The Soldiers' Memorial Hall at Dimboola Memorial Secondary College, now the school's library building, was opened this week ninety-two years ago.

The building was officially opened on Tuesday 2nd December 1924.

After a number of years of discussion, the townspeople of Dimboola chose to create a living memorial in the form of a higher elementary school to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice made by local residents during the Great War.

Previously untouched crown land was selected as the location for the school, as it was on a hill overlooking the town. The community saw it as important to suitably honour the huge sacrifice made by locals who left their families, friends and employment in order to fight for our nation overseas.

Above - The Soldiers' Memorial Hall, as printed in the Dimboola Chronicle on 4th December 1924.

Ten years after the outbreak of war the school building was complete. The school was occupied in May 1924 and officially opened in December of that year. A large crowd of locals and officials gathered to witness the opening.

An important aspect of this opening was the unveiling of the large stone tablets listing those who served in the First World War.
"There were nearly 300 names on the memorial tablets... Those names had been cut in imperishable granite... Being a memorial school those names would stand for all times, and by and by children would be acquiring what those names meant."

- Dimboola Chronicle, 4th December 1924


The tablets on the front of the building now record the names of those who served in World War I, as well as those who did not return from World War II and the Korean War.

Many local students have received their secondary education in this building and those which followed since the opening in 1924. Still today this building, almost one century old, plays an important role in the day-to-day life of the school.

The school has undertaken a number of projects over the last couple of years to acknowledge the centenary of World War I, with the most recent project being the completion of Stage 1 of the Avenue of Honour Redevelopment, along with other beautification works around the memorials.