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The centrepiece of the iconic TV series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo — The Rangers Headquarters — is one step closer to being restored to its former glory.
Sydney's Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council (Metro LALC) has received a $10,000 grant to begin drawing up a strategy for its restoration.
Waratah Park, which was formerly Crown land, was handed over to the council in 2014.
Set in Duffys Forest in northern Sydney, the red dirt-coloured building was home to head ranger Matt Hammond and his sons Sonny and Mark, at least when they weren't running around fighting crime and playing with their loyal companion, Skippy.
The show ran from 1967 to 1969 and was filmed predominantly in bushland on Sydney's northern beaches.
For years after the series ended, the site was run as a wildlife theme park. It was closed to the public in 2006.
Much of the park has "fallen into disrepair" over the years according to Jenny Harris, president of the Duffys Forest Residents Association, which organises monthly bush regeneration activities.
"Once [the strategy is written] it will open the door to apply for funding to get the building restored, to get the Skippy memorabilia back up," Ms Harris said.
While renovation of the building may still be some years off, Ms Harris hopes to see the site eventually reopened to the public for education purposes.
"Then we can share the two cultures: the culture associated with filming Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and the Aboriginal Heritage Centre, which will connect Aboriginal people back to the land and educate non-Indigenous people about Indigenous heritage," she said.
The Metro LALC will use the grant to commission a heritage consulting firm to draw up a restoration plan for the Rangers Headquarters and associated buildings.
Does Skippy deserve protection?
While work has been done over the years to clear overgrown vegetation and noxious weeds, the Rangers Headquarters has been left largely empty; paint is peeling off the walls and the timber structure is rotten in parts.
Photographer Brett Patman, who was invited by the Duffy Forest Residents Association to take photos in the park earlier this year, said he was surprised at the condition of the site.
"I thought something like Skippy would have some kind of guaranteed protection," he said.
"There's older animal enclosures but it's a bit dangerous to go in because there's asbestos and it's falling down.
"The ranger hut is a bit dilapidated from the outside and the roof is starting to come apart."
Cast, crew reunite at site
Despite its state, the building was able to host a 50-year reunion between the show's cast, crew and their families in May.
Phil Judd, who worked as a sound engineer on 90 episodes of Skippy, said returning to the site was "nostalgic".
"I think the point is to preserve it and don't let it deteriorate it any further because it's iconic, just like Ned Kelly's house," he said.
"They still have the props and original furniture from the theme park.
"The Residents Association is trying to keep it alive because it is iconic for people from around the world."
Ms Harris said the building was only ever meant to be a temporary film set.
"It's empty and it's sad and it urgently needs work, but it has stood the test of time," she said.
"The reason the park is in the state it is in was because it was mismanaged by Crown land for decades. They were essentially the landlords.
"Knowing the site is of heritage significance, they just left it in disrepair."
This Sunday, the association will plant 500 small native shrubs at the site as part of National Tree Day.
Topics: television, human-interest, community-and-society, indigenous-culture, sydney-2000