Update from Joe Voncina, AUC Secretary-Treasurer, regarding the progress of recovery and rebuilding at Elim Heights Youth Camp.
The Elim Heights Management Committee have been working very hard on the rebuilding plans, and we have some good news for you. The New South Wales Government has pitched in and has paid for all our cleanup. All the debris, all the buildings, all the burnt-out caravans have disappeared from Elim Heights, and it’s all nice and clean, ready for the next stage. The greenery has come back after the fire, and everything is looking beautiful.
Who can forget the harrowing images of the fire at Elim Heights, which destroyed a number of structures, including the church hall. Decades of hard work – thousands of volunteer hours and many donations given over the years – were lost in a matter of minutes. But now, with the cleanup completed, it is time to get on with the process of rebuilding.
The committee has been busy getting quotes for the shed and doing the plans for the hall. On Sunday the 31st of May, we are going to gather at Elim Heights to make an overall plan for the camp. We have been trying to do that for many years, but we never started building from scratch with a master plan. So, we are going to take the chance now to make an overall plan for the camp ground, which will take into account where we want the hall, shed, caretaker’s residence, parking, road and so forth.
We thank everybody for the cooperation that we have received so far, especially the committees, Finance, Elim Heights Management, Executive, and a number of individuals too. Thanks to those who were involved in the cleanup and recovery so far. And thanks to those who put in their designs for the rebuilding of the hall. Now is our opportunity to build something even better than we had before.
Please help by keeping us in your prayers. Of course the time will come very soon that we will need some physical help too, so no matter where you are if you feel that you could help as far as building is concerned, and you have some expertise in this area, we’d love to have you there.
The insurer has paid out our building and contents policy, for which we are grateful. We believe that we will have enough money for constructing the hall and the shed. However, there are additional costs that will be incurred as part of the rebuilding. If you are able to help financially in any way, we would be very thankful.
We are moving ahead with this project and we want to see it finished as soon as possible. We would love to see it all done by the end of this year if possible.
Meanwhile, we are still looking for a caretaker, so if you or someone you know would be interested, please let us know.
