Ballarat
At Ballarat VRI we offer a range of services, in addition your normal VRI Membership, facilities include:
For details on how to become involved or hall hire please email vri@vri.org.au
Gymnasium
Messenger Hall
PREMIER DISTRICT CENTRE AWARD 2020
The VRI Board of management is pleased to announce VRI Ballarat Centre as the Premier District Centre of the year for 2020.
Over the past year a major development has been built almost on the boundary of the hall. This has caused many issues for the centre and they have continued to manage the situation with outstanding results for all.
Ballarat VRI Centre always offer outstanding service to their members and are always willing to open the doors to new members and hall users.
We appreciate and acknowledge the extra efforts involved from everyone at Ballarat over the year and wish to congratulate them on this honour.
Ballarat History
Ballarat Branch of the VRI was formed in 1916, with the main building opening in 1926, with the bottom or "Messenger Hall" opening in 1959.
The "Messenger Hall" was named after the Secretary Bert Messenger who served as Secretary for Ballarat from 1958 to 1967. The funding from the building came solely from the selling of tobacco and sweets from cupboards manned by Ballarat VRI members, installed at Ballarat North Railway Workshops. Of course you had to sell a lot of tobacco and sweets to have the building erected, but should also remember that in those days all workers were members of the VRI and in excess of 800 workers worked at the shops so tobacco and sweets were very easy to get rid of.
