DIOCESE OF AITAPE CHURCH BUILDING PROGRAM

	News report No. 7 October 2002 Diocese of Aitape P O Box 179 Aitape Sandaun Province Papua New Guinea Ph +675 857 2046 fax +675 857 2056
Aitape Haus Lotu Projects

Introduction:
This is the seventh report from the Diocese of Aitape for the month of October about the project to build eleven new permanent churches to replace those destroyed by the Aitape Tsunami disaster of July 1998. Our previous six reports have site visit photos and information about all the sub parishes in Malol, Arop, Sissano and Barupu areas, the July 17 anniversary of the Tsunami disaster, and a description of the walkabout saw. This report covers work during the month of October.


Gravel arrives at the first church site at Amu

At the gravel pit near the church site, the loader has stockpiled a heap of gravel, and in this first photo, is loading the gravel onto the waiting dump truck. The machines were hired from FTM Construction, a Lae based company that is working near Aitape on a government roading contract. We hired the machines for the first week of October to do the work. Photo 1

At the church site, the trucks deliver their loads of gravel. There were three trucks used: a 10m3, 6m3 and 4m3 size. The work was completed in one day, and the truck tallies recorded by the local people. Altogether, 200m3 was stockpiled at the church site to be used in the foundations, floor slab, and fill below the floor slab. In photo 2, the gravel is being stockpiled next to where the new church is to be built. Photo 2

Clearing the ground at the Amu church site

Photo 3. Stripping off the topsoil		Photo 4. Digging out the Kunai grass

In photo 2 on the previous page you can see how fast the kunai grass grows if left untended. In a few weeks, the grass can be two feet tall. The grass is strong as well as fast growing and is used for roof thatch in some parts of PNG. After the gravel arrived at Amu, two work crews were organised. One crew was hired to strip off the topsoil beneath the church site itself ready for the foundations (see photo 3).
Another crew was hired to dig up the kunai grass by the roots, level out the site, and replant patches of flat grass. This was in the immediate vicinity of the church within the designated boundary.

The walkabout saw arrives to cut timber at the Amu

Photo 5. The sawmill team starts work		Photo 6. The local children take a close look

Near the end of October the walkabout saw was shifted to Amu. The Amu landowners have agreed to provide logs free for the new church. There are plenty of suitable trees in the area. After a survey of the trees and discussions with the owners, a sawmill team comprised of the two saw supervisors and six local boys to assist them, was ready to go. The team camps out in the bush near to where the saw is working. When the planks are cut and stacked, other groups are required to carry the planks by hand from the bush to the church site. These groups are rostered on for their turn. When the planks arrive at the church site, they are sorted into the correct stockpiles, and strapped up, so the timber can dry out. There is about 70m³ of timber needed for the new church.


Other Sites:
Other sites are awaiting gravel deliveries before they can start work.