JUST IN TIME!

With the rains due to start in the next couple of weeks we are so pleased that our builders have pulled out all stops and we are confident they will complete the roadway and tracks at the site right on schedule. One very important aspect was drainage – and this was a serious part of the cost of the work – as the rain can be so heavy there would have been a real danger of parts of the newly laid concrete being washed away. Also, the layers of concrete could only be laid on carefully prepared with crushed stone and sand to achieve the desired load-bearing capacity and absorb loads that will include trucks carrying one or two elephants, as well as lorries full of builders’ materials for the next stages of development.

We are very pleased to have come so far in such a short time, thanks to some wonderful grants that we have received.  We will continue to fund raise actively so that we can move quickly to complete the clinic and build the education centre. If you can help us in any way at all please let us know by clicking here.

It has been hugely helpful to have one of our Trustees, and Chairman of our sister Thai charity, Jakrapob Thaotad, on hand to monitor and project manage the road building. It has taken a lot of his time but what an achievement! Thanks, Jake.

ROADWORKS PROCEED APACE

With the rainy season fast approaching, our workforce are flat out getting the tracks laid so we can continue building in the rain. There is quite a slope up to the Veterinary Centre so lorries and trucks could not get to the building site without a strong road. This means solid foundations, reinforced concrete and excellent drainage – you can imagine what the rains in Thailand are like in the wet season!

So from a simple earthen track, we are well on the way to completing 270 metres of roadway from the entrance to the site to the parking and turning area at the place we have chosen for the clinic. Planning permission came through last month and we are progressing as fast as funds will allow. We need more money to complete the much-needed clinic so if you can help us to fund raise please let us know. Just click on the How You Can Help link.

You can see from the skies in the photos that the rains are not far away – so it is a bit of a race against time….

SPECIAL GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY

When the monks advised it was an auspicious day, we arranged a special blessing at the new site of our elephant Veterinary Centre near Ban Ton Sae.  We invited a deeply respected and venerable monk, Phra Sirindhorn, to visit and offer prayers that the constructions works now underway would be completed successfully.

This sacred ground-breaking ceremony focused on consecrating the ‘main pillar’ of the new building of the Centre. The contractors participated throughout and the pillar, of specific dimensions and precisely placed, was erected with banana shoots and sugar cane on each side and special gifts were provided. Prayers were offered that the enterprise will thrive and the site will truly become a wonderful haven for elephants and for the community. Our Thai trustee, Jakrapob Thaotad, was central to the ceremony.

Such an age-old ceremony leads to a spiritual boost for the construction team and provides great confidence in their workmanship. The date for the ceremony, the location of the central pillar and the items to be used in the ceremony are all carefully chosen and reflect centuries of tradition.  We include sacred woods, gold leaf, gold, silver and bronze coins and a holy thread, all with very special meanings. The offerings were buried alongside flowers and sealed in concrete, as tradition dictates.

It was a very special day for us as the work now gets underway.