It seems that interest in the hall waned following the Second World War. One Committee member remarked that not only were the young people leaving, but those that were staying were no longer interested in having dances. Acts of petty theft became a common nuisance and at one point vandals broke into the Hall and destroyed the piano with an axe. Decreasing interest and plunging revenues, caused the Hall to fall deeper and deeper into disrepair and cost cutting measures like disconnecting the Hall from the power grid for 5 months of the year had to be undertaken.
Sadly, the Hall, scene of so many joyous occasions for the past half century, was in such a state that in 1968 the first annual general meeting to be held in almost a decade discussed whether it would not be easier to simply sell the Hall rather than repair it. But after a vote of 22 to 8 it was decided that the funds would be invested for repairs to the Hall in order to make it usable once again. Most of those present at the vote were the grandchildren of the very same people who formed the Committee to create the Hall 59 years earlier.
Minor renovations had been carried out before, in 1924, 1932, 1934, and 1947 but in 1968 the hall was overhauled. Since then pancake breakfasts and rent for events have kept the revenue flowing and interest in the Hall stimulated. Of course Hullcar's growing population and their developing needs mean that the Hall must undergo a new set of renovations--not to save the Hall from falling into severe disrepair but to adjust to the Community's changing needs. They will bring the Hall up to building codes, make it warmer and more energy efficient, and larger so that it can fit two and a half times as many occupants as before. Just as in 1909 the labour for these repairs is being volunteered. The bill for them, (almost 80 times the cost to originally build the Hall inflation notwithstanding) is being footed by donations from the community, grants from provincial government agencies and regional organizations.
The history of Hullcar and its Hall can be written as a single saga because life in this rural community has revolved around the Hall for a century now. Just like the Hall, Hullcar has had to change little since it was first founded, and the rhythms of rural life have stayed largely intact. Although the descendants of some of the original founders have since departed, others have stayed, farming the land bequeathed to them by four generations of British Columbia pioneers. A century on, we can only hope the Hall will continue to serve the community for decades to come.
Written by Andrew Farris
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