Family members from the Czech Republic were among those who gathered at the old gold mining township of Waiuta today to
celebrate the restoration of Jos Divis’ old home.
Czech émigré Divis (1885-1967) was a keen amateur photographer who documented gold mining life during the heyday of the
town, about 35km from Reefton.
This often included posing in his own photos using a self-timer which has led to him being described as pioneering the
‘selfie’.
The Department of Conservation has restored the 100-year-old gold miner's cottage Divis lived in and it is now open to
visitors to Waiuta, a Tohu Whenua site.
Greymouth District Operations Manager Chris Hickford says the team focussed on doing the restoration in a way that
retains as much of the historic original building fabric as possible.
“It was a complex job but offered a unique opportunity to upskill rangers who work on heritage structures.
"Together with Heritage New Zealand staff we ran training sessions for DOC staff from around the country so they could
get hands-on experience in heritage repairs which is invaluable for future work.”
Dominika Schmidtova, a great great niece of Divis, told the gathering it was an honour to be there and shared the
family’s gratitude for all the work done.
She recalled stories her grand grandmother had told about her brother who lived on the opposite side of the world and
worked as a gold miner. The family could now see that Jos' "true treasure" was the photographic legacy of the times he
left behind.