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NEWS FROM THE WESTERN FRONT
FIJI

DESPATCHES Number 40 - - 4 TH APRIL 2009 

NZAID – KOROIPITA 2 / VOLUNTEERS 2009
         PART I (of 4)

The emergency response was a flood – of containers.

Our club has spent $7000. on  this so far - on Fiji end wharfage and port charges, transport costs etc, but we cannot pay much  more.
Peter’s company (WG) provided a logistics hub service, clearing Customs, sorting and distributing containers and pallet loads of goods, including some food - to reliable distributors in the field.
Our club  also assisted distributing 200 emergency boxes air freighted from our District (D9920) Auckland.
As reported - negligible damage at Koroipita - minor road scouring and crop damage. The Naikabula road is in bad condition - but should be repaired by June .
The document I produced titled “Shipping Goods to Fiji” averted a disaster. This ensured we received good documentation, packing lists with values for Customs etc. Only three containers were  held up at the port and the storage bill is $2500 on each.
We need to refocus on Koroipita project now…..NEXT PAGE …

PART II

We have been submitting documents/ reports/ budgets and other information to NZAID, for four years now. We were advised that there was a chance we could have a draft Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) by March, April. That is about now - so where are we?
2.1 NZAID will enter a funding contract only with a reliable and legal entity in Fiji. The Rotahomes project is not in itself, a legal entity – it is a project of the Rotary club of Lautoka. The club is a registered charitable trust in Fiji.
2.2 We submitted a 110 page document detailing the club structure, track record, the proposed accounting procedure, including an interface role for a local accounting firm affiliated with an international firm.
2.3 This was accepted by NZAID in February. We had also (re) submitted a budget for the first six months of the Koroipita stage 2 (K2) project.
2.4 NZAID has accepted the club as the contract party for the first phase – six months. Thereafter we will have to select and appoint (by agreement) an “auspicing entity” for the substantive contract spanning the remaining 4 ½ years of the K2 project.
2.5 The selection process will involve pre-selection, tendering, acceptance and a second stage GFA contract.

So where are we at April 04th?

PHASE 1 NZAID – GFA / FUNDS.

Lining Up the Ducks – Progress
2.7  Meanwhile, the team pushes on at the usual frantic pace …, putting in place as much as we can - in the absence of NZAID funds. The idea is to achieve as much as we can with limited funds – so that when we do get funds we can move rapidly ….We have achieved this progress;

3.0 Environment Impact Assessment (EIA)
The Department of Town and Country Planning requires an EIA for all developments larger than 10 houses in a subdivision. K2 will include 163 houses and a large new depot/base. This is required before they will approve the subdivision and issue specifications for infrastructure for the engineers to design to, in detail.
The EIA is also the basis for the Construction Management Plan used to guide the contactors and our inspectors. This can be time consuming – it includes a public hearing to determine objections or other inputs from eg neighbours. The hearing date was April 9 at the Lautoka City Council. This was advertised in the Fiji Times twice,  as quarter page notices . The hearing went well  with no significant objections and possibly some good points for us to take up . This shows commitment to doing this development properly .
We had submitted details to the EIA consultants – such as a comprehensive materials list / quantities, details of building waste disposal . More details are needed such as cut and fill volumes in road construction etc . Here we will look  to our engineering advisors …see below .
The consultant firm is owned by a mate of Peter’s in Suva, viz Dick Watling. He is volunteering a great deal of their input, but other costs total $21,400.
AVI Volunteer Ms Willy Heywood submitted a request to the Fiji Government and the response was immediate – within two weeks we had the $21,400 enabling us to make a start.
This is the second time the Fiji Government has turned expressions of support so quickly into cash – recall the $97,065 paid to us in June 2008 to enable us to build 80 cookhouses etc (see below). That saves us last volunteer season – how will we cover this season ? read on …..

The plan is to develop the Great Hall and adjacent workshop shed at the new depot at K2 within the first six months budget phase. Here we would accommodate volunteers for the next five years, and prefabricate home frames and even septic tank panels.
We have not altered this plan – although it is increasingly obvious that the hall will not be available to accommodate volunteers in 2009.
There is still a prospect that some of the teams booked say late  August could be involved in the early stages of these buildings, and that site. Maybe .
Meanwhile, we are advancing the plans for the buildings. Greg Husband (Christchurch, NZ) has plans for these buildings and we have a quote for an alternative in steel frame. We will compare these carefully and proceed to detailed design and submission to the Rural Local Authority.
      Engineering advisors
       Our long serving engineering advisor , Ron McLeay  from Christchurch , has retired from the project – he had made many trips to Fiji and  his advice was critical in the early stages of the K2 project . He also persuaded his club and district to help us fund roads and water supplies and other infrastructure . They will be pleased to learn that the road sign  is finally in place proclaiming the main street on the east bank at Koroipita – as Riccarton St.
We now have the volunteered services of eng. Kevin Cairns – based in Nadi . Kevin would easily be the most qualified and experienced engineer in Fiji .  About 35 years ago he was an engineer with the firm that built our 80MW hydro dam .
There is a strong prospect we will soon (May)  have a full time chartered engineer from Australia , join the team ….watch this space . ….
We have progressed  engineering aspects in consultation with local survey and engineering firms to an advanced degree …and this is all  in the way of lining up the ducks …..for a quick start when we get funds.
But what about the immediate needs , to occupy incoming teams and to employ Saten and the local team ?
 
                                                                 PART III
VOLUNTEERS 2009
Who are they? When do they arrive? How long for? Where will they stay? What will they do?

MAY

11-15th eta Sunday 10 May
Eliz Gould, Ben Benfield                     lizgo5@gmail.com
                                                            b.benfield@clear.net.nz

May 31st – June 6th
Veena Tilley – Schools project


JUNE

First 2 weeks of June
Kevin, Alf                                            kevin.scanlon@bigpond.com

24 June – 3 July

RC Rutherglen                                              Number?

Mid June...dates?                               pamandjim.maden@bigpond.com

June/August ...dates?
Barney Gray/ Dough Haigh

JULY

First 2 weeks of July...dates?
Lynden Clements                                lyndenlynn@xtra.co.nz

Mid-July ...dates?
Hal Lyons/ David Lee

Steve Ellis, Alan Gay                          steve@sectrol.com.au

25 July to 8 August
Gill Whitehouse, Tom Goninon                       tgoninon@bigpond.net.au


AUGUST

Dates...?
Dennis Brown                                     megden@xtra.co.nz
- has this team  rescheduled to 2010 ?  they were waiting for this newsletter to decide I think …please consider and advise

Dates?
Glynn

Early August...dates?
David Drake, Clive Chandler


SEPTEMBER

Dates....?
Ian Jenner, Julie Sibiecki                                julie.ian@ihug.co.nz or julieian?

 

Planning must be accurate this year, so I need to hear from each and every team on this list………. and from any team I had earlier agreed to, and now missed, if any.

These answers and not much else please – I do not need names, apart from the leaders, where they are from and other unnecessary detail at this stage.

Include:
-Dates etc, eta
-Team numbers
-Leader
-other essential (only) detail

There is only one team in May (11th – 15th Rotorua W) and assuming they are small in number, they can probably stay at my place….numbers please ?
We will rent a house in Lautoka w.e.f. June 1st to end August – for the remaining teams. Any spill-overs (eg when teams coincide) can shift to my place.

There has been an endless run of timetables, all assuming receipt of NZAID by a certain date. Here is the latest effort;
Mid   May ?   - approval six month budget

End  May ?    - Receive funds?
June               - fast track engineering drawings

End July        - approvals, access to K2 site
August           - prepare site for new base
Sept                - start building Great Hall etc

So there we are , another volunteer season lost to the K2 project – but there are teams in June, July – what will they be doing?

We have work for them in K1. We cannot go back to the Fiji Govt for more rabbits out of the hat – so I have started to design sub-projects and seek funding support for these – hopefully for the last time at K1! This list is early , indicative and a new  Dispatche will be issued soon to give definition  to these projects with budgets .


Indicative task list;
Sub-project 1/09 – extend store room (3m x 5m) to enable us to free up the bakery to get the bakery into operation.    Cost F$....tba

2/09 Tile and upgrade Kindy Building

Cost F$...tba but most funds in back OK for this
           
      3/09 Complete major retaining wall (26m)
                                    Job started (20 %) and funds in hand

      4/09 to be advised           etc

Peter will issue an updated and costed Sub-Projects list after Easter weekend (when he can get out there designing/costing jobs)

Maintenance
There are a myriad of maintenance jobs to be done – this includes such work as repainting (and even replacing) some shutters and doors, concreting a small apron around the toilet / shower/kitchen (TSK) units, replacing a roof that was twisted when a crane lifted the house, upgrading some of the ramshackle covers between the house and the TSK and cook-houses, plumbing upgrades and so on.
The interesting thing is the Koroipita Town Council has a big surplus and can afford to pay for some supplies for maintenance.
The teams are small (I think?) and there will be more than enough work – we will just need some support for funds – tba.
You can see how important it is to get confirmed dates and numbers …clearly we are not looking for more volunteers and the bookings were closed some time ago .

That is for the last 12 months or so? Well, there was the 80 cookhouses – and we built a steel-framed house (ex-Geelong) for Leba’s kids (she died of cancer) near Koroipita – and another two homes south of Lautoka.
We built concrete breezeways and installed washtubs and two new (single unit) homes and a double TSK with septic tank on the hill top etc etc
We ventured back out the hills and spotted two or three families who need country model Rotahomes. We could seek funds for these – but this work is not suitable for volunteer teams.
We are about to build 15 more orchid nurseries for HART homes on the Kings Rd.
You can see that commencement of the new town K2 will  actually be less of a challenge than this . See what I mean about a planning limbo- but we progress , K1  is truly a MODEL town .

Have they dropped the term “FAIM?” I hope so.
Anyway, AVI Volunter Rebecca Beisler is helping me with team logistics and she is updating the old manual. She will shortly issue this for teams that confirm.
This will cover transport, food, security etc.
One point we wish to make is that at Koroipita, the Community Development Team (CD) viz Ms Willy, Colin and Rebecca and, I might add, the very capable (new) Town Clerk, Ms Neha, have a very organised program for community development.
Visitors need to be sensitive to this. By all means bring fresh ideas, but please discuss this with the CD team and ensure it does not cut across a program or become disruptive in the form of a short response from the people.
 Also go easy on the gifts – consider there has been now 740 long term and 400 short term volunteers serve at K1 – apart from the countless day visitors who come for a look. The danger is, our K1 people could become spoiled and reliant on handouts.
By all means, bring goodies and educational items for the kids etc, but please consult the CD team.

AVIs Colin and Rebecca managed the program for 2009 – assisted by the Koroipita Education Action Committee (KEAC). This was funded (mostly) by Liz McDougall of Sydney – long term supporter of the kids. She has re-written the song “Yes we do need edukashun”.
The aim of the education program was to get all kids going to school. To achieve this, the first step was to fund school fees.
We discovered that in previous years, while Term 1 was paid by donors, when it came to funding the rest of the year, families could not or did not pay, and the students dropped out of school.
Term 1 fees were paid for all Koroipita students. Most primary students had their fees paid for the full year. About half of the high school students still need to pay for Term 2 and 3. There is some money in the budget to go towards this, but it is unlikely to meet the full costs.
We provided extra assistance to three students who decided, of their own accord, to return to school after dropping out previously. We felt these kids needed the support to maintain their commitment to complete their education. They received support in terms of uniforms, bus fare, school bags and other items. This has been a huge success as all three students are attending every day and are taking full advantage of this opportunity. Without this assistance, the simple fact is, these students would not be in school.
A large number of families received assistance for smaller costs such as pens, pencils, rulers and exercise books. The start-of-the-year costs are huge for Fijian families. So they appreciate the assistance.
The total spent is close to $4000.
We hope next year to start the process earlier and work with families to help them plan ahead for education costs.
A big thank you to those who have put money towards education. Educating a kid can change lives.
12.  District 9780 VIC – Ballarat conference
Peter attended this conference – and along went Carpenter Foreman extraordinaire, Saten – compliments of organizers and veteran SSV Alan Gay . The hospitality was unbelievable . ..and great to catch up with the vets and the intending new vols .
Aussies have a problem  spelling Saten’s  name right – at one function his name tag read   …”Satan Drysdale “ fair enough …
We took a wreath made of tapa bark cloth , and a framed picture for the kids of fire affected Strathewen town – and a donation of $1000  as a token form our people to the fire affected Victorians .
13. Conclusion
It is a pity we are still vaque about K2 – we are putting on as much pressure  as is appropriate but this is out of our control – meanwhile we are preparing  for the invasion this year .Fortunately we shut down bookings early enough and so the numbers are needed and manageable – welcome teams , let’s get on with it

Cdr Peter D
GHQ PACIFIC
GEN O / 40 / 09
CLASSIFIED

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