Nylex Clock

[cub]

A Melbourne icon left to rot because the company has gone into admin.
How much would it cost the government to remove the name if need be and restore the freakin thing.
Disgrace they way they chuck money around but when it comes to a part of Melbournes soul, not an eyelid is batted.
I for one really miss it 

[mightytiges]

It needs a sponsor apparently

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Return-the-power-to-the-Nylex-Clock/162873618947?ref=nf

There's a smaller Nylex clock in Mentone where Nylex's HQ was and it's in the same situation. Seems the GFC has caused the put off any redevelopment plan and Heritage Victoria won't put any money in unless there's one. Not sure what the latest is but this is from May:
http://mordialloc-chelsea-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/time-ticks-for-iconic-clock/

[one-eyed]

Pressure mounts to turn historic Richmond clock, Nylex, back on

*Fiona Hudson
*Herald Sun
*January 01, 2010

NOSTALGIA buffs are hoping people power can re-ignite Melbourne's dormant Nylex clock and temperature gauge.

The landmark neon sign atop the Richmond silos was unplugged in March after cash-strapped Nylex stopped paying the electricity bill and sold off the clock.

A groundswell of supporters is calling for government or corporate sponsorship so the sign can once again adorn the city skyline.

More than 1000 people have joined an online group lobbying for the much-loved clock to be switched back on.

Hundreds more supporters on a social networking site are also urging the new owners to plug in the city fixture.

The heritage-listed sign, made famous in the Paul Kelly song Leaps and Bounds, has flashed the time and temperature to passers-by from the banks of the Yarra for almost 50 years.

When Nylex went into voluntary administration, a Swan Hill company called Wet Technologies Australia Pty Ltd bought the rights to the company's name -- and the clock.

But Wet Technologies general manager Shane Bourke

said the water-tank company couldn't afford the enormous electricity bills to run the clock unless a co-sponsor could be found.

"We'd dearly love to turn it on, but we can't afford the costs. It's incredibly expensive," Mr Bourke said. "It's a big thing for us. We are

aware how many people want it on, but we're going to need some help."

Mr Bourke said it was hoped a corporate sponsor could be found so the temperature and time could again flash out across the skyline.

Earlier this year energy company AGL pledged to fund maintenance and electricity on the famous Skipping Girl Vinegar sign, for five years.

State MP Richard Wynne - who has an interest because the clock is in his electorate - has held discussions with some potential sponsors, so far without luck.

"The best way to switch the Nylex clock back on is to find a corporate sponsor, as AGL became for the Skipping Girl," he said yesterday.

"There are no specific government programs to support the running costs of the Nylex clock, but if there are restoration works required, an application could be made to Heritage Victoria."

AGL spokesman Nathan Vass said the energy company had no plans to help out "at the moment".

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/pressure-mounts-to-turn-historic-richmond-clock-nylex-back-on/story-e6frf7jo-1225815159645

[Penelope]

Given RFC's major sponser is DSE, perhaps something could be worked out where the lights are replaced with low energy consumption LEDs along with RFC/DSE signage alongside/underneath the clock.

[mightytiges]

Given RFC's major sponser is DSE, perhaps something could be worked out where the lights are replaced with low energy consumption LEDs along with RFC/DSE signage alongside/underneath the clock.

Going by wikipedia it now has LEDs. With the clock being in Richmond, having a RFC sign for everyone to see would be good. All comes down to $$$ as usual  .

On June 29, 2005 the clock was restarted at 7.24am, amid heavy fog and a live broadcast by radio station 3AW. The thousands of white LEDs turned on ..... 17,000 LED globes were used, along with 800 metres of neon tubing and two kilometres of electrical cable.

The use of LEDs diminished the visibility of the clock in certain locations and the globes were again replaced in December 2005 for 70-degree orange coloured LEDs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nylex_Clock

[Penelope]

So I wonder where the 'enormous electricity bills' comes from? Perhaps the 800 meters of neon tubing?, It also seems like there is major problems with the electronics as well. I wonder if the heritage listing prevents the clock from being run without the nylex signage being illuminated, if that is possible?.

There was a You Tube clip of Paul Kelly and the Colored Girls singing Leaps and Bounds from atop the silo. Sadly it has been removed.

[mightytiges]

So I wonder where the 'enormous electricity bills' comes from? Perhaps the 800 meters of neon tubing?, It also seems like there is major problems with the electronics as well. I wonder if the heritage listing prevents the clock from being run without the nylex signage being illuminated, if that is possible?.

I think you may be right al about the cost being the neon tubing. I don't know what the heritage listing covers though.

There was a You Tube clip of Paul Kelly and the Colored Girls singing Leaps and Bounds from atop the silo. Sadly it has been removed.

Great song 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXgTCg4HAOI

[one-eyed]

Planning Minister Matthew Guy tries to turn back time on Nylex clock
Nick Leys
Herald Sun
January 01, 2011

MELBOURNE'S much loved Nylex clock is again on the agenda after a State Government promise to meet its owners and discuss switching it back on.

Planning Minister Matthew Guy told the Herald Sun he would try to meeting the site's administrators to discuss the cost of switching it back on, nearly two years after it was shut down because it was too expensive to operate.

"It is an icon for Melbourne and it would be good to see it working and working well," Mr Guy said.

"Obviously we want to talk to the owners and see what the cost and the operation of the site is to run, but at this point in time we'd like to see it back in lights."

Sitting above the Richmond silos, the clock and temperature gauge have been part of Melbourne's skyline since the early 1960s.

The clock has been beset by technical problems in the past decade despite refurbishment and several attempts to keep it running. It was turned off for good in March last year when Nylex went into voluntary administration.

It has been reported the neon sign costs about $30,000 a year to operate, but would probably require more to be returned to working order.

Labor member for Richmond Richard Wynne has made several attempts in the past year to speak to the administrators.

Mr Guy was hopeful.

"We've all driven over Punt Rd hill or come up the freeway or walked out of the MCG and seen the sign as a beacon," he said.

"It used to be especially good on hot days when the Nylex sign would tell you how hot it was."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/planning-minister-matthew-guy-tries-to-turn-back-time-on-nylex-clock/story-e6frf7kx-1225979740503

[Fruity Morgan]

I'm high on the hill, looking over the bridge, to the eMMMM Ceee Geee!

[cub]

There's a facebook get on

Granddaughter launches Nylex Clock campaign17:30 AEST Fri Feb 11 201154 minutes ago

 A campaign to restore power to iconic Melbourne landmark the Nylex Clock is gathering pace, despite a hefty $30,000 a year electricity bill few want to pay.

The neon sign displaying the time and temperature dominated Melbourne's skyline for more than 50 years but was switched off after the manufacturing company Nylex went bust.

Amy Bennison, the granddaughter of Nylex managing director Sir Peter Derham, has now begun a Facebook campaign to light up the sign again.

Facebook: Campaign to save the Nylex Clock

"He'd be rolling in his grave with disappointment that it's not on," she said.

"I drive past it every day and feel devastated."

Mr Derham brought the sign to Australia from the US in 1961.

Ms Bennison is now seeking a sponsor to pay the electricity bill for the Nylex Clock, which reportedly adds up to $30,000 a year.

"My grandfather said to me before he passed away that everyone loves to know the time and temperature," he said.

"It's part of Melbourne culture and we do love to know the termperature."

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/8209952/granddaughter-launches-nylex-clock-campaign

[one-eyed]

Nylex clock could tick again

    Adam Cooper
    The Age
    October 16, 2012

Getting the famous Nylex clock running again will be part of a planned redevelopment of the Richmond site just north of the Yarra River.

A developer wants to build offices, shops, studio apartments and a public plaza at the site, next to Punt Road and overlooking the Yarra.

But the Planning Minister, Matthew Guy, has stressed the development would not affect the historic neon clock, which is more than 50 years old and was immortalised in Paul Kelly's song Leaps and Bounds, nor would it affect the silos underneath the clock or a nearby Victoria Bitter sign.

Mr Guy said the developer was likely to pay for the clock to be repaired and then to keep it running. He said the government had already spoken with the developer about fixing the clock, which was likely to be a one-off cost of "tens of thousands" of dollars.

Keeping the clock running would cost up to $40,000 a year, he said. The clock has not worked since 2008 because Nylex went into liquidation.

The developer has been granted a permit to begin works after Heritage Victoria and Yarra Council did not object to the plans.

Mr Guy said the proposed works were reasonable and would not impede on the clock, the sign or the silos. "I don't think it's over the top," he told 3AW today.

Premier Ted Baillieu said the clock was one of Melbourne's iconic sites, before he began paraphrasing Kelly's 1987 song.

"If you're high on the hill looking over the bridge to the MCG, this development, I think, will be a positive. I hope it goes ahead in leaps and bounds."

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/nylex-clock-could-tick-again-20121016-27ooo.html#ixzz29RQL8pI7

[one-eyed]

Yellow and black facelift for Nylex clock silos

COMMUTERS stuck in Punt Rd traffic will have something new to ponder for the next three months, with Cremorne’s landmark Nylex clock silos sporting a fresh look.

Three of the massive concrete cylinders have been draped by an artwork celebrating the story of the to-be-developed site and the city’s cultural diversity.

The mural by Melbourne-based and Colombian-born street artist Julian Clavijo was unfurled today and features four happy children — including one in a Tigers guernsey — floating in a blue sky.



https://www.realestate.com.au/news/yellow-and-black-facelift-for-nylex-clock-silos/

[JP Tiger]

Is it just my imagination or does the kid in the Richmond guernsey look like Claw?  Not too bad for a middling kid! 

[mightytiges]

Loving how everything Richmond is popping up everywhere. It puts a smile on your face whenever you see something like this that shouts 'Tigers!'. We are such a massive part of the culture of this city.