Bill Morris, who has invested a huge amount of time and skill to the clock, wrote to then Far North District councillor Dennis Bowman in 2013, saying he understood that the Northern Ward Community Board had discussed its fate. He had overhauled the master lock and slave dials, which had "proved themselves" in his workshop over several weeks.
The clock mechanism potentially had an unlimited life, but the same could not be said of the tower that housed the three slave dials.
"Moving the council offices to the Te Ahu centre raises questions about the fate of the town clock," he said.
"There is a master clock inside the old buildings connected by an electric cable to the three slave dials in the tower. There is also a mains cable to the tower that lights the dials, but where it comes from is uncertain. If the dials remain in the present tower, and the old offices are leased or sold, it would be impracticable to move the master clock from the old offices to the new because of the cabling, unless the slave dials are also moved."
The options included moving the master clock to Te Ahu and erecting a new tower, more in keeping with the architecture of the centre. Mains and low-voltage cabling would also be needed.
The master clock could be moved to Te Ahu and placed on display, using the slave dials in the foyer or elsewhere in the building. That would involve some cabinet work and low-voltage cabling.
It could also be displayed where its "fascinating movement" could be seen through the glass door of its "elegant case," or the tower could be re-erected outside so it would by travellers from all directions.
"I doubt the tower would survive the move, and in any case, its design, no doubt futuristic in its time, now looks strange and inappropriate," he said however.
"There would be a requirement for underground mains and low-voltage cabling."
If the tower remained where it was, the new owner or lessee (of the council building) could be required to allow access to the master clock from time to time, and to provide power to it. The power required to run the clock was negligible.
Or it could be abandoned and the mechanisms sold, presumably returning the proceeds to the Rotary Club.
A further option, of having the clock dials independent of any master clock, so that no cabling would be required, had also been discussed. The cost of three battery-powered quartz movements, together with hands to fit, would be under AU$100, and he would be happy to fit them to the existing dials, but they could not be fitted to the existing tower, as easy access would be required twice a year to set them to summer and winter time, and to change the batteries. The Power Board charged $200 an hour for the hire of a cherry picker.
"It seems to me that if there is to be a town clock at all, a new tower will be needed, and there is only one practicable site for it, if it is to be visible from three directions..." he added.
"It was not my intention to be involved with tower design, though I am happy to advise about mechanisms and their requirements. I would suggest a simple, hollow triangular structure with a pitched roof and a secure access door at the bottom. The mechanisms, existing or new, could be raised and lowered on a pulley when access is required to them.
"I can imagine that three steel corner members, braced by a copper-toned aluminium alloy skin (to echo Te Ahu), might rise from an elegant brickwork base built up to about shoulder height and having a steel access door. If the corner members were of tubular steel, they could act as rails to guide the mechanisms up and down for servicing.
"Lighting of dials would need some thought. If a mains cable is needed from Te Ahu then it would cost little more to run a low-voltage cable from the existing master clock to the existing dials. If the quartz battery clock option is chosen, then lighting might be powered by photocells on the north-facing part of the roof. This is not something I know much about, but I could imagine it might turn out to be no more expensive than running mains and low-voltage cable from Te Ahu to the site.
"I had envisaged that local businesses might donate time and materials, but times are hard. Perhaps the Rotary Club might wish to be involved again. The master clock might well fetch over $500 at auction on Trade Me, perhaps more if the slave dials are included, and this might help to defray expenses.
"I repeat my willingness to advise and discuss. For the moment, I would like to have the master and his slaves out of my workshop before too long."
Falling over
In 2018 Morris told Te Hiku Community Board chair Adele Gardner that it had become apparent some years before that the structure was about to fall over, due to rusting at its base (not as the result of a vehicle striking it, claimed by the council and reported in the Northland Age), so it was removed and put into storage. The last time he had seen the master clock it was stored at Te Ahu Centre. He still had the slave mechanisms in his workshop.
"If (the tower) it is to be reinstated, the skin will have to be removed and re-riveted," he said.
"At the same time, the tower will have to be shortened a little to allow the corroded tube to be welded to a new base plate. The three ribs should then be welded to the base plate rather than to the central tube, to give added rigidity and stability. The base plate would then be rag-bolted to a substantial concrete base set at least a metre into the ground.
"The doors and hinges will need attention, and the whole structure will have to be weather- and corrosion-proofed. Painting it in a suitable colour might enhance its appearance.
"If it is possible to get low-voltage power to the tower in its new position from a building where the master clock can be accommodated securely, I recommend that the original mechanisms be reinstated. If this is not possible, I make no recommendation other than to suggest that, if there is to be a town clock at all, a completely new town clock be bought, no doubt at considerable expense, from a firm in the USA that specialises in such clocks.
"I have no love for the clock tower, which I find rather ugly," he added, "and while I can continue to donate my time, it is now conditional on a proper job being made of the tower restoration without cutting corners. Restoring the structure is likely to be costly, and it may well be cheaper to start again from scratch."
