Nimmitabel Lions Club is proud to announce that the long-awaited official launch of the Nimmity Bell is scheduled for Saturday 23 October 2021.
With special guests, Bronnie Taylor MLC, Minister for Mental Health, Regional Youth and Women, local member John Barilaro MP, and Mayor Peter Beer, Snowy Monaro Regional Council attending.
An event many years in the making, the ceremony will be held immediately after the bell rings on schedule at midday. First conceived of by Lions Club President Howard Charles in 2015 to help revitalise the town, the story of the Nimmity Bell has become a local legend.
100 local families raised $60,000 to purchase an early 20th century bell from the USA to help Nimmitabel in its recovery and breathe new life into the town. It took many years of wrangling planning requirements and residents' noise concerns, and most dramatically, Howard losing his foot when the bell fell on him not long after installation last year.
"Blood, sweat, and tears have all quite literally been shed to see this project through to completion," said Mayor Peter Beer, Snowy Monaro Regional Council.
"The official launch of the Nimmity Bell marks the end of a long period of transformation for the town of Nimmitabel, with businesses thriving and the community growing."
"On behalf of our Council and the wider Snowy Monaro community, I'd like to congratulate the people of Nimmitabel and the Nimmitabel Lions Club for their commitment and perseverance in seeing the Nimmity Bell installed, approved, and launched to the public."
Due to current COVID-19 gathering restrictions, the ceremony will be attended by invited dignitaries, Lions' Club members, and local residents. Fully vaccinated members of the community can watch the ceremony from the street, gathering in a COVID safe manner, as permitted by the recently relaxed Public Health Order.
Footage and images will be available following the event.
The Nimmity Bell marks the beginning of a new era of prosperity for Nimmitabel, following a difficult period since the closure of the local mill in the 1990s. It has been part of a team effort to revive the community and the town is now much healthier, with every house full and new ones being built. Major improvements to the water supply with the construction of Lake Wallace have also made a huge difference to residents, who had to deal with level six water restrictions every summer in past years.
