Lifestyle & Entertainment
11 September, 2025
Hub gets an upgrade
THE Beaufort Youth Hub, home to the local scouts and girl guides, is undergoing major improvements after receiving a $50,000 boost in this year’s State Budget, ensuring the much-loved community space can continue to serve local groups for years to come.
The funding will go towards repairing the hall’s damaged flooring, restoring walls, and installing a termite barrier after years of deterioration caused by white ants and flood damage.
Sandy Watkins, who has been associated with the Girl Guides and Scouts as a leader for 29 years, said the upgrade was long overdue.
“Five years of planning and trying, because of the condition of the building the Beaufort Youth Hub Committee could not offer the building for rent,” she said.
“Before we started this project, in 2020, we noticed that white ants had affected the building. We decided we need to fundraise and it's taken us five years to fundraise.”
Ms Watkins said the condition of the building had prevented the community from fully using the hall, which previously hosted milestone celebrations and events.
“We’ve had all kinds of groups use it,” she said.
“We do twenty-firsts, we do fortieths which was our fundraising stream for general maintenance.”
Groups such as BlazeAid have also expressed interest in using the space, highlighting the hall’s importance as one of Beaufort’s largest venues.
“It’s got a great advantage,” Ms Watkins said.
Local MP Martha Haylett welcomed the upgrade, praising the benefits it will bring to the community.
“Our rural communities deserve more places for young people to come together, and that is exactly what the hall is all about. Now it will be better and safer for even more young locals to enjoy it for years to come,” she said.
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