Photo brings back fond memories of restoration

ODT ‘‘Parallax’’ photographer Gerard O’Brien has provided us with many beautiful Dunedin images, but his photo (right) of the entrance to the Dundas St Methodist Church (ODT

14.5.22) had particular resonance for me. Threatened with demolition in the 1980s, I was lucky enough to be able to buy the dilapidated church and restore it with new piles, roof, wiring, plumbing and courtyard tiles. O’Brien’s photo brought back the struggles of stripping thick green leadpaint encrusted doors (52 of them including the hall, choir practice rooms and Manse) in a homemade caustic bath, waterblasting the brick facade from a very tall Aframe ladder tied to the deck of our ute, and making a cement wash brushed on to gapfill and resurface the plasterwork. Our heritage buildings are important reminders of Dunedin’s glorious past, and of our custodial role in maintaining what has value by developing reuse into the future. Thank you Gerard.

Roslyn