A popular wedding venue and community meeting place has received a much-needed makeover.
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Land manager president Scott Tourle said the upgrades to Toongi Recreation Reserve and Hall were already being well used by the community.
"The whole project showed the fantastic community spirit of our area with so many pitching in, including local businesses donating items such as two fire extinguishers, and a kitchen installer working on the installation for free," Mr Tourle said.
"The hall and tennis courts bring the community together to touch base with each other and socialise through so are very important for our area."
Upgrades to the site included a new kitchen and 170 metre steel mesh fence around the tennis courts.
Mr Tourle said the kitchen makeover included new cupboards, laminate benchtops and a better stove. He said these changes will make the venue more suitable for functions.
"We've been having a lot of weddings and other functions at the hall, and for that you need a proper kitchen and serving area. We're lucky that this funding is available and lucky to get it as well," he said.
Toongi Hall, 22 kilometres south of Dubbo on Obley Road, is hired for weddings, birthday parties, community events including the annual Christmas tree family party, and meetings for Landcare and the Rural Fire Service.
It also hosts a weekly 'Beer and Chips' get together for locals to socialise.
Minister for lands and property Steve Kamper said the upgrades were made possible by a $65,510 grant from the NSW government.
A further $6253 in funding for the improvements came from the hall's hiring fees and volunteers chipped in by removing the old kitchen and fence.
"This NSW government investment replaced an ageing kitchen with a modern facility with the latest appliances that's much more effective for catering and easier to keep clean," Mr Kamper said.
"Upgrading facilities on Crown reserves supports jobs, injects money into local economies, and helps community and sporting groups and regional tourism."
The grant was part of the Crown Land Manager COVID1-9 Recovery Support Program grant scheme, which supported communities with projects as they battled the COVID-19 business downturn.
The latest upgrades follow a NSW government upgrade in 2021 that installed lights for the courts, allowing locals to play on summer nights after work and when it's too hot during the day.
"For many years the local hall and the tennis courts were a location for social and community gatherings, and these reserves hold a special place in the hearts of the people who live nearby and maintain them," member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders said.
"It's great that we are able to provide support to allow these facilities to be maintained and upgraded, but also maintain the charm of yesteryear that makes them so special."
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