The 40m steel water tower, situated 200 metres from the southern ocean, required unusual and ongoing maintenance while it served its purpose as a water tower for the extensive fire protection system at the Pleasant Hill factory. The tower was decommissioned in December 2005, when the Fletcher Jones Factory and operations in Warrnambool closed down.
Very little maintenance was done on the water tower after it’s decommissioning. In 2010, Heritage Victoria ordered the ladder and safety crown be removed and this made access more difficult and expensive, as a crane needs to be used for any inspection or maintenance works.
Under new owner (and Silver Ball champion) Dean Montgomery, an engineering assessment with subsequent safety works to remove rusty pipes was undertaken in 2014.
In December 2017, the Silver Ball received a much-needed rust treatment and new coat of paint with assistance from Round 1 of the Heritage Victoria Living Heritage Grant Program. Donations from the A L Lane and Isobel and David Jones Foundations made the subsequent purchase of LED lights possible and the Silver Ball was lit up on the Warrnambool skyline from December 20, 2017. Dean described this event as being the cherry on the top of the FJ site renewal!
