Talks over recent weeks concerning the restoration of the Caloundra Lighthouse, and its future management as a tourist destination, has revealed striking similarities with the proposed redevelopment of the Jimna Fire Tower. Both structures were government owned; each facility became an unwanted maintenance liability as their original use was superseded by modern technology, resulting in both structures being condemned to the scrap heap. A combination of heritage and historical significance, public awareness, community support and eventual government assistance has been the ingredients of success for the dedicated Caloundra Lighthouse committee.

The Jimna Fire Tower Action Group, (JFTAG), were honoured by the attendance of Roger Todd and Vic Godley at our Friday meeting at Kilcoy (13/10/06 ), where many topics experienced by the lighthouse project were discussed. Roger, who is an architect, and Vic, who is a civil engineer, both displayed a sincere passion for Australian Heritage and History and have generously offered to share their extensive knowledge with JFTAG, a gesture for which we shall be eternally grateful. A varied range of issues confronting the future of the Jimna Fire Tower were tabled including structural assessment, architectural design, workplace health & safety, structural certification, financial feasibility, tenure control, infrastructure transfer, risk assessment, legal liability, as well as project management.

Before our guests proceeded to Jimna for an onsite inspection, JFTAG was delighted to acknowledge Roger and Vic’s agreement to act as advisors during forthcoming consultation with the Queensland Heritage Council regarding the proposed engineering review of the Jimna Fire Tower. Observations on site confirmed JFTAG’S long held belief that alternatives to demolition of this Heritage Listed Tourist Icon are well worth assessing, and judging by the exhilarating expressions of interest from our visitors, who were left in awe of the towers’ sheer magnificence, it is certain that the Jimna Fire Tower has inspired further professional support.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 16th, 2006 at 11:57 am and is filed under Tower Updates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.