THE Rock Show Society has been left "devastated" after a fight to save one of its historic structures ended with most of the building being "demolished".
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The sheep pavilion at The Rock Showgrounds was built in 1953 by members of the society and volunteers.
Then, late last year, a new observatory was constructed next to it, which led members to believe their beloved pavilion would be demolished.
Patricia Ingold said being a member of the show society was in her blood, and it was heartbreaking to see the destruction of its history on Thursday.
"It's just that Australia's building heritage is only 230 years old, and if we don't preserve our history, then it won't survive," she said.
"It's just tragic that this story of history is one we were not able to keep alive."
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Ms Ingold said the society was not consulted and had never been given a copy of the 2018 development application to build the observatory.
She said four builders claimed the pavilion could be restored and two even submitted written quotes to fix the structure, but it was not enough and it was "demolished" on Thursday.
"The council blindsided us," Ms Ingold said. "It is just devastating."
However, Lockhart Shire Council's general manager Peter Veneris said when The Rock Observatory was first being planned, a site meeting was held at which there was a lot of support for the project.
He said removing the sheep pavilion was also discussed as the structure had been in "disrepair".
"More recently, the council arranged for a structural engineer to inspect the structure. The engineer confirmed that the building is unsafe," Mr Veneris said.
"Given the age of the structure, council was also concerned at the condition of the timber posts below ground level."
The council legally has rights to build on the grounds given it is classified as a Crown Reserve for which they are the Crown Land, and the sheep pavilion is not heritage listed.
Mr Veneris said there had been numerous meetings with representatives of the Show Society which led to the compromise of retaining two bays with appropriate interpretative signage and photography.
"[On Thursday], the structure rather than being "demolished" was carefully disassembled so that the timber poles, roof sheeting and other material could be retained by the Show Society in accordance with their request," he said.
"Once the timber posts were removed, and the sections below ground level became visible to the eye, council's concerns regarding their condition were confirmed, and in some cases, the rotting was worse than expected."
Mr Veneris said the remaining two bays with interpretative signage and photography would stay in their existing location and be integrated with the landscaping and car parking provided in relation to the observatory building.
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