These longtime hall members say that when you look at the buildings beyond their physical presence, you see storytellers, historians and hubs that keep communities thriving.

Across the Riverina, halls of all ages, sizes and types scatter each town and village.

Exemplifying the notion that a hall is an essential part of a community's history and social fabric is the Urangeline Peace Hall, about 94km southwest of Wagga.

On March 3 this year, the town celebrated the 100^th anniversary since the hall was built, which is known as one of the first peace halls that opened in Australia after World War 1.

A key feature is the entrance sign that reads "Peace Hall built by the residents of Urangeline in 1919".

The centenary celebrations were an opportunity for the community to gather and reminisce about the good times and gatherings at the hall.

Hall committee president Bill Hamson, who has been involved with the hall since 1983, said there was a great response from all sectors of the community, particularly the older generations.

"While we don't have the exact number, we had 150 plates and had to wash them all up, but I'm thinking about 170 or so," Mr Hamson said.

"That hall is what keeps the very small community of our eight families together."

The hall, like most other halls, is used for meetings, special interest groups, major events and the odd 21st birthdays and weddings.

"We're very fortunate that people are still using it," Mr Hamson said.

Looking to the future, Mr Hamson said that the committee was keen to see younger people participating in hall activities to ensure its use continues.

"Because it's community owned, we do have quite a few functions and fundraisers a year to cover costs — our insurance alone is $2300," the 63-year-old said.

"But we still have some young families this year, so we think it's still got a future."

Inside the hall hangs wooden World War 1 and World War 2 honour rolls and the timber that lines the hall's inside is local Cyprus pine that was milled on site for the hall.

The hall is officially recognised on the Register of War Memorials in Australia.

Halls may also tell stories about communities' hardships and the triumphs.

The North Wagga Public Hall, opened in 1935, was a place of refuge for residents during the 2012 floods.

"This hall means everything to the residents of this place," president of North Wagga Residents' Association Robyn Dawson said.

"This was our meeting point after the floods and it's become a character of its own, really."

The kitchen, toilets and roof were refurbished after the floods.

"We [residents] paid $40,000 for the roof and we also paid to get it painted outside," Ms Dawson said.

"I think one of the original pianos is still in one of the rooms up the top."

The floods also had Dharma Master Cheng Yen, founder of the humanitarian organisation Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation, visiting the hall and donating funds.

On the inside of the front entrance door are signs from Master Cheng Yen with one that reads: "The greatest achievement in life is to stand up from failure".

In its early days, the hall hosted regular debutante balls where up to 300 people attended. And like the Urangeline peace hall, the North Wagga one still has plenty of life.

"This is well and truly used most days, which is good otherwise it'd just be sitting here idling," Ms Dawson said.

"We've had fundraisers and meetings here, but we also hire it out.

"It's hired out nearly every day of the week."

Uses include community groups, fitness classes, birthday parties and weddings.

"We've got a lady coming in from Urana doing social disco events for kids," Ms Dawson said.

"She's booked that four times this year."

Ms Dawson said residents have some early ideas about how to make the hall and its surrounds grow more into a tourist attraction.

Like any village, town and city, a community hall may also be the centerpiece to draw in visitors and creative works.

The Ganmain Hall was a part of the 2018 film The Merger, a tale about a struggling, small-town football team that recruits refugees to survive.

The production team, which included director Mark Grentell and comedian Damian Callinan, visited the town in 2016 before hiring the hall a year later.

"The production crew thought it was fantastic," Advance Ganmain Committee member Bernadette Bodel said.

"Less than a year later, they came and filmed here in town for The Merger," Ms Bodel said.

"They used our hall as a production space for three days and took shots of Ganmain and various businesses around town."

More creative works are set to visit the Riverina's halls with the Wagga Civic Theatre's The Hall Committee set for seven Riverina halls in September this year.

Ganmain and North Wagga halls are among those selected.

The play, written and directed by Damian Callinan, is described as a nostalgic celebration of the role halls have played in the fabric of small-town Australia.

"So he [Mr Callinan] has a connection with Ganmain," Ms Bodel said.

"He's really quite a funny guy."

However, the Ganmain Hall, which opened in 1911, almost didn't survive about 15 years ago when it had fallen into disrepair.

"We weren't paying for rent, no one was," Ms Bodel said.

"It got a bit rundown and council threatened to pull it down.

"That was a big wake-up call, so residents started a 'save the hall committee' and people stood up and took notice.

"We try to run it like a business now and it's more professional, rather than everyone getting to use it for free."

External funding have also helped the Ganmain community rejuvenate the hall to ensure its existence.

Now, the hall has turned its fortunes around compared with 15 years ago, evident not only by its hosting of arts events but also what the future will bring.

These include the Festival of Small Halls and a hot-rods event on April 10 and 20, respectively.

"Little town like this are full of volunteers," Ms Bodel said.

"Small towns thrive with being run by volunteers because they know the area."

The same can also be said about community halls, which are the knowledge centres in their respective towns.

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