Conservation enthusiasts Trevor Grant, a Mosgiel builder, and
retired nurse Christine James, of Dunedin (pictured), worked
with semi-retired Department of Conservation (Doc) historic
specialist Stew Hardie to give the Skippers Point School and
homestead an annual spruce-up last week.
The tiny school was opened in 1879, soon after gold was
discovered in the nearby Shotover River, and taught a peak
number of 27 pupils as the Skippers township population
swelled.
The population fell as the gold dwindled and the school
closed in 1927. The building was used as a woolshed for years
and then fell into decay for two decades, until Doc started
restoration work in 1989.
Tidying up the historic landmarks of the Mt Aurum Recreation
Reserve was part of the Doc conservation programme.
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