Community
24 April, 2025
Residents unite to restore a piece of history
ONE of Noorat’s most eye-catching features has received a facelift thanks to the support of the village community.
The road roller located near the Terang-Mortlake Road playground has been repainted thanks to support from the Noorat Resident’s Association.
Noorat Resident’s Association vice president Lynn Patzel said members had noticed the road roller was looking worse for wear, and set about the task of contracting a painter who could help restore the equipment.
“I believe it was left there when the Hampden Shire changed over to Corangamite Shire,” she said.
“It appeared nobody was responsible or cared for it, so it began to deteriorate.
“We negotiated for it to be repainted, and in a fortnight the rust had been scrapped off and the surface was repainted.
“The writing on the road roller is now visible due to diligence of the painter.
“He did a great job and really worked at it.”
Mrs Patzel said the restoration and repainting had been completed with support from Corangamite Shire Council.
“I’ve been in Noorat a long time and it’s always looked as though nobody cared for it,” she said.
“That’s why the association stepped up and negotiated doing it.
“The shire was very good coming on board, and now it’s completed it has enhanced the asset from everyone’s point of view.
“Corangamite Shire Council supported the project – Corangamite Shire Council manager facilities and recreation Jarrod Woff has been wonderful in enabling to get this done.”
Mrs Patzel said safety fencing will remain in place until more permanent arrangements can be made.
“The desire is to be able to replace the safety fencing with something more attractive,” she said.
“We have a vested interest in town, – it’s where we live, so we want things to look as good as they can.”
Mrs Patzel said the history of the road roller has long been something of a mystery, but thanks to the investment it is sure to be a more eye-catching mystery.
“No two stories aligned the same, other than it had been used to work on roads here years ago,” she said.
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