The Municipal Heritage Committee of Saugeen Shores presented the 2012 Heritage Conservation Award to Walter Mackowski of Southampton at the special Town Council meeting held Monday, July 22 (2013) in the Southampton Town Hall.
Mackowski, who was unable to accept the award in 2012 due to illness, is the owner of Vincent Jewellers and, he and wife Carol, are celebrating their 51s
t year in business on High Street in Southampton.
The focus of the Heritage Committee is to preserve the heritage of each of the pre-amalgamation towns of Port Elgin, Southampton and the Township of Saugeen
The Heritage Conservation Award is presented to an individual based on the following guidelines:
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a long-standing voluntary service to preserving heritage structure
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leadership in the restoration and preservation of heritage structure
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personal collections of local artifacts, heritage photographs or memorabilia that are share with the community to promote appreciation of heritage.
The Southampton Town Hall Clock tower was built in 1922 in honour of the young soldiers who had fought in World War I and, when it had been out of operation for several years, Mackowski was approached in 1972 to take a look at it.
There were no directions or blueprints regarding the mechanism and workings of the clock and Mackowski had to climb rickety wooden ladders up to the top of the tower, but he proceeded to get it working. For over 40 years, he continued to climb to the top of the tower to maintain the clock in top running condition and, today, its chime still rings out over the town of Southampton to signal every hour of time.
