Since its establishment, St. Mary’s Mission had a full-fledged Workshop which served as a maintenance unit for the whole Mission. The first workshop (the Arthur ‘Hailonga’ Macdonald Workshop) was constructed central to the early facilities of the Mission (school, hospital, management offices and residential facilities) and was known as the Maintenance Department. In the life of the Mission, the Maintenance department was a vital component of the Mission, responsible for the maintenance of the whole Mission as well as firewood and water distribution to all residences and departments of the Mission.

Moreover, tools, equipment and cars were serviced and fixed at the Workshop. However, during the 1960s and 1970s war of liberation many of the Mission facilities, including the Workshop, were destroyed or disappeared all together and eventually closed down. The second workshop, of which remnants still exist, was built after independence; constructed and maintained by the Water Project which was funded by the European Union. While some parts of this workshop have been heavily vandalised, the motor mechanic part is still functioning. Plans are underway to rebuild the Workshop and restore its responsibility to serve as the Property Management and Maintenance unit of the Mission. Read more....