A PIECE of Poowong history was demolished last week as the building that once served as the towns service station and bank was torn down on Council order.
Since the 1930s, the site at the intersection of Nyora Road and Loch-Poowong Road had been a garage.
At the time the garage would have been built to cater to the growing number of families with cars, as vehicle manufacturing was booming in Victoria in the 1920’s, cars were becoming more affordable, and by the 1930’s about a third of families owned one.
A couple of decades later, in the 1950s, the Wallis brothers built what operated in town as a service station, and it was this 70-year-old piece of history that was pulled down.
One local remembers a time from early life at the garage and reminisced on Facebook.
• Big part of my childhood getting knocked down. Spent lots of time in there with Mr & Mrs Wallis.
During the 1970s, the business was taken over by Ken Gray and developed into a dealership for Fiat tractors, Kawasaki motorcycles and other farm machinery.
Another local remembers this time, commenting on Facebook.
• That’s Ken Grays old garage... Dad used to buy motorbikes, tractors and hey balers from the garage. Ken also sold fuel there... the Commonwealth bank was also on the very corner in the mid-70s... is someone developing the land?
During the time the garage was open, the corner office was also used as an agency for various banks, which locals worked at.
The business closed some years ago and the premises was sold to the current owner.
Last year, it was reported to Council that the building was deteriorating and had the potential to collapse onto the road or footpath and cause injury or damage.
In May 2023, officers inspected the building and hired a structural engineer to assess its safety. The engineer’s report concluded that the structure had deteriorated beyond its design lifespan and that the building was in a stage of progressive collapse.
Based on the findings, Council determined that the building posed a danger to the occupants and the community and subsequently issued a Building Order on Friday 26 March 2024, mandating the building’s demolition.
After several extensions to allow the owner to clear the sheds, a follow-up inspection in June 2024 revealed that the east-facing brick wall was significantly less stable and leaning into the road reserve.
In early July the Council issued an emergency order for temporary fencing to secure the site for the safety of the public. A final extension for demolition was granted until Wednesday, July 31, 2024, to give the property owners time to clear the property.
Some of the townspeople are dismayed about the loss of history and failure to preserve ageing local buildings commenting.
• Knock down old buildings at your peril, lose the atmosphere of the town and why would anyone want to visit?
While other locals see it as a positive opportunity for the town.
• A lot of people have memories in the building that has been demolished but I think it was definitely for the best that the structure is now gone. Leaves a space for hopefully one day a new building to become another business in the town.
According to a local source, the owner commented that at this stage nothing new would be going on the site and it could be used as a carpark for nearby businesses.
