Black Mountain Tower, also known as Telstra Tower, celebrated its 10th anniversary, The Canberra Times reported on this day in 1990. Although some were celebrating, not everyone was, especially the former secretary of the committee to Save Black Mountain, Bruce Kent.
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Kent was a senior lecturer of history at the Australian National University who spearheaded the legal challenge to the construction of tower in 1973. The case was brought forth to the ACT supreme court, which agreed with the committee and found that the tower's construction was indeed illegal.
However, the tower's legality was far from over and the federal government, in a sleight of hand, changed the law on the tower's construction. As part of the government strategy, the post master general's department at that time appealed the decision which brought it in front of the high court, leading to the government winning the case.
Still reeling from the decision more than a decade ago, Kent was still critical of the tower's construction stating "it was basically constructed as a status symbol" and that "it is a monument to an out-valued technology". He did however admit that the tower was "not particularly unsightly" and suggested to view it from more than 20 miles away.
In a change of tone, Kent went onto say that the tower was well produced and praised the skill of the engineers and builders whilst almost reluctantly accepting that it is more of a tourist attraction. He even admitted to venturing up the tower a couple of times.
The tower has been closed since 2021 with its closure being given an indefinite status. Canberrans have bemoaned its closure as the tower provided many with happy memories. Telstra stated the tower's future is still unclear with the government encouraging Telstra to restore the landmark.
