A chance discovery by a Kiama resident during a spring clean-out of their house has led to the original plaque being brought back to life on the old Council Chambers building in Jamberoo.

The plaque has been placed back on the facade of the original building which is now home to Jamberoo Valley Meats, adding an extra dash of yesteryear to the picturesque township.

Stuart Richards from the Jamberoo Valley Ratepayers and Residents Association and local welding and fabrication business owner Paul O’Keefe were integral in getting the plaque looking shiny and new again so that it could return to its original location.

The plaque was probably removed from the Jamberoo Council Chambers building after the 1954 amalgamation with Kiama and has been lost since then.

When the Kiama resident stumbled upon the piece of Jamberoo history four years ago among a pile of rubbish, it was given to Jamberoo publican Ross Warren, who mentioned the discovery to Stuart when they were catching up at a function.

“I went and had a look at it and thought we need to get this back up on the building,” Stuart recalled.

“It was engraved but it didn’t have any gold lettering on it. It was very plain - you could only just see the engraving.”

Stuart re-embossed the gold lettering and Paul had a plate made up, which was powder-coated, to hold the plaque.

No ceremony was required - in typical Jamberoo style, they just put it up and if anyone asked, they told them the story of the long lost plaque’s circuitous journey.

Butchery owner Steve McCure said it was great to have the plaque in pride of place at the front of his shop and it was a nice talking point for his customers to chew on.

The Council Chambers building was built in 1934 and the wife of the Minister for Labour and Industry (the Hon. J.M. Dunningham) was given the honour of unveiling the plaque.

Jamberoo Mayor David Weir as well as the mayors of Gerringong and Shellharbour and the deputy mayor also attended the opening in what the Kiama Independent at the time described as “a red-letter day for Jamberoo”.

Paul O'Keefe and Stuart Richards. Photo: Supplied

The opening of the Council Chambers was described as one of the biggest works undertaken recently, along with the construction of a new road to Kiama.

“The tablet has the inscriptions of all the aldermen at the time,” Stuart explained.

“They had a big do at the Jamberoo School of Arts and a dinner to celebrate the opening.”

The Municipality of Kiama was proclaimed on 11 August 1859 and has undergone a number of name and boundary changes.

On 24 April 1871, the Municipal Districts of Gerringong and Broughton’s Vale were created out of the former Gerringong Ward of the Municipality.

Initially there was a borough of Kiama and East Kiama.

But on 31 March 1892, Kiama became known as the Municipality of Jamberoo and East Kiama became the Municipality of Kiama.

The municipalities of Kiama, Jamberoo and Gerringong amalgamated on 11 June 1954 to form the Municipality of Kiama while the Municipality of Broughton’s Vale had become part of the Shoalhaven Shire in 1947.