The Rotary Club of Kiama volunteers are hard at it again, dismantling a disused industrial kitchen bound for Papua New Guinea (PNG).
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The kitchen once served its purpose in Barroul House at Kiama Hospital, which will be retained and refurbished as a community centre within the new complex.
READ MORE: Early works tender for Kiama Hospital site
Rotary’s Trevor Phillis said the idea to upgrade the Madang Hospital kitchen came about in 2014.
“We went up as a group and refurbished a scout hall in Madang on the North Coast of PNG,” Mr Phillis said.
“While we were there we visited the local hospital and saw the kitchen was in a poor state, so ever since then we have looked around, but everything we found was out of our budget.”
The Barroul House kitchen was sourced when a final open day of the hospital was held last year.
“At the public viewing we saw the kitchen was not going to be used and asked Kiama Council to donate it to Madang, so it could be refurbished for their hospital,” Mr Phillis said.
“Since we got the approval, we have been liaising with people in Madang and purchased a container in which we will put all the kitchen.”
The industrial kitchen includes a dishwasher, cool room and stainless steel benches and shelving.”
Prior to the shipping container leaving Australian shores, two Rotary members will make their way to Madang after Easter to finalise arrangements and detail and measure the space for the kitchen.
“Any modifications will take place in Kiama, we will take a team of 10 or 12 people go to Madang later in 2018” Mr Phillis said.
“When the container arrives we will put it all together for the hospital.”
The current kitchen at Madang Hospital serves approximately 400 meals a day.
“It means they will have a reliable kitchen and importantly there will be additional cold storage,” Mr Phillis said.
“Madang is very tropical and they have trouble with cold storage, this kitchen will give them a significant area for that.”
The Rotary Club of Kiama has worked with the community of Madang for more than 30 years.
“In 2013, we acquired and made a barbecue trailer for then and now they run barbecues to raise funds, everything we do we try to make sustainable,” Mr Phillis said.
The Kiama Hospital site is being redeveloped into the Blue Haven Centre of Aged Care Excellence, with the residential aged care facility and eight independent living units expected to be completed by the end of 2018 and the remaining 51 independent living units finished by mid-2019.
