UPDATE: CONTRACTORS have knocked down a chimney that has towered above Bendigo for decades.
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Work crews yesterday started to assemble a crane that will bring the former Loddon Linen chimney down.
The demolition started about 7.30 this morning and will take workers all day to complete.
Crowds starting to gather as chimney demo is close to starting twitter.com/DavidWlkr64/st…
— David Walker (@DavidWlkr64) July 31, 2012
The chimney will make way for the $630 million new Bendigo hospital.
Bendigo Health announced in September that it would close its linen service.
Ballarat’s Eureka Linen took over the hospital’s laundry services in March.
Local resident Joan Birch was born a few houses down from the site and said she remembered the area even before it was laundry service for the hospital.
“This whole area used to be just clothes lines,” she said.
“I used to sit on the letter box and watch the ladies hang up the clothes.
“I was here when they first put it up and I wanted to be here when it came down.”
Ms Birch who turns 90 next February said it was a shame that the new hospital site didn’t have historical clarification.
“It has been here for so long, it really is an icon,” she said.
“Certain days my Mum used to curse it because she would have the washing on the line and when the wind was blowing our way all the smoke would go on the clothes and we would have to re wash the clothes again.”