Contact Information
presidentrmi@gmail.com, secretaryrmi@gmail.com, rmibookings@gmail.com
122 Main Street, PO Box 130, Romsey Vic 3434
The RMI has been a part of Romsey for well over 100 years and she will be here in another 100, however, any building that is over 100 years old needs lots of love and care. The CoM strives to bring this “Grand Old Lady” back to her former glory.
In recent years the CoM has overseen a number of upgrades to make the RMI a more flexible resource for the whole community.
Funds from the Bendigo Bank and DELWP were used to repair the roofing, capping, spouting and downpipes of the main building and the Billiards Room.
Once those works made the building weather proof, we were fortunate to receive a grant from DELWP to repair the damage caused by rising and/or falling damp to both the plastered and rendered areas of the walls and skirts.
In February of 2016 the CoM received a grant from the “Places for People” program within the MRSC. This grant, $10,500 and the original grant of $6,000 from the Shire gave us enough money to design a Development Plan brief and put it s.o tender. The resultant Master Plan has been valuable when sourcing funds to continue our improvement works.
A wedding layout
In 2016/2018 additional works were carried out to the supper room. Repairs were carried out to the four chimneys and a solid plate with mesh was installed to greatly reduce the size of the flue eliminating the risk of birds and other animals falling into the rooms. A larger heater, fans, energy efficient lighting were installed and a complete overhaul of the two wooden fireplaces and their hearths was successfully completed.
A split system heater/cooler was also installed in the upstairs south room.
A formal dinner from the 1960s
After being out of action for over ten years the upstairs, south room is now back in operation and has been renamed “The Noel Shaw Committee Room”. Currently it is the base for the RMI CoM and the Romsey Rag CoM. This improvement was made possible by a grant through federal MHR Rob Mitchell and CoM monies. We were fortunate to receive many items (filing cabinets, fridge, chairs, table crockery, cutlery & microwave) from the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, CEDA, when they moved offices in Melbourne. This assistance made our project far cheaper and allowed us to open up more quickly
The north wall of the foyer was repaired and repainted so that the WW1 Honour Rolls could be rehung after their repair and restoration works (Shared project – CoM & Department of Premier & Cabinet)
In 2019 the CoM submitted an application to the MRSC for funds to have concept plans and initial drawing for a refurbishment and expansion to the exisiting toilets. We were successful and Graham Connell (Black Forest Drafting) worked closely with MRSC heritage consultant Ivar Nelson, to prepare the plans. Marcus Ward, Architect, then finalised these plans and prepared a scoping document. Local HMR for the seat of Macedon Mary-Anne Thomas was able to organise $35,000 (from the Department of Jobs, Precincts & Regions) to assist with the project and the local Community Bank (Bendigo Bank) matched this amount. Over late 2020 and early mid 2021 stage one of the Toilet Expansion and Refurbishment project was completed. Stage one saw a new all access, unisex toilet at the western end of the building, a new entry from the hall into the existing women’s toilets and a large section of the women’s toilets replastered and repainted and a new floor laid. We are hopeful of attracting funding to complete stages two and three of this project.
The main hall, which holds up to 200 people and includes a stage, is available for hire to members of the community however if you are looking for something smaller, we have various rooms available that hold up to 30 people.
The CoM works hard to make the hire of our facilities as economic as possible for the community however hire charges are vital as we must cover the cost of insurance, cleaning, electricity, gas, water, rates, repairs and maintenance and any ongoing improvements.