While Wagga residents have now been listening to the courthouse clock chime for more than 55 years, one family has been holding onto the sacred tradition for all of us.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Des Breust, now 72, began winding and servicing the historic clock in 1962 while working as a 17-year-old apprentice for a Fitzmaurice Street jeweler.
He passed the hand along to son Mark in 1989, before his other son Heath took on the role for the past 24 years.
Mr Breust recently returned to Wagga to help Heath perform his regular duties and to celebrate the occasion.
During the visit, Mr Breust reminisced about climbing the clock at 2am to adjust for daylight saving and stopping noisy late-night chiming.
“The clock has watched over Wagga since the days of horse and cart and is older than the court itself,” Mr Breust said.
