Former Shoalhaven Mayor Greg Watson said a wealthy Chinese businessman known as Mr Huen recently announced a personal contribution of $8 million to the project.

“Mr Huen visited the site in Comberton Grange a while ago and said he wanted to assist,” Cr Watson explained.

“He is very supportive of the Shaolin order in China and expressed an interest in seeing this project go ahead in Australia.”

An official ceremony with Premier Nathan Rees was held in Sydney on Tuesday last week to present the cheque to Shoalhaven City Council, with Cr Watson attending “out of courtesy” to Mr Huen. Mr Watson explained it was also appropriate that he went to the signing considering his long involvement with the temple project.

Shoalhaven’s current Mayor, Paul Green, was also invited but couldn’t attend due to prior commitments in Tamworth.

Cr Watson said the new funding was expected to see the project through to the construction stage.

“There should be enough money to fund consultancy and finalisation of the master plans and the laying of the initial foundations, which should be done by around mid-next year,” he said.

It’s a timely boost to the $370 million facility, which has had a few shaky moments on the drawing board since it was first slated back in 2005. In January, missed payments to Shoalhaven Council for the land it is to be built on at Comberton Grange again put the project under pressure.

Despite the hiccups, the complex is still being lauded as a significant tourism attraction destined to put the Shoalhaven on the international map.

“The most important aspect of the proposal is that it will create more than 2000 jobs and add an entirely new arm to tourism in the region,” Cr Watson claimed.

“We’re looking at a whole new international tourism market that we just weren’t able to even consider before.”