THE BUILDING FACTS:

The first sod was turned by Kaye Denman 26 January 1995. The building was opened on the 18th December 2002 by Wilson Tuckey and ex-Tasmanian Premier Jim Bacon (dec.).

There are 14 timber pillars, sourced from all the states of Australia. They are:

Each column is 30 feet/ 10 metres high. The heaviest is the blackheart sassafras at 2.2 ton. The lightest is the Huon pine at 1.6 ton; this particular piece of timber came from the King River on the West Coast and had been put aside for a project such as the AHHFT. It and two other logs were sunk in the river to preserve them; the others are still there. The hardest timber is the red mahogany. This pillar required a chain bloc to feed the drill required to bolt it to the floor. All timbers are native to their states bar the Radiata pine. The arena represents less than one third of the building’s total area.

A B-double truck could fit through the large rear doors and park on the arena surface, allowing the centre to cater for such events as trade shows. The roof was actually built on the ground and lifted into place with cranes after the installation of the timber columns. The raising of the roof took place on radio on the Macca on Sunday morning’s programme on the ABC. The building’s designs were modified to maximise Work for the Dole participation (This is one reason behind the roof at ground level). The national scheme’s parameters were also changed to improve the effectiveness of the workforce. This was our initiative and has since been adopted on a national level.

There are 3.2 tons of steel in the roof (including the brackets and decorative work) and about $8,000 worth of nuts and bolts. The roofing iron is worth $50,000. The building’s windows glass is worth $60,000. It cost around $100,000 for the basic electrical work. Most of the figures above were heavily discounted as this was a community-based project. The area for the concrete slab was excavated by the staff volunteers from Fieldwick Company, work worth $32,000 The arena floor is a special material made in the Netherlands from recycled car tyres. It is thick enough to withstand the impact from the tree-felling exhibitions. The Legend Axeman’s wall comprises $25,000 worth of Tasmanian Oak in mainly 3x2 lengths which have been bolted together to form the display cases. This timber was entirely donated by Devonport businessman Clayton Stewart Myrtle is the principal timber used in the construction of the bar area.

The parquetry floor is made from $50,000 worth of Tasmanian hardwood. Specialised laying procedures were performed and supervised by a local floor laying expert, Ivor Kirkwood. The first major event to be held in the building was the Fiddlers Bid concert, which was part of the 10 Days on the Island festival in 2001. Since then several events have been held here, the acoustics proving to be well-suited to large musical groups. Everything from weddings to boxing matches is easily able to fit into the building. The grounds have been exclusively planted using Australian natives; each corner represents flora from a particular state. The post and rail fence was erected by service clubs and volunteers.