While the threateningly dark clouds made it clear that something big was on the way, few could believe the ferocity of the storm, which saw large hail stones hammering down on the township for over fifteen minutes.

The sound was deafening and locals were amazed by the huge build up of hail, with the stones covering the township and its roads in drifts of white that could be likened to inches of snow.

Although the local SES was not called into action, there were numerous roofs affected, leaving a large number of ceilings with serious leaks that caused varying levels of damage inside homes.

A number of local businesses were also affected by leaking roofs and even partially collapsing ceilings, with the Bombala RSL Club being so badly affected that it was forced to close shortly after the storm and didn’t trade again until Monday.

The auditorium was the worst hit due to a collapsed ceiling, but the newly renovated toilets were also water affected, as was the old TAB area.

The Club apologises for inconvenience to members and guests, and advises that the auditorium will be unavailable until further notice for all functions.

Meanwhile there were also numerous locals making calls to insurance companies this week concerning the hail damaged to cars, with large numbers of vehicles being affected.   

The Bombala Council was still inspecting around the area at the time of our deadlines, but reported no major damage to public structures, with our trees and some rural roads being the worst affected.

It seems that the hail was heaviest in the main street, but few areas of the township were spared.

Outlying locations were lucky enough to miss out on the hail, although the Rosemeath area and surrounds did experience an earlier storm the day before which also boasted very large hail stones.

As insurance arrangements are made to take care of the damage and locals sadly tidy up decimated gardens and yards, we sincerely hope that there is no more hail on the way!