JOHNBIS SET / Staff
Donweir of Fairview Fiberglass with one of the replica panels he made for the Church of St. George Copt in Timaru.
Timaru’s company uses fiberglass to make old “beaten” tin pieces look like new as repair work continues on the historic St. George’s Coptic Church.
Eight new panels were created by Don Weir of Fairview Fiberglass, and the process of replicating the original tin panel of the church was very complicated.
“They gave us a piece of the original tin that was beaten, and I had to rebuild it,” Weir said.
“I straightened the edges, and after it looked good, I made it look like new again, so I made the mold.”
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Then, after making the mold, all eight fiberglasses were individually attached to the mold.
This isn’t the first time Weir has contributed to a heritage restoration project, as Weir previously created the Theater Royals panel and created the model for the Grosvenor Hotel 10 years ago.
“It’s really good to maintain the original characteristics of such a building,” Weir said.
Dr. Albert McCulley, a church spokesman, said he was really happy with the work done by the South Canterbury company and had given Weir’s help within eight weeks.
“He did a great job. We wanted it to look the same, but it’s more durable.”
Project builder David Fridd said fiberglass will be installed soon and believes that the new material will last much longer than the original material and will be cheaper to repair in the future.
“Whenever I want to get there, it will cost $ 20,000 to scaffold,” Frid said.
Repairs have piled up $ 2 million in tabs since they started in December 2021. This work also includes seismic retrofitting and replacement of 22,000 roof tiles damaged by the November 2019 hail storm.
“When it comes to financing, we’re still working on it,” McCarry said.
“If you win the lottery, you give us your prize. We plan and keep our faces.”
McCarry said he was trying to hire someone to help him apply for a funding request, but his nephew is now helping him.
“If you can support the application, go ahead.”
“I’m pretty good at craftsmanship, but I don’t like paperwork.”