WEST PARK CREMATORIUM BULAWAYO

It is almost three years to the day since a committee, initiated by a concerned group of citizens, was set up under the chairmanship of Dudley Hubbard (now deceased) to renovate the defunct cremator. Our new fully renovated cremator was "fired" on Wednesday 6th May. It has been re-built by Mark Adamson, a specialist refractory engineer, who works for Pyros Cremators in Durban. For those of you who have had experience of working with South African companies using our communication network to arrange the manufacture, purchase and finance, transport and Border clearance of several tons of materials you will appreciate the difficulties, frustrations and obstacles involved. What has saved the project from abandonment has been the involvement, commitment in cash/kind or equipment of many people. If they are typical of our community, then I am confident that the building of Bulawayo's infrastructure is assured.So many people have been involved that I cannot list them all but I must name the chief contributors without whose input the project would have collapsed. The Committee - Debbie Batty (Secretary), Kathy Booysen (Treasurer), Rev Noel Scott, George Enslin (City Council) George Parkin (Fund raising), Lucky Mlilo (Abuz), Roger Insley (advice and assistance), Mike Burns/Dean Peters (fuel)The Beit Trust - finance of all materialE. Halsted - United SpringDave Power - DatvestWillie Ferns - Pyros CrematorsJohan Delport - transport Durban-JbgColbro - transport Jbg-ByoPro-con - Border clearanceBarry Dakin and his assistants (United Spring) - on-site input and assistanceDunlops - guest house accommodationTerry Wakefield/Kay Hatton - cateringBruce Clark - fund raisingWarren King - Safe GuardGeorge Tzircalle - brick cutting machine and bladesRoberto Perroti - cutting discsJohn Barefoot- electrical inputC Biffen - gen. SetK Goosen - gen. setBrian Lowe - fork-liftAll members of Bulawayo community who have made generous cash donationsBy next week the cremator will be handed over to the City Council. Its operations will require the purchase of a generator - no ZESA power is available, plus regular maintenance. The Committee will be recommending that Council lease the Crematorium or enter into partnership with private enterprise, and a highly professional and knowledgeable candidate has already been identified. We hope the Crematorium will be operative in the very near future.My personal thanks to the Bulawayo community for your tolerance, patience and the positive belief that we would finally get the job done.Neil ToddChairman