The Friends of the Liberty Theatre Liberty has received a heritage grant of $3,350 from the Yass Valley Council to restore the iconic sign to its former glory.

The Friends’ received the grant as one of seven local heritage projects under the Yass Valley Council’s 2022/23 Local Heritage Grants Program. Council, with the assistance of Heritage NSW, facilitates the Local Heritage Grants Program each year.

The grants aim to contribute to the preservation of structures of historical value and to foster positive attitudes towards heritage and conservation.

Friends of the Liberty Theatre member, Bimbi Turner, said the group is working hard to restore the building, and bring it into the 21st century. She was thrilled to receive the grant to return the original sign to it’s former glory.

“We will use the grant to re-do the sign writing and hope to eventually reinstall the lights inside the sign. The reason we chose the sign is because we thought it’s very prominent on the approach to Yass,“ said Mrs. Turner.

“We have until April next year to complete the work and will time it with when the scaffolding goes up for the other restorations we have planned.”

Yass Valley Mayor, Allan McGrath, said he was pleased to see the 2022/23 Local Heritage Grants Program benefitting the main street of Yass.

“We have already begun work on a vision for the main street with the creation of the Yass Main Street Masterplan. This will guide how we improved important infrastructure including lighting, seating, parking, and signage on the main street,” said Mayor McGrath.

“What the masterplan is unable to influence, however, is the facades of privately-owned businesses on the main street. Therefore, it is great to see local business operators taking the initiative to apply for funding for restoration projects, which will not only go to great lengths towards preserving the main street’s heritage, but also improving the look of our main street, ultimately making it more attractive for residents and tourists alike to visit.”