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IT was a piece of Taree history that nearly met its end in a fiery blaze in a smelter's workshop.
The original workings of the Taree memorial clock are now safely housed at Olympia Antique Solutions, 90 years since the memorial clock was first erected.
The survival of the clock mechanism is a remarkable story. It was used until with the mid 1950s when they were taken to Hayden's Foundry to be melted down.
Hector Hayden wouldn't allow that to happen, so the workings sat in the workshop until about 1990.
They were then retrieved by Morris Fenwick, who restored the workings and put them on a stand.
About five years ago the battery-powered pendulum clock parts were purchased by Taree Private Museum.
It's now on loan at Olympia Antique Solutions for all of June.
Olympia Antique Solutions operator Don Schmitzer said he hoped the story of the clock would make people more aware of "throwing away" vital pieces of Taree's history.
"Once they're lost, they're never coming back," he said.
A World War II flying suit, kit bag and goggles formerly owned by long-serving federal member of parliament Phil Lucock was another item spared from the tip, highlighting Don's point.
"It would have been thrown out, if only for a collector," Don said.
Don hoped that such items would make people think about the historical significance of their own collections.
"When they're thrown out, they're gone," he said.
"We see it so many times."