January 05 Work Retreat Report

The annual pilgrimage to De-Tong Ling Retreat Centre took place again this New Year to continue work on the construction of the 14 metre Enlightenment Stupa. Even before January 1st people had turned up eager to lend a hand or two.

Our main aim this time was to build the 23.5 metre suspended public walkway which allows access to the top of the room that supports the Stupa, and the circumambulation route around it. But before that could be put in place a very unusual shaped ‘storeroom’ had to be built that sat, not only under the first section of the ramp, but also was built mostly underground. This involved the laying of about 800 second hand large concrete blocks with multiple layers of steel reinforcing bars and then filled with concrete.

Then the worst job so far, the waterproofing of the block work. Quite a few people had a go, followed almost immediately by throwing their clothes in the nearest rubbish bin. Definitely the worse task so far.

Once completed, attention turned to the heavy steel that had been fabricated in Adelaide and shipped over for the walkway. It is said that obstacles will inevitably appear along the way, and they did. This work retreat had more than the ‘fair’ share. Truck and tractor breakdowns were the order of the day, literally. As a result, the amount of work that had been planned for completion during the two weeks had to be reassessed and different tasks completed.

One of the real bonuses was the clearing away of many truckloads (when it worked) of Banksias that constituted a major fire hazard around some of the retreat houses, a huge effort, and a job well done. Eventually the truck and tractor came good at the same time and we were able to get most of the fabricated steel in place, plus a start on the timber that completes the walkway. It is hoped that we can complete some of these jobs at Easter and in the following school holidays.