THE CLOCK that was once considered the pride of Queensburgh was recently fixed and is now fully operational after a 10-year long wait for its restoration. Standing tall on the civic hall tower, residents can again expect to tell time without glancing at their watches, as the the clock’s bells ring on the hour, every hour.
The manager of the Parks, Leisure and Cemeteries Department in Queensburgh, Garth Kloppenborg, said that people will soon get used to the clock’s bells striking every day. “The clock strikes on the hour, every hour in accordance to the hour of the day. For example, if it is nine o’clock, the bells will strike nine times,” he said.
Kloppenborg emphasised that the clock will not be noisy. “The bells don’t ring, they strike. There is no music or rhythm to it and people will soon get used to it, they will not notice it after a few weeks,” he added.
Queensburgh councillor, André Mitchell, in an interview with the Queensburgh News, said he first received complaints about the clock back in 2005 and they had been working hard to get it in working condition ever since. “It took such a long time to get the clock up and running again because we could not find anyone with the expertise to fix it. Remember that this clock is very old and forms part of the Queensburgh heritage, it was important for us to find someone who understands clocks and who would know exactly how to fix it,” said Mitchell.
According to Henry Francis from the Department of Architecture, “We advertised the post and short-listed candidates, it was difficult to get the right person at first because most people who came forward were subcontractors and not clock specialists,” he said.
Clock and watch specialist, Devan Moodley of Prestige Watch Works, said that due to the clock’s long-standing neglect, fixing it required replacing almost everything. “Water had seeped inside the clock and all compartments were badly rusted and we had to change everything, including the bells and chains,” said Moodley. The clock is now water-proofed and requires minor servicing monthly and a major service annually.
