Fortunately, there has been a lot of progress on construction of the De-Tong Ling Group Retreat Facility (GRF)  in the last 6 months. Luckily there has been minimal impact on the building work due to Covid-19, and the builders and workers are powering ahead out on the western end of Kangaroo Island, even through our cold, windy winter.

The ablution and accommodation blocks are now complete and able to be used. The rooms very are pleasant inside and have warm colours of earth and timber. And we can report the beds are comfortable, perfect for tired meditators to rest in.

Currently the workshop building is nearing completion. There is undercover parking at the front and a workshop behind. Upstairs will be a storage area. Already the roof iron has been installed and includes a steep-sloping section for additional solar panels that will be required in the future.

Ongoing landscaping and drainage around the site ensure that rain won’t create too many problems.

The next phase of the building is underway on the kitchen-dining-office building. The rammed earth wall-building occurred during March and April, when the walls of the the first of the five duplex buildings were completed.

Looking ahead, we are hoping to finish the rammed earth walls for the remaining four duplexes before the end of this year, and then the meditation hall (gompa) walls are planned for March and April of 2022.

We thank our most wonderful benefactor and all of the sponsors and donors, small and large! Without your support this would be still a dream. As you can see, the GRF is fast becoming a reality.