I WRITE this letter with a great deal of anger and disgust, which is directed at those responsible for the damage done to St Ronan’s Well.
The well was built in the 1020s, set on top of the Black Spur along the Maroondah Highway.
To me, that well is a part of local history and is an icon of the local district.
Ever since I was a teenager, I recall seeing hundreds of visitors stopping at this well collecting spring water in containers of all shapes and sizes.
On two previous occasions myself and a horse-riding friend have repaired minor damage made to the well, however, the damage done this time by these morons, just to collect a few coins, is beyond me to repair.
Locals will know this as a favourite stopping place for day trippers and no doubt a lot of hopeful wishes have been made at the well.
So, I hope a community effort will be made to reinstate the well and, may I suggest a more substantial construction from steel and concrete with the original stone as a facade.
It is also important to consider opening the area up around the well to expose the memorial plaque for Marjorie Bower and James Crooke, who was a former Healesville Shire president in 1915.
Anyone wanting to make a donation or have some input into rebuilding the well can contact Rosemary at the Ski Hire and Outdoors Centre in Narbethong, or phone her on 0400 001 658.
Ray Donkin,
Healesville.
Editor’s note: Further to this letter Mr Donkin advises that some community-minded person has made temporary repairs, but says the campaign to finance a more permanent, vandal-proof solution will go ahead.
