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He was pleased to celebrate the occasion, share the trowel, a portrait of Cr Cowan, and the \u201cspecial\u201d history with more people.<\/p>\n
He said his great-grandfather would be \u201chonoured\u201d to see Ballarat as it is today, having also been part of the early city as an engineer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have our forebears to thank for their great foresight in building this Town Hall,\u201d Mr Cowan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wish everyone all the best for the future as Ballarat grows in stature as one of, if not the top regional city in Victoria.\u201d<\/p>\n
City of Ballarat mayor, Cr Ben Taylor said the Cowan family have been \u201cvery generous\u201d loaning the \u201cprecious\u201d trowel and portrait to the city, potentially until the end of the anniversary year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trowel was gifted to Cr Cowan by the Ballarat and Ballarat East Water Commission, where he was the chairman from 1871 to 1873. That commission now is Central Highlands Water,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe trowel and the portrait will be on display at the Town Hall for a period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ON 14 January, one hundred and fifty years ago, the Borough of Ballarat\u2019s first mayor, Cr Thomas Cowan laid the current Town Hall\u2019s foundation stone with \u201cone or two scientific flourishes.\u201d This anniversary was celebrated on Tuesday morning, with the original, preserved 1870 trowel used to lay the stone on site, provided by Cr Cowan\u2019s […]<\/p>\n