Kangaroo Island - off the Coast of Australia, south, closest city is Adelaide.
Their big stupa is under construction - here is the latest news as of March 2003:
Dear Friends
We wanted to share with you all the great news that the foundations for the
13 metre Enlightenment Stupa on Kangaroo Island at De- Tong Ling Retreat
Centre were poured last Thursday. Just as the last truck load of concrete
was poured to complete the slab the first bombs started to drop on Iraq. At
least we all had something positive to celebrate on such a dark day.
The weather was perfect for a concrete pour. Not too hot and NO rain, which
was the most important thing. The whole operation took about 7 hours, with
33 cubic metres of concrete being poured. Over the preceding 6 days a small
group of 4 to 5 volunteers plugged away at setting steelwork up and boxing
the edges of the foundation, leveling and general laboring etc. All had a
grand time. Mind you, I think that we breathed a sigh of relief when it was
all over and the slab was rapped up and put to bed under an orange plastic
blanket to cure for a few weeks.
So we thought that you would like to know about the next phase of the
building process. Along with the foundation steel that was delivered to
DTL, we were also able to purchase the Structural steel beams and columns
and the steel sheet that will hold the suspended concrete slab above the
room. To be able to proceed any further we had to get the structural
steelwork out to DTL as a minimum.
Our aim is to have a big working bee over the Easter school holidays,
starting April 12th and going through to April 27th. This is the weekend
before, to the weekend after Easter. In this time it is envisaged that the
walls for the room under the Stupa will be built. Once we start this part
of the project it is important to finish it, including sealing the walls
before winter sets in with it's lashing wind and rain.
Can you help??? We are looking for about 15 people to come over. Then it
will be pretty light work. A few people have expressed a wish to come. We
could do with a few more though. Even for a couple of days would be a great
help. If you think that you could assist in this part of the building,
please don't hesitate to call Will on 0417891921 or 82783970. This is our
last opportunity to work on the Stupa until the Christmas holidays.
Stay well Stay happy
With Kind Regards
All at De - Tong Ling Retreat Centre
Visit the site to see photos, drawings and a description