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.
