Work has finally begun to restore the old Newcastle Post Office.
The building has certainly been through the wars, from a fire which broke out on the veranda back in August, to sheltering up to 200 homeless.
The first phase of repair work which is getting underway will secure the veranda - the Awabakal Land Council have moved on the homeless who had taken up residence there, and crews have also cleared away all of the rubbish and debris which had built up.
"These processes are slow because of the environment and heritage status of the post office. There are a lot of t's to cross and i's to dot in the process. before you move on anything you've got to make sure you're doing the right thing by the building itself and making sure it stays in as pristine condition as we can keep it in."
The initial phase of works have been funded by a $150,000 dollar-for-dollar matched funding grant obtained by the Awabakal LALC under the NSW Heritage Grants Program.
The works are all being done in a bid to protect the site from further damage and deterioration. The funds will go towards critical security, repair and general remediation works. The architectural features of the site will all be preserved as well.
"Once we make the building secure and wind proof and waterproof and vermin proof, the next stage is to start repairing the roof to make sure there's no further water damage or pigeon invasions and also no more people invasions," said Rob Russell.
"I field several phone calls weekly from people who are annoyed at the status of the post office and want to see something done with it and all I've been able to say to them is 'please be patient, we will get there, it's not an easy job ans we've got to do it right'. So I'm just happy that we're able to start moving forward."
The first phase of works are expected to be finished within a week.
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| Newcastle Post Office Image NBN News. |
