‘EVERYONE'S SAFE & THAT'S ALL THAT TRULY MATTERS'

It’s a tiny town but Bobin keeps showing its amazing sense of community

As the bushfire inferno engulfed Bobin late last year, the shattered but resilient Hunter Valley locals were grateful that by some miracle one thing was spared – their 100-year-old community hall.

It survived, although Bobin’s school and 18 precious family homes were not so lucky.

“The hall’s always been a hub for the community,” Peter Schouten, the hall’s president and wildlife artist, tells Woman’s Day. “Because it was the only building left, it became even more of a focal point and a place of gathering for all. It was also an operations centre for emergency services, a collection point for all the donations and on standby as an evacuation centre as well.”

In the days and months after the November 2019 firestorm razed homes and torched the once lush valley, the Bobin School of Arts Hall, a dainty, little wooden structure on the quaint NSW Mid North Coast, has continued to be the epicentre of hope for the townsfolk, many of who have lost everything.