene about the region, the hall and the beauty of all things rural.
What is your connection to Kerrie?
I am a fourth generation resident of Kerrie, I guess you could say it is in my DNA. I attended the Kerrie School along with my brother Neville. In 1977 I was elected as secretary-treasurer for the Kerrie Hall committee and still serve on the general committee today. In 1980 I married a city boy Phil Leckie, we built a home and family in Kerrie and two of our three children, Sarah and Jessica, attended Kerrie School until it sadly closed in 1993. Then they attended Hesket Primary school, as did our son Hayden.
What do you like about where you live?
I love where I live, nestled in the eastern foothills of the Macedon Ranges, it’s peaceful, serene, a place to come home to from the hustle and bustle of the city. To look out your back window and see fields and bush, hear the call of birds in the early morning, the cluck of chooks, the bellow of cows and the bleat of sheep, the hoot of owls at night with the bop and croak of frogs, the grunt of koalas and the screech of possums, it rests your soul. There is a real sense of community, neighbours and friends are there in good times and bad.
What, if anything, would you change about where you live?
I hope Kerrie can stay rural. We need as a society to nurture and hold onto the special places we have, so others can visit and enjoy its beauty.
Tell us a bit about Kerrie Hall and its interesting history?
On November 10, 1925, the first public meeting was held, with the intention of establishing a hall for the community. Approval was given at this meeting to purchase a building at the cost of £65 and Mr Alfred Hudson offered a parcel of land for the site of the hall. The hall building which had to be bought, removed, and re-erected on site was funded by the community of Kerrie. The hall opened on June 11, 1926, the cost £339/6/4 and was named Kerrie Public Hall. In 2024 we celebrate Kerrie Hall’s 90th year. It still retains its character and warmth. Today the hall stands proud in the heart of the Kerrie Valley and the Kerrie community.
In your own words, what makes the hall a unique venue?
Location and atmosphere. I see it as a blank canvas that comes to life under the dreams and visions of those that hire it. There is something about this hall that surrounds and nurtures you the minute you step inside. A special place where people celebrated births, birthdays, weddings and memorials – a cycle of life if you will. It is also a place for learning, a place to gather as family and friends to make connections.
