Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs Mick Veitch is urging people to speak out if they have any evidence of a tunnel existing between the old courthouse and old jail in Young.
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NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell has said she's been advised there is no evidence that a tunnel exists between the Young High School hall and Young TAFE campus.
Ms Mitchell said the Department of Education has undertaken comprehensive investigations of the Young High School site.
The Young Witness late last year spoke with Young resident Steve Watkins who "guaranteed" a tunnel existed and said he walked it with a hand torch in 1992.
The Witness also ran a poll in an online story. The poll showed 93.1 per cent of 86 votes responded yes there is a tunnel between the old courthouse and old jail.
Mr Veitch, who is a former deputy mayor of the former Young Shire Council, says people with an interest in the matter need to write to the Minister directly, urging the government to cease work on the new state significant Young High School library and joint-use community facility to be built at Young High School facing Carrington Park.
"People in Young who are adamant a tunnel exists should write to the Minister and say cease further work until further investigations are done," Mr Veitch said.
History professional and resident of Young Joe Kinsela says there are multiple accounts of a tunnel existing.
He says the cost of failing to investigate includes a risk to site workers, and a risk of losing a valuable tourism site.
"The published design [of the library project] runs right through the tunnel, the building must be redesigned," he said.
Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the investigation included "the use of radar scanning in the relevant areas and also physical investigation of the sub floor areas".
Ms Mitchell said The Department of Education "also commissioned investigations of historical records and is not aware of any written evidence of a heritage tunnel".
The joint-use library project is in the design phase with construction due to begin in mid-2020.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Let us know what you think. Do you have evidence of a tunnel existing? Fill in the form or email peter.guthrie@youngwitness.com.au
