Dorrigo Town Clock gets its face blown off in gusty winds Coffs Coast by News Of The Area - Modern Media - July 23, 2021 Kassey Duck snapped this photo: “I was working at the nearby Cheeky Sparrow Cafe when it happened. DORRIGO’s Town Clock got blown off its pedestal in mightily gusty winds on Saturday July 17. “Store holders heard a crash at around 12.30pm, but no-one actually saw it fall,” Sara Hankin, President of Rotary Dorrigo told News Of The Area. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “Thank goodness no-one was underneath when it came down, even though it fell straight down, it weighs a tonne. “The clock and its electronics have been maintained over the years by varying Rotarians. “In recent years the timekeepers have been Bill Baggett and Bruce Francis. “The Rotary Clock is an integral part of Rotary Dorrigo and the town’s proud history, and we will definitely set about restoring the clock to working order,” said Sara. “The strong winds over the past four days have driven many people in-doors. “The area is scattered with fallen branches and debris.” The current Town Clock, located on the intersection of Dorrigo’s Hickory and Cudgery Streets, is the third version of a clock on that site. The first, relatively small, was erected in approximately 1960. The second clock had a large square casing and clock face and was constructed from funds raised by Rotary Dorrigo. Ray Cork and Leo Frodl (both Rotarians) built the original stand. Charlie Mccrae, a foundation member of Rotary Dorrigo who owned the electronics shop in town, was the clock’s keepers for many years along with John Friend and John Sipple. By the end of the 1990s this clock was not functional and a project to replace it was coordinated by Rotarian Bill Baggett, in conjunction with the Dorrigo Men’s Shed. This included making a new octagonal casing to enclose the existing clock face, repairs and upgrading of the clock mechanism. Mayor Mark Troy dedicated the current clock in 2013. In 2020, the construction of a new roundabout at the intersection of Hickory and Cudgery Streets, enabled mains electrical supply to the clock. Despite modern devices and until Saturday at 12.30, residents and visitors fondly look to the clock for the correct time of day. By Andrea FERRARI Before the high winds knocked its face off – Dorrigo Town Clock.
