Three Council projects recognised at Heritage Awards Coffs Coast Coffs Coast - popup ad by News Of The Area - Modern Media - June 2, 2024 City of Coffs Harbour Cultural Services Team Leader Michelle Smith and International Conservation Services CEO Julian Bickersteth AO at the awards night. THE conservation exercise to resurrect the historic South Solitary Island Lighthouse Optic to a place of prominence in Coffs Harbour has been highly commended in the National Trust (NSW) Heritage Awards. The City of Coffs Harbour’s optic now stands proud in a purpose-built enclosure at the entrance to the Jetty pier. 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 The kerosene-fuelled light stood sentry at Coffs Harbour from 1880 until 1975 when the lighthouse was automated and the optic decommissioned. The optic was then stored in a Harbour Drive building for decades until a plan was hatched to restore it. This involved a complex procedure which required a partial roof removal as the optic was craned from the table tennis centre. “The expertise of North Coast Cranes came to the fore while there was funding support through Property and Development NSW, and the building acumen of Lahey Constructions,” City of Coffs Harbour City Planning and Communities Director Chris Chapman said. “And hats off to International Conservation Services and International Art Services who did the bulk of the work and all of the planning.” The restoration of the Sawtell Reserve Hall and the City’s Yaamanga Around Here permanent exhibition at YAM were also short-listed for recognition at the recent Heritage Awards. “Recognition in these awards is an honour for the community. “It’s also a bow to the vision of setting the bar high and getting it right in the delivery,” City of Coffs Harbour General Manager Natalia Cowley said. “The optic, Yaamanga and Sawtell Reserve Hall were all ambitious projects and it’s a credit to the City and its partners for seeing these through and not shying from a task just because it’s demanding.” The City of Coffs Harbour’s optic now stands proud in a purpose-built enclosure at the entrance to the Jetty pier.
