Rich history reignited by couple’s vision
WHEN Emma McKenzie and her partner Tegan decided to get married in 2018 it was a sensible decision for them to stage the ceremony in the old Providence Farm Hall located on her parent’s property at Beechmont.
While the almost 80 year old hall was in light of better days they decorated the venue for their special day and in their words it proved to be the perfect choice.
At the time they didn’t realise it would lead to them committing their life to turning the Farm Hall into their business.
After their wedding they started making regular trips from their home in Brisbane up to Beechmont spending a month alone just repainting the inside of the hall.
“It needed a lot of work and with the help of my parents a rundown hall with holes in the walls and paint peeling everywhere was brought back to life,” Emma said.
“We now stage weddings at Providence Farm Hall on a regular basis and guests who in the past had to bring everything along for their big day including napkins and glasses can have everything provided.”
“After the 2019 bushfires we saw the government was looking to provide more emergency shelters so we volunteered our hall and as a result received a grant for improvements including a new kitchen.
“It was a win for us in that it enabled us to show our commitment to the local community and at the same time gave us a kitchen to use for the first time.”
While Providence Farm Hall is establishing an excellent reputation for holding weddings Emma and Tegan are working to expand their business by holding such things as bush dances and small music events.
“On Saturday April 12 our hall will be the venue for the third annual Flow Arts Gathering which holds workshops for many activities including dance, performance, yoga and even juggling,” Emma said.
The Providence Farm Hall has a rich history, its walls and dance floor have seen hundreds of celebrations since the 1940’s.
Weddings, bush dances, music festivals, theatre, art shows and birthday parties are just a few of the events that have been held there over the years and thanks to Emma and Tegan McKenzie-Carter it has come back to life.
The McKenzie family along with other local families on the mountain were involved in the original construction and have continued to be a part of its rich history ever since.
The land was originally donated by the McKenzie family in the 1940s so that the community could build the biggest and best hall in the district.
In recent years the McKenzie family bought the Hall and the land back off the Beechmont community.
It is their dream to continue to create new memories and Emma and Tegan have ensured that’s exactly what the Hall is achieving.
