Rest easy – David Ashcroft assures fans the clock will keep its specific shade of blue. Photo: Rotary Batemans Bay Facebook.
A makeover for a Batemans Bay icon is set to keep it ticking for many years to come.
The Batemans Bay Rotary Clock was first installed in 1978 and kept time for – and watch over – the town for almost two decades before it was torn down in 1994. Dave Woods and Ron Sydenham re-created it several years later at its current location.
Batemans Bay Rotary Club’s David Ashcroft said the clock had recently been taken down again – but this time, it was for some TLC.
“The issue we’ve had with the clock is [it] obviously being close to salt water,” he said.
“The wear and tear on it is quite major … It’s the water that gets on it, the salt air [that makes it rust].
Last year the Rotary Club decided the clock, which “weighs about a ton”, would have to go to Queanbeyan for restoration.
After research, “a fair amount of planning work” and a government grant, the Rotarians were able to start the work in early May and take down the clock.
“A crane came on-site and lifted the clock onto a trailer … Trying to find someone with a six-metre trailer is a bit of an issue,” he said.
“The biggest issue we had was the weather was pretty ordinary.
“I towed that trailer up to the powder coaters in Queanbeyan and it’s going to come back looking exactly the same as what it did [when it left].”
Loading the Batemans Bay icon onto a trailer was a delicate manoeuvre. Photo: David Ashcroft.
In Queanbeyan, the clock will receive a new powder coating in its specific shade of blue – one “very close to a navy blue, not a royal blue”, while the clockface and other elements will also receive a general tune-up.
But when it’s put back in place, inside it will feature a new electronic mechanism, which will mean it will change with daylight saving.
“We won’t have to get up and change the time twice a year,” Mr Ashcroft said.
“We would normally climb up a ladder and reset it … Sometimes daylight saving extended a bit because no one had a ladder!”
While it underwent a round of works several years ago, Mr Ashcroft is confident this will set it up for future years.
“This restoration is, basically, a ground-up restoration,” he said.
“I would expect the powder coating to last for at least 15 to 20 years [and] there’s no reason why the mechanism won’t last that same period of time.
“The original construction of the clock is so substantial … the steelwork is incredibly solid, even though there’s surface rust on it from its location. Once it’s sandblasted and powder coated, it’ll be absolutely as good as brand new.”
He said that while many things had changed since 1999, the Rotary Clock had stayed the same for locals and visitors alike.
“Batemans Bay is a huge tourist town, and people are looking for something that represents the town,” he said.
“There’s probably people now that wouldn’t even know how to tell the time on the clock – because it’s an analog clock – but they love the fact it’s there.”
