A Telstra payphone in Narooma, on the NSW South Coast, has been officially added to the National Trust of Australia (NSW) Register, recognised for its cultural and social significance and the role it played in keeping the community connected during the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires.
When the Black Summer bushfires tore through the South Coast, Narooma lost power, mobile coverage and internet access, connection to family, friends and ‘the outside world’ was seemingly lost. That’s when a payphone located at 195 Princes Highway, outside Narooma Plaza, became a lifeline.
Almost 1,000 calls were made from it over two months. People queued to let family know they were safe, to check on neighbours, and to reach support when nothing else was working.
The nomination was led by Dr Naomi Parry Duncan, a Professional Historian who specialises in social history and heritage. She was in Narooma on New Year’s Day 2020 and saw the community turn to Telstra payphones to stay safe and connected.
“There was no mobile coverage, or power, or internet, or ways to get cash or coins. When we heard Telstra had made the payphones free, people queued for hours to contact the outside world,” Dr Duncan said.
“Heritage isn’t only grand buildings and monuments. Sometimes it’s an ordinary object that a community turned to on its worst day. That’s what this payphone is to Narooma, and I’m thrilled it now has a permanent place on the register.
“Even in the age of the smartphone, the iconic payphone silhouette stands as a beacon of connection, often for those most in need. I have greatly enjoyed working on this nomination and am so pleased the NSW National Trust has supported it.”
The National Trust of Australia (NSW) is a community-based, non-government organisation committed to conserving the state’s natural, built and cultural heritage, and today it is Australia’s leading heritage conservation charity.
In their official heritage-listing statement, The National Trust declared, ‘The Telstra public telephone outside Narooma Plaza, is emblematic of the vital role public telephones play in the lives of Australians, particularly during disasters.’
‘During the Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20, and in the two months immediately following, this telephone was used for nearly 1000 calls and became a hub for a community that was isolated and traumatised.’
‘This public telephone is representative of the cultural significance of public telephones, on social and historical grounds.’
To mark the listing, a plaque will be installed at the payphone, so anyone passing by can learn what happened here during the summer of 2019-20.
