Chapel moves to new home

2 February 2007

Chapel moves to new home

Porirua Hospital Chapel will be on the move on Monday, after months of fund raising and preparation to safely transport the building.

Chair of the Moving The Chapel Trust, Chaplain Ian Bayliss, says all those involved are very excited that the move is finally happening, but there is one last thing to do before the building is lifted onto the back of a truck.

“We are planning to hold a sleep-over in the chapel before it is moved, to reminisce about all the memorable times spent here on its current site. This is a very special place for a lot of people and we wanted to make sure we paid tribute to that,” he says.

The chapel is being moved to a site nearer to the newly built mental health facilities, Ratonga Rua o Porirua. The decision was made to move the original building after it became apparent it was too far away from other facilities and was not easily accessible for patients.

In its position close to the centre of the old Porirua Hospital, it was in constant use – one of the last psychiatric hospital chapels in the country where this was the case.

“We wanted to not only ensure there continued to be a spiritual centre for patients and other members of the community, but we wanted to preserve the original historic building for future generations to enjoy,” Mr Bayliss says.

Extensive preparations have been carried out, including removing the joinery and exterior bricks. The office section has been sliced off, steel beams have been welded onto the portal frame and the building braced, so a hydraulic jack system can lift the building off the ground. The truck can then back up underneath the building, which will be lowered onto its deck.

The project is being underwritten by Capital and Coast District Health Board while the Moving the Chapel Trust is raising a community contribution of $100,000.

Mr Bayliss wants to thank all those who have generously donated to the project. There is still $25,000 to go before the Trust has raised all it needs to cover the costs, so he hopes more members of the community will step forward to show their support and “enable us to open the chapel debt-free!”

A blessing ceremony is being held at the new chapel site before the building is set down. It is expected the main chapel building will be lifted onto the truck on Sunday, February 4, with the move taking place on Monday morning.

Those wishing to make a donation to the project, can contact the Moving the Chapel Trust, P.O. Box 50-215, Porirua; or phone Ian Bayliss on (04) 385 5999 extn 7543.

ENDS

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