Many would not know that the timber bench outside Milton's Anglican Church was once a regular meeting place for the town's retired men folk.

Recent plans to take the seat away, as part of Shoalhaven City Council's revamp of the Milton CBD, has highlighted the significant role it played in the town's development over the past 60 years.

Retired business people, tradesmen and farmers met to rest on the seat and watch the world go by.

Noel Turnbull and Earl Anderson remember the old blokes gathering around the chair and "solving the problems of the world".

"When we were kids all the old fellas used to meet here almost every afternoon under the shade of the tree," Noel told the Times as he and Earl sat on the chair and reminisced last week.

"There would have been at least a dozen of them - it was a daily ritual back in the '50s and '60s."

"Lee Garrad, Tom White, Barney Bourke the blacksmith, Podge Hapgood and Cobber Cole and his father Jack," Earl said.

"There were the local butchers Dick Penny and Alf Bartlett, they all used to meet here," Noel added

"This chair has a lot of history in Milton, but most people would not realise it."

Noel said a retired sign writer Bert Harrison painted "Rest and be thankful" on the back of the chair.

"It was a funny saying, but I suppose that's what they did, sat and thought about their lives."

The pair, along with residents Gordon Hapgood and Rob Mennie are keen to rekindle the regular 'bench gatherings'.

And they're also pushing for the inscription to be re-written on the back of the chair.

What they definitely don't want to see is the solid timber chair removed and replaced with a modern bench.

"This is part of Milton's history," Noel explained.

"We want it to stay and we want to start using it again - the way it was originally intended."

The group held their first 'meeting' at the bench last week and, as generations before them have, they sat and watched the world go by.

"It was great," Earl said, "we said hello to everyone that walked past and just talked about life."

"As the seat once said we were grateful to take time out to just sit, rest and chat."

Noel said there is no way he will allow council to replace the chair.

"We'll fight it all the way," he added.