The Mechanics' Institute, later called the Pioneers' Hall, at Iona was opened on April 26, 1895 by the Minister of Mines, Mr Foster, who was also in charge of the Village Settlements. He was accompanied by Mr Hancock, M.L.A., Mr Prendergast, M.L. A., Mr Crook, M.L.C., William Davidson, Inspector-General of Public Works and James Thomas, Chief Steward of Village Settlements (1).
The opening of the Mechanics' Institute at the local village settlement, Iona.
The community had been agitating for a Hall for a while and it was reported that it was at a meeting with Public Works Department Engineer, Carlo Catani, in June 1894 that a motion was passed at the meeting that it was desirable to establish a Mechanics' Institute and Free Library on the settlement, the cost not to exceed £75, to be raised by monthly voluntary subscriptions. Mr Catani promised to recommend that the Government should supply the timber for the purpose, the cost of same to be refunded by monthly deductions from the wages of the men who are willing to support the project. Mr Catani also promised to give £1 1s., towards the funds, a statement which was received with cheers (2). Carlo Catani was well loved and respected on the Koo Wee Rup Swamp and in 1923, George Clowser, Secretary for Public Works, presented a portrait of Carlo to the Iona Pioneer's Association and it resided in the Hall. I have written about this Portrait here.
The land for the Hall was gazetted on August 13, 1894, as a site for a Mechanics' Institute at Koo Wee Rup East, as the area was known then (3). 
Site reserved for the Iona Mechanics' Institute
Victoria Government Gazette Auguust 17, 1894, p. 3382
The building was located on the north side of the Main Drain, just east of St Joseph's Catholic Church and Presbytery, which was on the corner of Fourteen Mile Road. It was on land owned by David Fitzpatrick, Lot 4, Section B, Parish of Koo Wee Rup East.
The Iona Mechanics' Institute / Pioneers' Hall site is circled in red. St Joseph's Catholic Church complex, on the north side of the Main Drain, and on the corner of Fourteen Mile Road, is circled in green.
As you can see the Hall site has a reference 'See Margin' where there is a further plan,
which is shown below.
Detail of Iona Mechanics' Institute site on Lot 4, Section B, Parish of Koo Wee Rup East.
I have seen references in the newspapers to the building being referred to as the Mechanics' Institute until at least November 1917,and then for a few years it was called the Iona Hall. I believe the name Pioneers' Hall is associated with the Iona Pioneers Association which was formed at a meeting held October 11, 1919. The Association was for those who had worked on the drains and were here at the first land ballot (4). As you can see by the article below they were a group with a good sense of their place in history, as they had an historic picture taken outside the old Hall, Iona.
Report of the formation of the Iona Pioneer's Association
Bunyip & Garfield Express, Friday October 17, 1919, p. 2
The historic photos taken October 19, were to be made available at a social evening at the Iona Hall on November 28, 1919. The report in the Bunyip & Garfield Express lists the pioneers in the photographs.
Report of the historic photo taken of the Iona Pioneers in October 1919
(Names are transcribed in Footnote 5)
Bunyip & Garfield Express, October 28, 1919, p. 2
The Pioneers' Association photograph, taken October 19, 1919.
Image: The Call of the Bunyip: history of Bunyip, Iona & Tonimbuk, 1847-1990 by Denise Nest
(Bunyip History Committee, 1990), p. 15.
The building was still called the Iona Hall as late as December 1921 (6) and the first reference I can find of the use of the name Pioneers' Hall is in February 1922 when it was reported that a contract had been let to Mr J. Grummich for additions, etc, to the Pioneers' Hall - the amount of the tender was £410 (7).
The Advocate reported on the Hall in May 1922 and talks about the role of the Iona Pioneer's Association in the refurbishment and extension of the Hall, and thus it would seem the Hall was renamed (either formally or informally) in honor of the work of the Association and the pioneers of the area.
This is The Advocate's report - The Pioneers' Hall, which has been completely neglected for years past, has undergone a complete transformation and it is somewhat difficult now to identify the old building with the present imposing edifice. In the early days of the swamp the Government provided a very small piece of land for recreation purposes, and miserly assisted the pioneers in erecting some sort of a building for the purpose of holding meetings. The building until recently in evidence in one of the richest places in Victoria has sustained the storms for almost 30 years, and whilst other halls were erected in the adjacent townships, substantially assisted by Iona, their own hall was neglected. Some six months ago Mr.Peter Grummich, secretary of the Pioneers, convened a public meeting,at which five new trustees were appointed who also are guarantors. They succeeded in obtaining £500 from the London Bank, Garfield, and immediately prepared plans, etc., for additions and renovations. Mr. J Grummich was the successful tenderer, and the committee are highly gratified at the splendid work performed by the contractor. A new light will be installed during the week, and the hall will be opened about 11th inst. All the money has been spent, apart from work computed at £100 done by the local residents.(8).
The Age of May 2, 1922 reported that the Hall opening took place on May 13 by Mr. F. Groves, M.L. A. It also said that the old hall was originally built by the settlers on the swamp. Messr J. Dowd and J. Curtain donated portions of their property to the committee for the extension (9).
What happened to the Hall? I did ask my Dad about the hall a few years ago. Dad, Frank Rouse, was born at Cora Lynn in 1933 and lived all his life there - Cora Lynn is three miles from Iona - and not only did he not remember it, in spite of the fact that his memory was very good at the time I asked, but he said words to the effect - why would I know anything about Iona! The last reference I can find to the Hall was in November 1935, so we know it was there then. It was possibly demolished in the 1940s, but that is only a guess.
New Trustees at the Pioneer hall in 1935.
The Iona Pioneers' Hall Committee in 1922.
Back row - left to right - W. Kraft, J. Dowd, W. Browne and C. Grummich.
Front row seated - R. Grummich, O. Kavanagh and C.J. Donald.
Trove list
I have created a short list of articles on Trove, connected to the Hall, access it
here.
Footnotes
(1) The role of the Steward of Village Settlements was
to keep the plans of village settlements and note thereon all applications for the land received and granted. They have also to supervise the occupation of the village community allotments, and see that the conditions are complied with (
Horsham Times, November 18, 1893, see
here.)
(2)
The Argus, June 26, 1894, see
here.
(3) I am indebted to Jim Lowden, Life Member of the
Mechanics' Institutes of Victoria for alerting me to this gazettal. I would not have looked under Koo Wee Rup East for the land gazettal otherwise.
(4) Bunyip & Garfield Express, Friday October 17, 1919, p. 2
(5) Iona Pioneers - L. Olsen, T. Sheehan, P. Crudden, J. Gunnelson, J. Curtain, J. Mannix, W. Browne, H. Bennett, E. Fielder, J. Jewer, A. Wild, L. Olssen, J. Fitzpatrick, J. Featherstone, H. Voll, W. Kimber, J. Berry, Mr Dawes, W.G. Kraft, M. Brown, M. Murphy, J. Milligan, P. Grummisch, T. Strafford, E. Head, R. Power, W. Williams, W. Maybury, M.McNamara, J. Fitzgerald, J. Lawless, F. Rohl, P. Goulding, P. Creely, Hon. D.L. McNamara, M.L.C., J. Donald, J. Kavanagh, O. Kavanagh, M. Gaghin, J. Walsh, J. Bockholdt, T. Jones, T. M'Guire.
(6)
The Argus, December 1, 1921, see
here.
(7)
The Advocate, February 16, 1922, see
here and February 23, 1922, see
here.
(8)
The Advocate, May 4 1922, see
here.
(9)
The Age, May 2, 1922, see
here
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