Parents and teachers have been campaigning

for the much needed facility since classrooms

first appeared on the site in 1944.

Hopes were raised and dashed over the decades but the school community kept on writing letters.

In February last year Dubbo West Public seemed to be in with a chance

when Premier Morris Iemma included the school in a list of 52 locations to receive halls and gymnasiums.

The Premier promised a hall for every primary school with more than 500 students, and a gym for every high school with a student population over 900.

But 18 months after the election pitch Dubbo West is still waiting.

A Department of Education spokesman said Dubbo West was listed to receive a hall as part of the four-year $2billion Building Better Schools program.

The program began this year and will continue until 2011.

Three halls in other parts of the State are currently under construction and expected to be ready for use later this year or by Term 1 2009.

A further nine halls are in the planning phase

with development applications submitted and construction anticipated later this year.

The spokesman said an officer from the Department of Education was expected to visit Dubbo West Public in Term 4 this year to “start scoping” the hall project in consultation with the school community.

That’s good news for P and C president Simone Gray.

“The school has been waiting a very long time for a hall,’’ Ms Gray said.

“You only have to look through old P and C minutes to see how long and hard the school community has lobbied.

“In recent times there has even been talk of enclosing the outdoor covered area known as the hayshed.

“However, that idea was dropped when we found the work would cost about as much as building a new hall from scratch.’’

Ms Gray believes students at the Dubbo West primary and infants departments deserve an appropriate covered area for school assemblies and performances.