The renovation of Ramsgate at Oberon is complete and the building is back to its former glory

Antoinette and George Sarkis own Ramsgate, the two-storey treasure on the Bathurst end of Oberon Street which has now returned to its use as a private residence.

They fell in love with Oberon and then the house - but the renovation of an historic home is not a cheap exercise.

"I don't know how much it cost and I don't want to know," Ms Sarkis said.

Ken Roots from real estate development company Glencoe Developments said the Ramsgate job came with an unconventional arrangement.

"We have been friends with the family for years and trust each other," he said.

"We weren't going to rip them off and they weren't going to complain about the cost. They knew what they wanted and it was our job to deliver it."

The Sarkis family's efforts have been rewarded with a commendation from the National Trust.

A certificate was presented recently in front of family members by Wayne Feebrey, chair of the Bathurst and District Branch of the Trust.

"It's wonderful what they've done here," Mr Feebrey said.

"It's just so easy to lose heritage and historic buildings when developers come along, but this one has been saved."

Ms Sarkis said the house "has been here for a long time and we are just the custodians so that it can still be here for future generations".

Oberon mayor Mark Kellam agreed.

"Oberon Street has three historic buildings that enhance the town - Ramsgate, the Malachi and the NAB building," he said.

"We can't afford to lose any of them and I thank and congratulate George and Antoinette for preserving this part of the town's history."

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It has been a long trip from Tripoli in 1979 for George Sarkis, but he has no regrets.

"I first saw Oberon in the 1990s and I've loved it ever since," he said. "I'm just so glad that we can help to keep it the lovely place it always was."

It has taken four years of building work to get to this point.

Major repairs began under the guidance of Ms Sarkis and her daughter Charlotte, who are both interior designers and owners of the business Gigi, Lali and Me.

The owners worked closely with Oberon Council and its heritage adviser, conservation architect Christo Aitken, to ensure the integrity of the house was well honoured.

By Julia Kurtz from an old edition of the Oberon Review.

The first deed for the land was purchased in 1891 by Jeremiah Wilson, who was the first caretaker and official guide at Jenolan Caves.

Albert Fox had the house designed by renowned architect W H Tighe and it was built in 1906.

Mr Fox had Ramsgate built opposite his store in the main street.

Perhaps Ramsgate's most famous use was as a surgery for a long succession of doctors.

The doctor residency in Ramsgate began in 1926, finishing with Dr Lance Robey, who moved into the house in 1951 and stayed until 1984.

The house then passed through a number of owners, proving its diversity, being used as a Devonshire tearooms and at one time the head office for Fibron Industries.

Ramsgate underwent its largest transformation under the careful eye of the then Oberon mayor Keith Sullivan and his wife, Joan, who set about restoring the home to its former glory.

After purchasing the house on the very day she first saw it, Joan began opening her door to Oberon's visitors by turning it into a guesthouse.

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