Cracked! Former council staffer comes to rescue, opens old safe

Whanganui District Council's mystery safe has been cracked.

The call had gone out for anyone who knew the combination after the small safe was uncovered in the revamp of the council's Guyton St building.

Chief executive Kym Fell had put the call out to anyone who may have had the combination logged in their memory.

"No one knows the password or the combination to it," Fell said on Tuesday.

But on Wednesday a former staffer was tracked down and the safe was opened for the first time in maybe two decades.

And in it was found... not much; a few empty banking bags.

Whanganui District Council chief executive Kym Fell and and W&W Construction foreman Rob Bradley can't get into a safe in the council's Guyton St building.

Council cashier Barbara Fisher has worked at the council for about 40 years and remembers using it herself to store floats.

But she said it stopped being used for cash about two decades ago and she no longer remembered the code.

"We're going to build around it and leave it exposed," he said.