Contractors given the task of clearing back the past were “shocked and surprised” to find the original paintwork from the 1930s had survived the test of time, Ford dealership proprietor Grant McCarroll said.

The banner is an important link between the city and the ford motoring company, he said.

“The sign is evidence to show that the company has been part of the region since that Ford has been in the city since the 1930s as you can read the old dealership was named Rowe Ford,” he said. 

Mr McCarroll said he had no plans to have the sign heritage listed but was adamant the new business managers had no plans to remove the original paintwork.

The original signage was done by Armidale's Noel Graham's painting business in the 1930s and was ironically found by his descendants.