Issue 76 November 2011 - Anglican Diocese of Bendigo

MONTHLY
MAGAZINE
FORANGLICAN
THE ANGLICAN
DIOCESE
OFBENDIGO
BENDIGO
MONTHLY
MAGAZINE
FOR THE
DIOCESE
OF
www.bendigoanglican.org.au
www.bendigoanglican.org.au
Issue 76 November 2011
Photo: Bill Cerruty
Photo: The Advocate
Blessed animals!
S
t Francis’ day each year sees many services
of thanksgiving to God for animals, our
fellow ‘sixth day’ creatures.
George, a cockatoo rescued by Alex Mountjoy from the summer floods, is blessed by the
Revd Heather Vander Reest at St John’s Bears
Lagoon on 16 October (above – story page 5).
THOUGHT OF STUDYING
THEOLOGY?
And Christ Church Daylesford (left, with
the Revd Andrew Eaton presiding) was full for
its service on 9 October. q
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
TRINITY COLLEGE THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, offers exciting courses in theology:
for every level of interest and ability. The founding vision was originally to
be a place to educate a ‘learned and dedicated clergy’. Our focus has now
broadened to include the ministry of all God’s people, women and men, lay and
ordained alike. Our courses represent a catholic breadth in theology, worship,
and spirituality, in dialogue with the contemporary world. We offer courses on
campus, online, and in parishes and faith centres around Australia, for ordination
training and lay education. We also offer courses for those engaged in ministry,
If
so, we’d love to hear from you!
and those interested in scholarly exploration of their faith.
THOUGHT OF STUDYING
THEOLOGY?
TRINITY COLLEGE THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, offers exciting courses in theology:
ON CAMPUS COURSES
for every level of interest and ability. The founding vision was originally to
Trinity theological students normally undertake a Bachelor of Theology or
be a place to educate a ‘learned and dedicated clergy’. Our focus has now
Master of Divinity with the United Faculty of Theology (UFT). They also participate
broadened to include the ministry of all God’s people, women and men, lay and
in the worship life of the School and undertake formational units in the
ordained alike. Our courses represent a catholic breadth in theology, worship,
Ministry Formation Program.
and spirituality, in dialogue with the contemporary world. We offer courses on
ONLINE
campus,COURSES
online, and in parishes and faith centres around Australia, for ordination
The
Theological
School, in partnership
the UFT,
offersengaged
a flexible,in ministry,
training
and lay education.
We also offerwith
courses
for those
ecumenical,
world-class
standardexploration
of theological
distance
and those interested
in scholarly
of their
faith. education online.
See ‘Theology Online’ at the Melbourne College of Divinity: online.mcd.edu.au
ON CAMPUS COURSES
PARISH
BASED students normally undertake a Bachelor of Theology or
Trinity theological
We are committed
to promoting
in parishes
in metropolitan
Master
of Divinity with
the Unitedtheological
Faculty of education
Theology (UFT).
They also
participate
and
regional
through
Certificate
in Theology
and
Ministry.
in
the
worshipAustralia
life of the
Schoolthe
andTrinity
undertake
formational
units in
the
Ministry Formation Program.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
ONLINE
Dr
DavidCOURSES
Gormley O’Brien, Academic Registrar
The
Theological School, in partnership with the UFT, offers a flexible,
E:
[email protected]
ecumenical,
world-class standard of theological distance education online.
T:
03 9348 7478
See ‘Theology Online’ at the Melbourne College of Divinity: online.mcd.edu.au
Royal Parade Parkville VIC 3052 Australia
PARISH BASED
www.trinity.unimelb.edu.au/theology
We are committed to promoting theological education in parishes in metropolitan
and regional Australia through the Trinity Certificate in Theology and Ministry.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
Dr David Gormley O’Brien, Academic Registrar
Contract signed to begin St
Paul’s Cathedral restoration
G
reg McKerlie, Diocesan Property
Manager and Bishop
Andrew (pictured at
right) sign the contract
with Melbourne-based
firm P&S Roofing for
the first stage of the
restoration of St Paul’s
Cathedral. P&S Roofing have worked with
the cathedral restoration project’s architect, Arthur Andronas, on many of
Melbourne’s historic buildings.
Using local contractors, P&S will scaffold the building to access the roof plumbing. Working from the top
down, they will restore the roof including the valley and
parapet gutters, overflow and down pipes. They will also
re-render all the weather and decorative dressings on
the brickwork including the lower pinnacles on the end
of the nave. This stage one contract is worth $318,000.
The project team is drawing up a scope of works to
bring the electrics in the cathedral to current safety standards. It is also investigating the state of the bell tower
with a Sydney-based firm who specialize in such work. q
T
he floods that caused
such extensive damage at the beginning of
this year are still having
a major impact across the
diocese.
Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe, but November is
here. The Melbourne Cup has been run
and the Charity Card Shop at St Paul’s
Cathedral has opened and the shops are
already plying their Christmas trade.
For most of us it is far too early. We
haven’t even reached the season of Advent, but for shopkeepers and traders, the
earlier the better. The meaning of Christmas is increasingly buried under layers of
secular and commercial celebration. This
should not come as a shock, as Australia
is a very secular country and Christian
churches have to work harder and harder
to claim the meaning of Christmas.
In August you will have participated in
the Australian Census for 2011. I will be
very interested to see what it tells us about
Christian allegiance. My hunch is that we
will find the percentage of Anglicans has
continued to decline in proportion to the
total population, and that those calling
themselves Anglicans are aging. This presents special challenges to our churches.
The most common observation made
to me by congregations and parishes, particularly when they are vacant and have to
produce a profile, is that they are “all getting older and there are no young ones!”
Usually the observation is spot on. I always ask, “But what are you going to do
about it?” and I am often met with silence.
To go back to my original point about
Australia being a secular country, we live
at a time when the vast majority of children and young families have no experience of church. To get them to become
part of a regular worshipping community is a huge challenge.
Some of our churches, in order to
make worship and the experience of
church more user friendly, are trying
‘messy church’, but I find it seems to not
sit well with some regular churchgoers.
However, we need to remember that
‘messy church’, as the name implies, is
not about our regular style of worship,
but about doing something which engages children and young families (and
of course quite a few oldies enjoy it too!).
I am inclined to think that there are
only two styles of worship that will appeal to younger generations. Worship
that is extraordinarily good and well
done in terms of music, drama, atmosphere, content, presence and energy;
or worship that is quite informal and
relaxed and very participative. Worship
that comes across as boring and repetitive hasn’t got a chance.
This is a huge challenge for those of us
who have the responsibility to lead worship. Even more is the fact that those
regularly attending worship at present
overall seem to like things to be kept the
same, and find change a real strain.
I read recently that the younger generations will come for major events, but
not worship week in week out: again this
presents a major challenge. It means the
life of the Church in the next generation
will be different. There will be more diversity and many different ways of meeting as and being ‘church’.
Many small churches will survive because they offer a more intimate experience of belonging, and have the ability to be more informal and adaptable.
Larger churches will survive because
they will be able to offer a range of worship styles and experience. But there
will be some churches that won’t survive, and that situation will have to be
faced and addressed.
The training of clergy will have to take
on preparing people for the changing
context the Church finds itself in. The
response of this diocese in preparing
people for ordination in the Stipendiary,
Ordained Local Minister and Pioneer
Ministry modes is a sign of our church
adapting to the changing contexts of
ministry. Because God calls us to be
Christ’s Church, faith will lead us forward into a new future. It is both exciting and concerning!
With every blessing,
There has still been no
announcement about a
new hospital for Charlton, many people are not
back in their flood-damaged homes and as signs
down the main street of
Charlton proclaim, the
insurance industry has a
lot to explain. In many
cases, one house has been
judged
flood-damaged
and another right next
door has been assessed as
not being flood-damaged.
It has led to much anger
and frustration in flood affected communities.
Dr Sharman Stone MP, Federal Member for Murray, has been advocating
that the Australian Government set up
a website that compares insurance companies, similar to the ‘My School’ one.
This is an idea that could well be worth
supporting.
On a more positive note, repairs to
our Anglican churches at Carisbrook
and Rochester are now complete and
both churches are now fully operational.
Thank God! q
The Spirit
Monthly Newspaper (except January) of the
Anglican Diocese of Bendigo.
Address: The Spirit, PO Box 2, Bendigo 3552
Member, Australasian Religious Press Association
Editor: The Revd Dr Charles Sherlock
[email protected]
C’tee Chair: The Revd Heather Vander Reest
The Spirit is published in the first week of the
month (excluding January).
Advertising: rates are available from the
Editor. All advertisements are accepted at the
Editor’s discretion; acceptance does not imply
endorsement of the product or service.
Contributions are welcome, and will be edited:
email submission is preferred. Anonymous
articles will not be considered for publication.
Photographs should be in digital form (4.1
megapixels: 300dpi). Physical photographs are
normally not returned.
The Anglican Diocese of Bendigo and the Editor
are not responsible for opinions expressed by
contributors, nor do these necessarily reflect the
policy of the diocese.
Next contributions deadline: November 24
2 The Spirit November 2011
Rochester receives
‘amazing’ donation
R
ochester parish has received a donation of $10,000 from Mullum
Mullum Anglican parish in Melbourne,
an amalgamation of four congregations,
including St Paul’s Ringwood.
Bobby Smart, mission secretary at St
Paul’s, sent the cheque to Di Burgmann,
secretary of Rochester parish, with a letter
explaining that the funds had come from
Sunday jam and pickles stalls, a “very successful Fair in September” and a July concert from their ‘Parish Players’. The Fair
was the first big event that the four congregations had worked on together, “and
was a very happy day, even weatherwise!”
“This is an amazing donation,” said
Bishop Andrew. The gift not only gives
practical support at a testing time for
Rochester parish, but encourages us to
continue to hope in God’s generosity.
This sacrificial gift from Mullum Mullum parish is a further tangible expression of their being ‘linked’ with Rochester parish. q
Your
donation
makes
the
difference.
‘Our Society sees many
achieving a great deal but,
equally, many others are feeling
marginalized, squeezed out.
St Luke’s has ever increasing
demands on its services. Thank
God for St Luke’s. I count it a
privilege to be part of it’.
Bishop Andrew Curnow, President.
Deposit your gift into St Luke’s Appeal
Account at a Bendigo Bank branch or online:
BSB: 633 000
Account Number: 130329535
Albury
Bendigo
Castlemaine
Deniliquin
Echuca
Kyneton
Maryborough
Swan Hill
For more information contact us at:
| [email protected]
www.stlukes.org.au
(03) 5444 8100
O
Pyramid Hill meets
Glen Iris ‘half way’
ver the past several years the congregation of St Thomas’ Pyramid Hill
has had a warm and supportive link with
the congregation of St Oswald’s Glen Iris.
This link was established during the extended period of drought that ravaged the
north central parts of Victoria.
Visits to the bush and the city have
taken place, prayer and support have
been a wonderful aspect of our friendship. The ‘Ravin Ramblers’ walking
group, made up of St Oswald’s parishioners and others, have travelled to Pyramid and visited ‘The Hill’, worshipped
with us and learned firsthand about the
farming community there.
Sharing in the annual patronal festival
of St Oswald’s in the city has also been a
joy. However the distance for a day trip
to Melbourne is a challenge and so we
came up with the idea of a meeting point
partway - hence the day out in Kyneton.
Our link liason person, Helen Bartels,
originated this idea and it turned out to
be wonderful.
On Saturday 8 October, a minibus
driven by Nola McKinnon headed for
Kyneton with St Thomas’ parishioners
on board. There we met a contingent of
St Oswald’s folk as they arrived by car. St
Paul’s Kyneton were our willing and generous hosts in that we were able to meet
and share morning tea in their tearooms.
Fr Tony White welcomed us and kindly led a morning eucharist for us in the
magnificent church. He shared a short
history of the building, and we sang ‘The
Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ
our Lord’ accompanied on the stunning
church organ.
We happened to have chosen the one
Saturday in the month when the Farmers’ market was in full flow, so after
the service we enjoyed a leisurely stroll
around the stalls and into one or two of
the shops nearby. Most of us had something in our bags to enhance our memory of the day.
Later we met at ‘The Albion’ to share
a gourmet lunch, where the food kept
coming and the tables of guests, in our
own private space, chatted and chatted.
Two presentations were made at the
end of lunch. Helen Bartels (left in the
photo above) received from Barbara, the
Caritas representative of St Oswald’s,
a special Christmas cake and gift for St
Thomas’ folk.
Fr Ken Hewlett, vicar of St Oswald’s,
then took the floor to wish the Revd
Heather Vander Reest, rector of St
Thomas’, a very happy retirement in the
new year. Ken presented her with a special gift of Australian natives to plant on
Heather and John’s Woodend retirement
property to attract the birds.
Choices were made from there on.
Some gathered to take on the ‘River
Walk’, while others bused around the
streets of Kyneton, through the Botanic
gardens and beyond. Finally we all gathered for a cuppa before setting out on
the journey home. We all agreed that the
outing had been grand. The heartwarming and generous relationships formed
will not be allowed to moulder. q
Heather Vander Reest
November 2011 The Spirit 3
Daylesford
Celebrating in Hepburn Springs
T
o celebrate the feast of St Matthew
and Daffodil Day, a combined service was held at St Matthew’s Hepburn
Springs, where parishioners from Christ
Church Daylesford and St John’s Glenlyon joined the celebrations.
Former Christ Church organist, Dorothy Bracher, came from Ballarat to play
for the service, which was conducted by
the Revd Andrew Eaton.
Sheila Gervasconi, a resident of Hepburn Lodge, recalled her memories of attending St Matthew’s Sunday school and
church with her four sisters (see photo, back
page). Sheila remembers the days when St
Matthew’s was very active in the life of the
community, and when the church and
church hall were used by all denominations, with Presbyterians, Methodists and
Roman Catholics all holding services in St
Matthew’s because it was the only church
at Hepburn Springs.
As the oldest former parishioner in attendance, Sheila was able to recognise
faces amongst the photographs on display. She was able to tell stories of the
much-loved Deaconess Harvey whose
prayer was on the pew sheet:
May the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon us
and on the works and worship done in
his Name. May he give light to guide
us, courage to support us and love to
unite us now and evermore, Amen.
A delicious morning tea was served by
the parishioners of St Matthew’s.
The Diocese of Bendigo expects the
highest standards of professional service
from its Clergy and Lay Ministers.
IF YOU HAVE A COMPLAINT
Please call (free)
1800 135 246
A phone call to the above number will mean
that your complaint will be handled by the
Director of Professional Standards.
The Diocese is a full participant in the
Victorian Anglican Provincial Abuse
and Harassment Protocol.
This is an independent, objective procedure
adopted by the Diocese of Bendigo.
4 The Spirit November 2011
5000 club prospers
T
he 5000 Club is gaining in strength
and is being supported very generously by the general public. The 5000
Club provides lunch on a Friday for
those in need of support - see the article
above right from The Advocate.
A refrigerated van is to be purchased
to transport food from Melbourne for
the food bank, now operating three days
a week out of Christ Church Hall. The
purchase of the van has been made possible by the generosity of the ‘Farmer’s
Arms’ and its patrons. q
Dawn Hewitt
Castlemaine
St Luke’s Day hospital eucharist
O
n Tuesday 18 October, St Luke’s
Day was celebrated with a eucharist, and what more fitting place than the
chapel of Castlemaine Health. The altar
was beautifully decorated with material
in a lovely shade of pink overlaid with
white, spilling onto the floor on which
stood a silver tree covered in pink ornaments. This was a most welcome sight for
those attending: patients from the wards,
parishioners from Christ Church, and by
no means least, a doctor and the Director
of Pastoral Care for the hospital.
Geoff Nutting accompanied hymns
on his fiddle, and several songs were
performed by a local group, The Blenders. The first reading, from Paul’s second
letter to Timothy, contained the wellknown words, “I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept
the faith”. For me, doing the reading,
they were particularly poignant, as I have
spent some time being lovingly looked
after by the hospital staff and my GP.
In his sermon, Fr Ken Parker reminded
us that Luke is the patron saint of medicine, of doctors and artists, and asked us
to think and pray for those who came to
mind. Apart from our doctors, in the congregation were several of our local artists, so
it was good to also mention them.
At the conclusion of the service, The
Blenders, together with Geoff Nutting,
walked round the wards to entertain
those who had been unable to join us in
the chapel. Altogether a most rewarding
and happy occasion! q
Daphne Edwardson, Castlemaine
Boort
Ecumenical Bible show
the Boort Ecumenical Christian
Council encouraged Ivan Streader to
creat a Bible display for the Boort Show
on 8 October, 2011 being the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.
Ivan worked hard, and with the support of churches and locals, 45 different
Bibles were on display. Ivan was able to
obtain supportive materials from the
Bible Society. Children and others could
choose from leaflets to take away. q
Heather Vander Reest
T
Cohuna
Echuca
Annual parish dinner
T
he Gannawarra Cluster’s dinner was
held this year in Cohuna church hall
on 13 October. (Gunbower, Leitchville
and Cohuna parishes take turns in hosting this annual event.)
As the evening was warm and pleasant, we were served drinks and nibbles
outside by well groomed and very polite
high school age church members.
‘Australiania’ was the theme, with
Australian flags, branches of gum leaves
and green and gold balloons decorating the walls. Fifteen tables, each seating eight people, were beautifully set
with green and gold napkins and bottle
brush centre pieces. MC Anne Shanahan kept us all in order. The Revd Simon
Robinson offered thanks prior to the
superb meal, again served by the young
people.
The volunteer kitchen staff led by
Marilyn Hornsby worked very hard to
serve hot food to 118 guests, with beautiful desserts afterwards: we all appreciated their effort.
Community singing led by Bev
Brown was enjoyed by all: the laminated place-mats had the words of wellknown Aussie songs printed on them,
making it easy to sing along. Bishop
Ron Stone gave a very witty speech alluding to past parish dinners – another
highlight of the very entertaining evening.
Guest speaker
was bush poet
Colin Driscoll
(pictured
at
left), who entertained us with
poems of life in
the bush which
he had written.
Colin has won
many awards for
his poetry.
The evening
concluded
with coffee and
scrumptious
slices. A wonderful evening
was had by all.
q
Share The Spirit
with a friend, or
place in an office! Gary Hore
Progressive BBQ
fter a week of wild storms and
heavy rains we were truly blessed on
Sunday 4 October when the sun shone
brightly for a progressive BBQ, held to
raise finances towards the painting of
the sanctuary and transepts of Christ
Church, Echuca.
A
For the BBQ and sweets, people moved
on to Graham and Rosemary Peat’s home:
they likewise have a lovely property backing onto the Campaspe, with an extensive, delightful garden and outdoor entertaining area. A competition for the best
spring bonnet was won by Caroline Jones.
After the BBQ, people were privileged
to visit Graham Griffith’s private collection of Bendigo Pottery, one of the finest
collections of such in Australia.
Ron and Glenis Traill at the BBQ
Over 70 people attended this event,
held after our regular 9am church service.
People adjourned to the home of Ron
and Shirley Johnson for hors d’oeuvres and
drinks. Their home backs onto the Campaspe River with a beautiful garden and
pergola area, and was an ideal setting.
We particularly thank Graham, Ron
and Shirley, and Graham and Rosemary,
for opening their homes on this day and
for all the work that it entailed.
Proceeds from the event amounted to
$1,345. We thank the many people who
contributed towards and supported this
event and also those people offering support who were unable to attend. q
Glenise Masters
Bears Lagoon enjoys St Francis’ day
O
n Sunday 16 October the congregation of St John’s Bears Lagoon
celebrated Francis of Assisi, a man who
loved all creation. And so we brought
along our animals for blessing, and sang
wonderfully appropriate hymns chosen
by our organist Bill Cerrutty.
To set the scene for the blessings, Paula
Maxted shared the story of Sebastian who
lives in a hat about a rescued baby wombat. Gwen shared Edward Lear’s The owl
and the pussycat, and several others joined
in this delightfully nonsensical recitation.
The Revd Heather Vander Reest shared
a silly story about a dog who was a family doctor: ‘Dr Dog’ brought forth shrieks
of laughter all round. And we went the
whole hog with a poem from Sister Madge’s
Book of Nuns – ‘Sister Isobel and the Zoo’,
where the class kind of disappeared one by
one as they toured the zoo.
Finally, David Murray read Kathy
Hoopman’s All cats have Aspergers. This
is a serious teaching book about the syndrome, presented in a sensitive and humorous manner.
Gemma, Ava and Kyen Maxted adored
holding the fluffy chicks (without squashing them). Gwen Twigg was able to bring
a box of just hatched chicks, all nine in
variegated colours. Snowy, the budgerigar
who doesn’t talk, was presented by Amy
for blessing for the third year in a row.
George is a cockatoo rescued from the
2010 floods by Alex Mountjoy (see front
page photo). George, now dressed in his
mysteriously tattered plumage, lives in
solitary splendour in a generous aviary.
He can speak but did not deign to do so
at his blessing.
Dogs were popular – two delightful kelpie pups, Roger and Ruby, were brought
by Chloe Armstrong. Another family
brought their kelpie sheep dog, who chases the chooks for sport but doesn’t devour
them. Even grownups vied for the chance
to hold one of these pups.
Casper strained at his lead constantly,
wanting to be free – his owner Nakeya
asked for prayers because he needs to
curb his desire to run away from home
in search of adventure. A dog who wants
to live dangerously.
Why such a smorgasbord? It might
have something to do with the rector’s
impending retirement and a shelf of
ideas that called out to be included! q
Heather Vander Reest
November 2011 The Spirit 5
View from a Pugh
H
ow do we stay
strong in the
face of strong forces
against us? How do
we survive hardship
and the challenges
that greet us too often? How do we
avoid the straw that breaks our back?
It’s not just clients who come to St
Luke’s, often at the end of their tether.
Frequently our staff also feel at breaking point. In the last week I’ve reviewed
a number of situations where staff are
on sick leave related to work stress.
The constant demand, the impact of
working with traumatized clients (we
call this vicarious trauma – the trauma
you ‘catch’ from others) and the abuse
received from some clients, are all contributors.
Staff, like clients, and like each of
us, have difficult things in their private
lives. Depression, financial stress and
family issues visit all people, regardless
of whether or not they are in helping
professions. Difficulties at work and difficulties at home can get too much.
We recently farewelled Di O’Neil, our
Director of Mission and Training, after
32 years association with St Luke’s. One
of her common expressions was,
We need to take the sail out of the
wind, not the wind out of the sail.
This is a reminder that we need to
sometimes take ourselves out of the
wind and challenging situations; not try
always to stop the wind or address every concern. The image of the palm tree
springs to mind. No doubt you’ve seen
footage of palm trees being blown in a
cyclone. The remarkable thing about
the palm tree is how flexible it is. It
doesn’t say “I’m a tree and here I stand”
– it bows down almost to the ground
and stands up again soon afterwards.
Are you a palm tree?
and fluid. Ego confronts power head
on. Do you recall getting lured into an
argument with children or loved ones
that you later realise was unproductive?
Those arguments where the best strategy
would have been to walk away or take
time out. By failing to walk away we become rigid and two rigid forces meet,
leaving each one bruised.
Learning to cope with life’s storms is a
lesson we need to keep re-learning. We
may do it well for a while and then our
pride or ego rears its head for one reason
or another and we have to learn it all
over again or be reminded.
I love reading the ancient writings of
Lao Tzu, author of the Tao te Ching.
He is playful and wise, and reminds
us regularly to learn from nature, to be
like water and not like rock, to practise
humility and flexibility. He reminds us
that ultimately the humble way is the
strongest.
Nature doesn’t make long speeches.
A whirlwind doesn’t last all morning.
A cloudburst doesn’t last all day.
Who makes the wind and rain?
Heaven and earth do.
If Heaven and earth don’t go on and on
Certainly people don’t need to.
So take a tip from nature. Don’t go
on and on, don’t plough on regardless in
wind and rain. Bend a little, take some
rest, take the sail out of the wind and
laugh a little more. q
David Pugh,
St Luke’s Anglicare CEO
Editor’s note: the Holy Safety professinal standards day on 27 August
took up this topic, along with that of
domestic violence.
The Joys and Responsibilities of being
a Christian in this Parish, a ‘code of
practice for congregations’ is available from Registry as a book or PDF.
C
hristians don’t bully people do they?
Christians are followers of Christ.
They love their neighbours, their enemies, God, refugees and each other.
Bullying can take many forms. The
easiest I find to deal with is physical violence. If someone physically assaults you,
you have two choices: you can either hit
back, or walk / run away. Similarly with
name calling.
Unfortunately, a lot of bullying is more
subtle. It can be to mock the way a person
speaks or walks. It can be giving a person
a certain look or it can be excluding the
person from your group of friends.
Christians should think before they
speak, behave or look at another person.
When I look into a person’s eyes, I can
feel the way that person feels about me.
I think most people can do the same!
Not everyone you come across will
have a hair style, speak, behave, or be
dressed the way you do. That does not
give you or me as Christians the right to
bully them. q
Lois Morrissey,
Caritas Secretary,
South East Bendigo
Meet your Registry staff (4):
Karen Wiseman
works part-time as the Bishop’s personal
assistant. Her key responsibilities are:
What stops us being flexible, or removing ourselves or bending in a storm?
Some of it is habit. Habit of mind, the
boiling frog effect. We’re used to being
battered and we don’t realise its cumulative effect on us.
• the bishops’ correspondence and
diary management
Another barrier to us being flexible
is our pride and ego. Ego can be hard
yet brittle; unlike spirit which is gentle
Karen’s interests include culture, travel
(ask about her recent European vacation!), food and wine. q
6 The Spirit November 2011
I’m a Christian so I never bully ...
• coordinating diocesan services,
conferences, retreats, projects etc.
• secretary of the Diocesan Executive
and of the Council of the Diocese
Art - on holy ground
W
elcome to our present worship
space: when the cathedral is finally opened once again, I hope that art will
continue to be displayed in the worship
space. What we are doing in holding this
Art Show is walking on holy ground, in
a similar way to the holy ground we walk
on in our worship.
The origins of Chinese art remind me
that the aim of painting is not to achieve
a true likeness. A famous ancient Chinese artist Jing Hao struggled to express
what the artist is trying to do:
Painting is to paint, to estimate the
shape of things, to really obtain them;
to estimate the beauty of things, to
reach it; to estimate the significance of
things and to grasp it. One should not
take outward beauty for reality. He
who does not understand this mystery
will not obtain truth, even though his
pictures may contain likeness.
We mean something similar when talking about ‘capturing’ something on canvas or camera. Van Gogh once wrote, “Instead of trying to reproduce exactly what
I see before me, I make more arbitrary use
of colour to express myself more forcefully” (Letter to Theo, 1888). In a slightly
less humble mood he added, “You know
... the sunflower is mine in a way”. And
we could say Monet owns the waterlily,
Fred Williams owns the Pilbara.
So - some suggestions about how to
speak about the art on show.
1Speak very little about it, if at all. Just
look. I once asked an artist friend what
his work meant, and he said, “Peta,
you do words, I do paint on canvas.
You tell me.” I went home and wrote,
not a theological treatise, but a poem.
St Paul’s
Cathedral
2 Secondly, don’t just walk around quickly and say, “Like that, don’t like that…”
Liking or not liking is not the point.
What does it do to you? How does
it work on you? Ask yourself, “Why
would I prefer to walk on quickly”? In
other words, look!
3Thirdly, speak sympathetically. In trying to capture the subject, the artist reveals him or herself quite profoundly.
And I have heard more than one artist represented here tonight talk about
their art as a spiritual journey. Makes
sense – revealing and being revealed.
It’s holy ground to put yourself out
there and perhaps hear someone dismiss your hours of work with “Don’t
like that”, or even worse, ignoring it!
Please look, and look again!
Over the past six Art Shows I want to say
how much I have enjoyed watching our
regular contributors develop and grow
in their work. Keep on your pilgrimage!
And to all here, thank you for coming
to look at this art. May you spend some
Dean Peta Sherlock with Helen Attrill
(Art Teacher & Learning Coordinator, Bendigo
Senior Secondary College), who judged the
2011 St Paul’s Art Show.
time letting it work on you, being
mindful enough to stop and stare, to
try and find patterns in the chaos of
our world, and to deal with the lack of
pattern.
A final thank you to the organisers. I
stand amazed at how you can get this set
up so efficiently, deciding where to hang
what, and, with such a bunch of personalities involved, somehow coming to a
joint decision for your prize. Truly we
are in the midst of miracles. q
Dean Peta Sherlock
Changes proposed for St Paul’s Cathedral
Garden of Remembrance
S
t Paul’s Cathedral Garden of Remembrance is situated on the south side of
the cathedral, enclosed by the iron fence
alongside the path. It is now full, so that
when new ashes have been placed it has
been necessary to dig over the ashes already there. This is in keeping with the
nature of a Garden of Remembrance,
where the exact site of ashes interred is
not recorded.
With restoration work about to commence, the Cathedral Council has decided that the time has come for some
changes to be made. The Garden of Remembrance will be carefully protected
while work proceeds, and workers will
be asked to respect the whole garden area
inside the fence.
The Cathedral Council’s proposal is
to remove the walls of the current Garden of Remembrance, and landscape the
whole fenced garden area as the Garden
of Remembrance. Over the years, ashes
have occasionally been interred in places
other than the walled enclosure. Many
of the roses planted in the walled section have died: these have been removed,
and the remaining roses transplanted to
other sections of the garden.
Given that changing the walls requires
a faculty from the bishop, parishioners
may lodge any objections to the proposal
by writing to the Churchwardens by 15
November: these can be left at the parish
office, or posted to St Paul’s Cathedral,
PO Box 2, Bendigo 3552.
The garden area has gone through a difficult phase in the past three years, as access to the area has been extremely limited.
In the future it is planned that the whole
garden enclosed by the fences will be wellmaintained, and the important memories
within the site respected through love and
care of the garden and lawn. q
Dean Peta Sherlock
November 2011 The Spirit 7
Annual Evensong
n Sunday 23 October the congregation of St Thomas’, Pyramid
Hill hosted our annual Evensong, led by
the Kerang Chorale, with Terry Carter
leading and conducting the singers. The
Revd John Worrall, Anglican priest from
Kerang, is an enthusiastic choir member.
O
Inglewood parish
Kingower: 140th celebration
ver 100 people gathered at St
Mary’s Kingower on Sunday 23
October to mark its 140th anniversary in
a service specially prepared by Inglewood
rector, the Revd Peter Monsbourgh.
O
Swan Hill
We make the day a parish ecumenical
occasion, with family and friends from
other Christian churches also attending.
Musical treats included the ‘Hallelujah Chorus’ as well as sung versions of
the Magnificat (Song of Mary) and Nunc
Dimittus (Song of Simeon).
As part of her thanks to the chorale, the
Revd Heather Vander Reest invited the
congregation to give way to their previously suppressed desire to clap. The passion, concentration and discipline we observed among the singers was marvellous!
In her address, Heather reflected on
the commissioning of Joshua, and exhorted those present to be as Joshua,
‘strong and courageous’ in their living
out of their faith in God.
Generous donations were given to the
Horn of Africa appeal via a retiring collection. Everyone enjoyed a hearty afternoon
tea in spite of the warmth of the day. q
Heather Vander Reest
Men’s breakfast
wonderfully organised Men’s breakfast was held on 11 September. The
menu was extensive, thanks to our chef,
Keith Blackman, who cooked, served
and joined the breakfast – thanks, Keith!
Guest speaker, Hayden Price, a secondary school chaplain, enlightened the group
by telling the men about his job, amazing
life experiences and the importance of the
chaplaincy ministry continuing. His information was greatly appreciated.
The men had an enjoyable time and
are talking about the next one. Thanks
to Neil Buller for his organisation and
enthusiasm. Great job, well done!
Marg Crilly, Churchwarden
A
Joyce Chivers, pictured above with
Bishop Andrew after the service, had prepared a booklet telling the story of the
church. It recounts in particular the sterling ministry of the Revd (‘Parson’) William Hall, whose endeavours under trying
conditions saw seven churches commence
in the district. He is commemorated by a
special plaque (pictured above right).
Peter Walsh MLA, Minister for Agriculture, is a descendant of William Hall,
and read one of the lessons, the other being read by Mark Gilmore.
Music was provided by Frances Monsbourgh on the organ and young Hamish
Catto playing the violin (see back cover
photo). His parents, Glenn and Patricia
Catto, are from nearby Bridgewater. q
Benetas offers an
extensive range of
programs to support
older people living
in Bendigo.
Day respite program
Residential aged care
A day respite program at Benetas St Laurence
Court in Eaglehawk provides temporary care for
frail older people who are normally cared for
by relatives or friends. Open every Tuesday and
Thursday 10am – 3pm, $10 per session. Lunch
is provided together with a range of activities
and outings.
Benetas St Laurence Court offers older
people warm and inviting homes with
our residential care in Eaglehawk and
Kangaroo Flat. We offer a range of
leisure and lifestyle activities and a
focus on staying connected to your
local community.
For more information about aged care in Bendigo call
our Aged Care Advisory Service on 1300 23 63 82.
Founded by the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne in 1948
8 The Spirit November 2011
Photos: Jan Curnow
Pyramid Hill
Bendigo Clinical Pastoral
Education (CPE) unit for 2012
C
PE is a programme of supervised
pastoral education which, along
with tertiary studies in theology / religious studies, meets the requirements
for working professionally in pastoral
care in healthcare contexts.
The unit (Level 1 extended) will be
offered by The Austin and Repatriation CPE Centres, and supervised by
Dan Murphy, Manager – Education
and Training at Healthcare Chaplaincy
Council of Victoria Inc. Participants
meet twice monthly on Thursdays
and Fridays from 8 March to 18 October for seminars and individual supervision, plus engaging in designated pastoral placements in healthcare.
The unit cost is $1,100 per participant (GST included): if taken as part
of an accredited Higher Education
course, FEE-HELP applies.
For further information and an application form, contact Dan Murphy
at [email protected] or at (03)
8415 1144. Applications close 30
November 2011. q
Leitchville
Remembering Hugh Latimer
S
unday 16 October saw Cohuna parish gather to mark Latimer the Martyr day at Leitchville church, named
with him as its patron. Hugh Latimer is
an appropriate person to name a country
church after, as he grew up in rural England on a farm, learning to shoot. His
preaching was in the language of the person in the street, flavoured heavily with
his country upbringing.
Old Bishop Hugh wound up being
one of the great preachers of the English
Reformation, especially to King Henry
VIII and Edward VI. But in the end,
under Queen Mary’s rule he was burned
on this day at the stake for his efforts,
alongside Bishop Nicholas Ridley. His
famous dying words were, “Let us this
day light such a candle in England,
Master Ridley, as by God’s grace will
never be snuffed out.”
Bishop Latimer’s portrait adorned the
walls of our building, and in keeping
with the Reformation feel of the day,
we shared in First Order Holy Communion from APBA. Many experienced it
for the first time, which they very much
enjoyed, to their surprise. Sounds like
our prayer book and our worship lives
deserve more of a work-out!
Afterwards a bring-and-share lunch
was transformed into a great feast
through the usual home-made delights
from the Leitchville mob.
There is no such thing as a morning tea or lunch at Latimer Church in
Leitchville – only feasts! q
Simon Robinson,
Team Leader, Gannawarra Cluster
ABM Auxiliary AGM gets enthused!
M
yrtle Shay was the ‘guest’ speaker
at the ABM Diocesan Auxiliary
AGM at Christ Church Echuca in October – ‘guest’ because she is also our longtime secretary!
Myrtle enthused those present with
her account of her tour at the end of
May of USA National Parks. She visited
a large number of these, including Yosemite, Zion in Utah and Yellowstone.
Travelling via Salt Lake City, Myrtle
had the opportunity to hear the magnificent Mormon Tabernacle Choir in
rehearsal, and also saw several Mormon
‘stake houses’ – how they name their
church buildings.
The tour encountered snow everywhere, even in summer at Jackson Hole
in Wyoming. Other visits included a national elk refuge, where scouts collect the
discarded antlers. As well, there was rafting down the Snake River, geysers, mudslides, and the 150 feet Yellowstone Falls!
Her address added a new dimension to
one’s knowledge of the USA.
Elections, Annual Report
H
eather Lawrence (Robinvale) was
elected to continue as Diocesan
President, with Myrtle as Secretary and
Ian Smith as Treasurer. In her 22nd Annual Report, Myrtle noted that Heather
is the diocesan representative on the
National Auxiliary Council. She paid
tribute to supporters of ABM Auxiliary
who had died during the past year, particularly noting Elizabeth (Betty) Runnalls, a very dedicated supporter who
rarely missed an ABM function.
Organ recital for Maldon 150
th
M
aldon’s heritage organ received
an expert workout when Jennifer
Chou visited with her husband, trombonist Joseph Yu, on Friday 7 October.
The recital was part of the celebration of
150 years at Holy Trinity Church, and
attracted a large audience of admiring
and satisfied listeners – storm and downpour beforehand notwithstanding.
Jennifer, who plays at Notre Dame
Cathedral and other international venues, was delighted with the tone and
touch of the Maldon organ, saying it is
one which most organists would like to
take home with them! She chose an absorbing program well suited to it.
Joseph’s ‘special moment’ of the evening was when the (electrically powered) organ, struck by lightning during
his trombone sonata, was rendered momentarily unusable! Parishioners, being
more practical, were glad that the organ
tuner was present … q
Julia Nutting
Myrtle Shay with flowers presented in thanks
for her enthusiastic address and tireless work
In April, Myrtle attended the launch in
Sydney of the Auxiliary’s book A Blooming Miracle written by Moya Holle, which
tells the history of the National Auxiliary
from 1980 to 2010. It includes photos
and references to Bendigo members.
In August, Heather and Myrtle attended the Auxiliary National Executive and Council meetings in Sydney at
which ABM’s Executive Director, the
Revd John Deane, gave an insight into
plans for the future of ABM as they look
at new areas where it has been asked to
work. Several international disasters have
occurred in 2011, and ABM launched
appeals to provide assistance.
Auxiliaries across the diocese
B
endigo diocese currently has 26 affiliated groups and 8 individual members. Helping to restock and refurbish
the Newton Theological College Library
has been the Special Project for the National Auxiliary this year. Over $2,000
was raised in 2010 from ‘Go for Gold’
collections, this being the Bendigo Auxiliary’s main fundraiser.
Deaneries held their 2011 Auxiliary
gatherings in May, with a variety of speakers including Brad Chapman (ABM’s
Education Missioner), Bp Jeremy Ashton,
the Revd Philippa Wetherell, Heather and
Merv Lawrence, and Myrtle Shay. q
Jenny Rainsford
November 2011 The Spirit 9
‘God instances’ in
England visit
G
od instances is how Betty Anderson
spoke of some recent personal encounters, when addressing the Diocesan
Mothers’ Union AGM. She had gone to
the UK recently to make contact with
family and celebrate her 70th birthday.
Betty visited St Philip’s Cathedral, Birmingham armed with a copy of Bendigo’s
The Spirit for their MU notice board. And
MU ‘just happened’ to be meeting then!
Not only was Betty invited in, but she met
the President, Jenifer Owen, and their
chaplain, the Revd Kate Ricketts, from
Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
On another occasion, visiting Birmingham’s ‘Bull Ring’ open markets, Betty
inquired where she could buy postcards.
She was pointed towards St Martin’s Gift
Shop, which had just closed for the day.
As Betty gazed through the window, the
attendant, Karen, invited her in. To her
amazement, Betty discovered Karen was
also an MU member!
Karen invited Betty to join her at Kitts
Green, 20 miles away, on the following week, for the MU diocesan annual
meeting (see photo top right). Here Betty
was warmly welcomed. She learned that
there are 920 MU members in the 36
groups throughout Birmingham diocese.
The guest speaker was the Revd Rhiannon Jones, coordinator of the ‘Transforming Church’ movement in that
diocese. Her role is to engage groups in
discussion about new ideas and changes
in ministry – e.g. ‘How do we do church
better?’ One change being tried is Adult
Sunday School, where instead of listening to a sermon, the readings of the day
are openly discussed by those present, and
the relevance of their message for today’s
society considered. Rhiannon also spoke
about welcoming, and ways in which we
can encourage a newcomer to church to
‘come back’ again.
Betty was delighted that, during Compline at the end of the gathering, Bendigo diocese was included in the prayers.
“One never knows where God is going
to take us next,” Betty concluded. q
Jenny Rainsford
10 The Spirit November 2011
Mothers’ Union diocesan leaders in the Church of England Diocese of Birmingham:
Betty Anderson is seated second from the right in the front row
Cycling by faith:
riding fear-free
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the
Spirit of the Lord is – freedom! (2 Corinthians 3:17).
For freedom Christ has set us free! Stand firm,
then, and do not let yourselves be burdened
again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).
A
comment often heard in the cycling
community is about the freedom cycling brings, and how after only a short
time on the bike most people can let go
of their burdens of the day and life – albeit for just a short time until they complete the ride.
While cycling can free the mind, it is
quite often not the case for the body.
Many riders on the road suffer from
some chronic muscle soreness, particularly in the neck and shoulders, reducing
the distance and time they can spend in
the saddle.
To the dismay of many, the answer
is very simple, and almost an instantaneous relief of their muscle soreness.
Behind the effect is usually the same
cause - being fearful. Most newer riders
are fearful of falling short of the bunch’s
speed and distance, fearful of falling behind, being left on the side of the road
to find their own way home. There is
the fear of falling off and hurting not
only oneself but others. There is the fear
of riding close to others, whether beside
or behind.
When riders are fearful there is the
tendency to grip the handle bars really
tight with clenched fists. Clenched fists
tighten the forearms and shoulders causing chronic pain in the neck, as road vibration is transferred up into the neck.
Loose hands and elbows act as shock absorbers against road vibrations and rough
bitumen surfaces.
To experience this, just hold hands in
front of you and clench your fists tight:
you will feel the sensation of muscles being restricted in the upper body. Letting
go is the answer. Let go of the fears, let go
of gripping the handle bars too tightly.
The same words apply to our Christian
faith: let go of the things that bind and
hinder us. Cast them off, and let the burdens fall on the Lord Jesus. There is nothing we face that the work of the cross has
not redeemed and set free, spiritually,
emotionally, physically. In every aspect
of our being, the cross-words of Christ
have overcome fear: “It is finished”.
Jesus came to bring total freedom, a
reconciled life with God our beloved holy
Father. Cycling might bring temporary
freedom: Christ gives eternal life and freedom from the wages of sin and death.
Looking forward to seeing you on the
road soon, God willing. q
Eddie Barkla, Pioneer minister to
Bendigo’s cycling community
Film response: The Whistleblower
T
he Whistleblower is set in Bosnia in
1999, a time I remember well. I
was a third year student at university art
school, majoring in painting. The troubles in the Balkans were across the newspapers and on the TV news every night.
I was deeply troubled in particular by the
Kosovo Crisis, which moved me to create
a series of artworks that dealt with the
atrocities that occurred.
I was thus deeply interested in seeing
this film, which exposes the horror suffered by many Eastern European young
women, tricked into thinking they were
going to work at some posh resort. Instead they were trafficked and sold to a
sleazy bar where they worked as ‘waitresses’. In truth, they were forced into
sex slavery – humiliated, tortured, used
and abused by the bar’s patrons, many of
whom were UN personnel.
A girl who escaped made a statement to
the police: she was recaptured and made
an example of to the others, involving a
torture scene I won’t write about here.
While viewing this horrific scene a word
from the Bible came to mind: Jesus said,
“it will be more bearable on that day for
Sodom than for that town” (Luke 10:12).
We think we in the West are so civilized, don’t we? But we are still backward
in so many ways when it comes to human rights. As soon as I returned home
from the cinema, I composed a poem
that expressed my rage at the horrors I’d
witnessed on the big screen.
In the West, child abuse is something
that has been swept under the carpet for
too long. Now it is time to lift the rug
and air the disgusting filth that ruins the
lives of children subjected to physical,
mental and sexual abuse. The Bible refers
to children being sacrificed to Molech
(Leviticus 20:2-5; Isaiah 57:9; Jeremiah
32.35). How could a parent abuse the
trust of their own child in this way?
The tragic thing is that we have not
learned: atrocities committed against
women and children are still occurring today. We only need to open the newspaper
and see the terrible things happening in
Iraq and Afghanistan. One recent tragic
example was an Iraqi mother who had to
listen over the phone to the screams of her
young son as he was being tortured. She
wind and sun. Surely, no one, no matter
what they do, deserves that! If someone
has done wrong, put them on trial and
imprison them humanely if found –
without a doubt – guilty.
Jesus - a king with no crown: Angela Morrisey
had been promised that he would be released if a payment was made. They killed
him anyway.
And it’s not just women and children:
look at what happened to David Hicks.
(Editor: his book Guantanamo is sober reading). He had to endure mental,
physical, sexual and psychological abuse,
kept for years in a cage open to rain, hail,
As a Christian I often shake my fist at
God and demand to know how he could
allow these terrible atrocities to occur.
Then I remember that God gave his only
son to be subjected to humiliation and
agony for the sake of humanity. Jesus
was ‘a king with no crown’, as Lady Ga
Ga sings. This Prince of Peace and Lord
of Lords suffered the indignity of being
humiliated, tortured, mocked and finally
killed – and for what? He was an innocent man.
If only we took the chance to make the
change and turn the pages over to write
about a world free from abuse and torture of any kind. q
Angela Morrisey
Kakadu: a poem for Sherrill
Your answer to my question
left me shocked and saddened too,
that we shouldn’t take the trouble
to visit Kakadu.
I can’t believe you said that
when we met the other day,
at the meeting place in Katherine,
then we went our separate way.
What a shame you missed the beauty
of this great and ancient land,
there’s no doubt this gift was given
by a loving Father’s hand.
Did you gaze into the night sky
and see a million stars shine down?
Did you see a full moon glowing,
gently lighting up the ground?
Or the glory of the sunset
as it slipped behind the trees,
and the scarlet flames of fire
as they race before the breeze?
The softness of the new grass,
shining golden in the sun,
the Egret and her babies,
new life just begun?
The princely Jabiru,
with his nest one metre wide?
And the mighty crocodile,
no need for him to hide!
Looking high into the trees
to see the debris from the flood,
And on the ground – the tall trees
prone from where they stood?
The white breast of the sea eagle,
so majestic on the wing,
Or the Jesus bird, Jacana,
such a tiny little thing?
The Alligator River,
as it wanders southward bound,
over rocks and sandy ridges
bringing coolness to the ground?
Reflections in the water
of the billabong so clear,
the colours and the splendor,
so far and yet so near,
Where the anthills stand all brown and grey,
like silent sentinels,
And the rock art, life’s recordings,
well before the mission bells?
Did you feel the ancient culture
present here since time began,
of the gentle, brown skinned people,
every woman, child and man?
Well, we saw the beauty
and we wish that you had too,
we saw and felt the power
God gave to Kakadu. q
Robyn Davis, inspired by her ‘Walkabout’ across Australia in winter 2011.
November 2011 The Spirit 11
Beating around the bush
I
The fighting parson
wonder if you invited a family member, neighbour or friend to worship
with you in your local church on Back to
Church Sunday 2011? This special Sunday is now an annual occasion, not just
in Australia, but in many countries in the
world-wide Anglican Communion. But
why wait for Back to Church Sunday?
The Anglican Church in many places
in outback Australia was planted by
‘Bush Brothers’. Many were young, single clergy from the Church of England,
with a strong sense of mission and a vision for helping people in the outback
come to faith, or hold on to their Christian faith, and find a place in the church
in Australia’s remote outback.
‘Harvestfest’
Christian music
festival for Kyabram
K
yabram Ministers’ Fellowship has
organised a family-oriented, drug
and alcohol free Christian Music Festival,
‘Harvestfest’, for the weekend of 11-13
November. The event is free for everyone.
Three days of top-quality Christian
music have been planned to spread the
message of God’s love through music,
and showcase Kyabram as a good family destination. The local Chamber of
Commerce, sponsors and Fauna Park
(where most of the entertainment will
be held) came on board and offered
their support.
There will be music in the street, in
two park venues, bands adding to Sunday services and a big celebratory finish
on Sunday afternoon in the beautifully
restored Plaza theatre.
Acts will include the Steve Grace Band,
SkyPilot, Adrian Murley, Steve Messer’s
Old Time Gospel band Strange Country,
regional band Dancing with Angels and
the A-choired Taste of Gospel choir.
Come and join us in offering the hope
of Jesus Christ to the wider community.
More details from Robert Arnold (0400
563 399) or Trevor Kay (0409 172 101):
our website is www.harvestfest.org.au. q
Irene Labbett
12 The Spirit November 2011
The Brotherhood of St Andrew planted
much of the Anglican Church in outback
western Queensland around the beginning of the 20th century. These remarkable
clergy travelled vast distances, in extremes
of temperatures and in testing conditions,
including the testing of isolation and deprivation. They travelled by horse, buggy
or bicycle. They slept in the bush or in
little rooms attached to church buildings.
They committed themselves to this ministry for terms of five years. Their base in
outback western Queensland was in Longreach – the house is the rectory today.
One of the most famous Brothers, a
real hero, was Frederick Edward Barwick Hulton-Sams, known as ‘The
Fighting Parson’. Hulton-Sams had an
interesting technique for getting men to
attend services. He would search them
out in cattle yards, cattle sales and outside hotels, and challenge them to a boxing match. He would take off his shirt,
put on the gloves, and box with amazing
skill. If the man lost – and mostly they
did – that man had to attend worship.
Hulton-Sams also conducted services in
sheds on outback properties: afterwards,
off would come the shirt, on would go
the gloves, and he would take on the best
men the district could offer.
There was much more to Frederick
Hulton-Sams than his boxing prowess.
He helped many women, men and children find their way to Christ – the grandparents of many present-day Anglicans.
His ministry is still fresh in the memory
of many Anglicans ‘outback’, even though
he died in 1915, killed in action in WWI.
It has been my privilege
to minister in outback
places where HultonSams once ministered.
Famous Australian artist Hugh Sawry
once painted a wonderful portrait, ‘The
Fighting Parson’, which hangs in St Andrew’s, Longreach (at left). One controversial decision of mine as bishop was to
issue a faculty to place the painting in the
church. It was a decision I do not regret.
Hulton-Sams’ method of inviting people to worship was effective, but perhaps
not the method for you or me! Yet the
responsibility for inviting others to meet
Christ is one we all share, every one of us.
We should not wait until Back to Church
Sunday 2012. There is next Sunday.
On 30 November the Christian
Church remembers St Andrew, often referred to as the first Christian missionary.
His story is worth reading again: John
1:35-42. Andrew’s story is inspirational
and challenging: he brought his brother
to meet Jesus. Bringing those closest to us
is often a great challenge. Who brought
you? Who are you bringing? q
Bishop Ron Stone
This is the first in a series of articles inspired
by Anglicans Outback.
Smartphone Bible for young
people is here!
S
cripture Union has launched SoundBytes, an electronic reading guide to
help young people engage with the Bible.
It delivers the Bible in bite-sized pieces
for daily listening, combining audio, eBook and a SoundCheck booklet.
SoundBytes subscribers receive a pack
including a USB flash drive, ‘DJ’, loaded
with the first three months’ audio Bible
material. It can be
drag-and-dropped
to a computer,
smartphone, ipod
or mp3 player and
used from there.
DJ includes an eBook for reading along
with the audio, and SoundCheck, a booklet with activities for a weekend challenge.
Users get access to DJ’s blog, a secure online space where they can interact with the
SoundBytes Crew (SU staff). Check it out
at www.soundbytes.org.au! q
Barry Jones stirs Castlemaine climate
B
arry Jones, noted Australian thinker,
writer and speaker, delivered the final
Agitation Hill Lecture for 2011 at Castlemaine’s parish hall on Saturday 1 October.
We expected a good attendance, even on
Grand Final Day, and our expectations
were greatly exceeded: some 140 people
from far and wide were present.
Barry spoke for about 70 minutes and
answered questions. He showed what a
fine speaker he is, both enlightening and
highly amusing. Using his life story as
the framework, he built up an illuminating outline of climate change in reality,
observing that the carbon tax was not the
central factor in dealing with this, by taking us back to some basic science of our
relationship with the sun.
The ‘green-house effect’ was anticipated as early as 1824 by Joseph Fourier
- Barry himself first raised it in 1984 as
Minster for Science. He left us in little
doubt that in the Hawke Ministry he
stood alone, regarded as alarmist and
premature. It was startling to hear that,
when he was invited in 1989 to address
a conference in London on the subject,
the Australian Government refused to
pay for his trip: it was funded by Maggie
Thatcher as British Prime Minister!
He described opponents of acting on
climate change as ‘confusionists’ rather
than denyers, dealers in knock-about,
ad-hominem polemics or arguers about
points of detail. He also noted the inadequacy of the political debate today,
observing that reading books seemed
to have become a lost skill. The debate,
indeed, varied between soporific and
hysterical bullying, centred on fear and
short term matter. The media was not
behind in boosting the worst elements of
the debate.
Dr Jones said that in his 60 years as a
member of the ALP, at least 30 had been
spent in the sort of argument and disagreement as was going on today.
After the lecture a light but in fact elegant repast was offered by Tom Cockram
and his team. The discussion continued.
Thanks are due to many who helped, organisers, setters-up, caterers, washers-up
and cleaners.
This is the end of our seventh year of
Agitation Hill lectures which started with
a lecture by Professor Raimond Gaita.
They will start again in March 2012.
Preshaw Chapel eucharist
E
arlier in the day, 15 of us met at the
former Preshaw Memorial Chapel,
Moonlight Flat, now a holiday house
– virtually one room. We’ve met there
at this time for some years to celebrate
a ‘Gum Tree’ eucharist honouring the
memory of William Fisher Preshaw, Surgeon, an early Mount Alexander pioneer.
Preshaw (a Scot) arrived with his family in 1852. He soon reverted from seeking gold to medicine, first at Moonlight
Flat and then in Castlemaine as the town
developed. A founder of the local hospital and Mechanics Institute, he was
active as a speaker for democratic rule,
electoral returning officer and coroner.
Though calling himself a member of the
Catholic Apostolic Church, he became
active in the local Church of England as
secretary and Lay Reader, often going to
Moonlight Flat on a Sunday to preach. He
was remarkably ecumenical, maintaining
friendly relations with Patrick Smythe, the
local Roman Catholic priest.
As a medical practitioner he was noted
for his kindness in treating the poor. He
died in his office in 1866, 56 years of
age. Friends set up a memorial fund and
in 1874 opened The Preshaw Memorial
Chapel within the Church of England. q
Inglewood
Pleasant Sunday Afternoon
H
uw Jones, harpist from Kyneton,
brought two harps to St Augustine’s Inglewood for ‘A Very Pleasant
Sunday Afternoon at Inglewood’ on 7
July. Huw is retired from the Melbourne
Symphony Orchestra.
The gleaming gold frame of the orchestral harp looked fascinating as nearly 100
people entered the church for a varied
programme presented also by the Goldfields Choir, directed by Tania Franks,
and by the Revd Peter Monsbourgh,
flute, accompanied by his wife Frances
on piano.
The triple Welsh harp made by Andy
Rigby of Malmsbury was new to many.
Its sweet, gentle tone was a delight to
all, as were Huw’s engaging explanations of his instruments and the music
he played.
Brian Poidevin
Spirituality &
Mental Health
a public program
with David Tacey (La
Trobe University, Melbourne)
Friday 18th November 7.30pm –
‘Jung, Spirituality and Bodily Functions’
Saturday 19th November 2-5pm –
two seminars:
‘The Spirituality of Life Transitions’
‘The Healing Field of the Numinous’
Cost $40 ($30) [$15 ($10) Friday only]
St Andrew’s Hall, Myers Street, Bendigo
Enquiries: Mark Sumner 5443 4147
www.MandorlaSeminars.info
Wanted ... A large sanctuary
chair or matching pair of chairs.
Free ... a modern free-standing
altar (from St Mary’s House of Prayer,
Morrison’s Road, Elaine 3334).
Enquiries to 5341 5544
An extra treat was flute and harp folksong duets by Huw and Peter (see photo
above), reminding the appreciative audience how beautiful these two instruments sound when played together.
All the performers donated their time
and talent to the Inglewood Organ Restoration Fund, for which the church is
very grateful. Door-takings of $500 were
received. Much chatter over afternoon
tea followed, looking forward to more
events in future. q
Frances Monsbourgh
November 2011 The Spirit 13
The Dean looks at the last 5.5 years
BOOK REVIEW:
Richard Bauckham, Jesus: A Very
Short Introduction
(Oxford University Press, 2011)
pb, pp xiv +128,
ISBN 9780199
575275, RRP
$14.95
T
he ‘Very Short Introduction’ books
cover myriad topics, on science,
philosophy, popular culture – and occasionally religion. Each is written by an
expert, who has 128 pocket-sized pages
to have their say. The series is now up
to 275: although ‘Bible’, ‘Christianity’,
‘Islam’, etc. are included, only now has
someone been brave enough to contribute ‘Jesus’.
And the outcome is just brilliant. Richard Bauckham is well known in New Testament scholarly circles, and here offers
a readable, reliable, open and above all
interesting - and challenging - survey of
the sources, context, life-style, teaching,
death / resurrection and significance of
Jesus of Nazareth.
If you want a short guide to the central person of the Christian story, apart
from the gospels themselves this is hard
to beat. Bauckham is gentle on readers
who do not know the New Testament,
or the mountain of scholarship that surrounds its texts, but wears his learning
lightly. Anyone who can read a newspaper and wants to learn should be able
to follow and grasp his material. It concludes with a good index, and up-todate suggestions for further (scholarly)
reading.
This small book is ‘conservative’ in respecting the sources and the faith of the
early Christians, ‘academic’ in being very
well informed about relevant scholarly debates, but quite ‘radical’ in giving a sense
of the sheer challenge and offensiveness of
much of Jesus’ living and speaking.
I commend this small book without
hesitation – it would make an excellent
basis for small group study. q
Charles Sherlock
I
will retire on Christmas Day, having
turned sixty-five two days earlier. I
worked out that this was the right thing
to do towards the end of last year. “What
will you do?” people have asked me. For
the first three months of 2012 I have
written No, No, No in my (now much
smaller) diary. After that, I may have
some idea of what I really want to do, let
alone what God might want me to do.
I have some inkling of what I really enjoy now. In a nutshell, all the fun without the responsibility! And particularly
I want to encourage the clergy. It’s an
odd task to be agents of change when we
don’t really know what the end product
will look like, so we are dancing in the
dark, even though with a great partner.
Inevitably I have been pondering on
what I may have achieved at St Paul’s
Bendigo in a good sense, and what I have
done or left undone in a bad sense.
People tell me that the parish is in a
pretty good state. Numbers are steady
and finances are reasonable. People are
engaged with the worship and with each
other, and the feel of Sunday worship is
pleasant enough for new people to want
to stay. I don’t think any of the old fights
exist any more. This has been achieved
by telling the truth, naming things, both
good and bad things, telling people how
their behaviour impacts on others. Threats
and power-plays are not the way Christians act, but in small and threatened
churches they often raise their ugly heads.
It’s in our engagement with the world
that I fear I have left things undone.
When I first arrived I realised that the local media needed stories, so we could get
St Paul’s in the media every other week if
we wished. I think the parishioners liked
this. It made them feel that the cathedral
mattered. However this brought out a
lot of criticism by others, under which I
finally crumbled. I think it would have
been better to have kept my nerve, even if
I did sometimes say unwise things into a
microphone. In the past year or so I have
kept my head well below the parapet.
When I first arrived, the cathedral hosted the Blue Ribbon service for the Police
and the ‘Opening of the Legal Year’. The
liturgies I inherited
for these were rather
pompous and churchy.
I well remember the
lighting of candles, which was so overprotected by cathedral staff that it was
well nigh impossible for grieving police
families to reach across the sanctuary
rails.
Both of these services moved into
other spaces before the cathedral closed
for renovations. The moves were initiated, interestingly, by Christian members of both professions, who wanted
more neutral ground (and less pomposity and churchiness). I understand that
we do not live in a Christian society,
and that a church building makes some
people feel awkward, but I am sorry we
have lost these obvious contacts with
the community.
Last but not least is the Bendigo Easter Festival. This year the local committee decided that because Anzac Day fell
on Easter Monday, the Easter parade and
Dragon Procession should fall on the Sunday. I put my head above the parapet for
a moment and wrote a somewhat rude
letter to the Mayor. I protested that they
had ignored the Christian churches, that
we had invented Easter, and that it would
be very difficult to celebrate our greatest
Christian festival with the cathedral site
being blocked off by police.
For the 2012 celebrations the Mayor
did ask me to comment on their plans to
have the parade on a Sunday again, but
later in the afternoon. He explained that
they wanted a three-day celebration because they found it better than four days.
I told him again that we had known that
for 2000 years.
So we reached an uneasy stalemate.
But the sadness is that it is a stalemate.
They will do their thing, and we will do
ours. There will be a few efforts to remind the world that Easter is about Jesus Christ, but, really, the Christian faith
can seem pretty irrelevant to dragons and
fairy floss.
How we rebuild some of these bridges
is worth considering – and a job for the
next Dean. q
Peta Sherlock
14 The Spirit November 2011
R
ecently Robin Mann, who lives in
Adelaide, was in Mildura for a Lutheran school workshop. While there he
did a concert at the Uniting Church –
well, more like a sing-a-long!
I had heard some of his music years ago
when staying with friends on the Sunshine Coast. Loved ‘Father welcomes’. I
now know that this hymn was written for
his daughter’s baptism. Twenty years later,
his new baptism hymn was written for his
grandchild: ‘From the air and from the
light’. Somehow, knowing a song’s background makes it more interesting.
Mann mostly writes both lyrics and
music. However in 1996 he used words
by Julie Perrin – appropriate still today:
For you, deep stillness of the silent inland;
for you, deep blue of the desert skies;
For you, flame red of the rocks and stones;
for you, sweet water from the hidden springs.
From the edges seek the heartland,
and when you are burnt by the journey,
May the cool winds of the hovering Spirit
soothe and replenish you.
In the name of Christ.
In the name of Christ.
Doesn’t it make you think of the
Australian outback and all the wonders
Christ has given us here in this land?
Robin Mann’s music keeps evolving.
For example ‘Sorrowing song’, written
in 1986, has had additions in 2002 and
2004 to make the words more relevant
to the times. In the early days Robin
worked with schools, and the Lutheran
and Methodist churches. Now he works
with whoever makes a request, as he and
his family work by faith. Workshops,
concerts, CD and music sales are how he
exists – in the twenty-first century, not a
bad way to go.
Mann has been writing music for God
over the last forty years, sometimes for
specific events and age groups. ‘Like a
well worn shoe’ is based on Psalm 71, a
request from Aged Care.
I have heard his music described as ‘a
kaleidoscope vision of God’; it is drawn
from biblical stories or poems relating to
the gospels, helping communities sing
together. Several of his hymns are in Together in Song. So – “Thank you, God
for your gift of music to us”. 
Coral Crook
She came,
she played,
she conquered
A
couple of years ago a member of
my Charlton congregation bought
himself a motorbike. So when on the
first Sunday he and his wife rocked up to
church on his new bike, both decked out
in their leather gear, I suggested that his
wife looked like Leather Tuscadero! (For
the uninitiated, Leather Tuscadero was a
character in ‘Happy Days’ played by the
leather-clad musician Suzi Quatro.) So
when I learnt that Suzi was playing in
Bendigo I couldn’t resist the temptation
to surprise my two biker friends with
tickets for the gig.
Welcome into my Cool World this
month as we look back at Suzi Quatro’s
recent performance at Bendigo Stadium.
Suzi first came to our attention in 1973
with songs such
as ‘Can the Can’,
‘Devil Gate Drive’
and my personal favourite, ‘48 Crash’.
She
also dueted
with Smokie’s Chris
Norman on ‘Stumblin’ in’ and showed
off a more melodic
style with ‘If you can’t give me love’. All
these songs and many, many more were
dusted off in a performance that lasted
almost two hours, including at least three
encores. It seemed that Suzi Q was in no
hurry to leave the stage!
Her band got things started with ‘Wake
up, little Susie’ before Suzi strode on stage
wearing a denim outfit and launched
into a lively rendition of Neil Young’s
‘Rockin’ in the Free World’. Apart from a
handful of mellower numbers, including
one where she accompanied herself on
piano, the pace rarely let up. It was only
a matter of time
before many of the
audience were on
their feet.
At one point we
were left in the
capable hands of her band as Suzi left
the stage, only to return within minutes
wearing her trademark leathers - and this
is when the tempo really picked up.
COOL WORLD
COOL WORLD
Robin Mann – South
Australian songster
At 61, Suzi Quatro displayed the enthusiasm and energy many of us left
behind years ago, and proved beyond a
shadow of a doubt that this tour wasn’t
a junket or a cynical attempt to top up
the superannuation fund: this was a performer still near the top of her craft. Her
songs have stood the test of time, and
bring back fond memories of when life
was not so complex and musicians still
played their own instruments and didn’t
use or need auto-tune devices.
As the house lights finally came on
and people made their way out into the
foyer to queue for merchandise and take
a little of Suzi Quatro home with them,
the consensus was ‘she came, she played,
she conquered!’
I’m hoping the Tshirt that was bought
at the merchandise
stand by one member of my St Martin’s
congregation will see
the light of day at
worship in the not
too distant future.
Come into my
Cool World next month as we check in
with the Bendigo Spirit WNBL team and
see how their season is coming along. q
Canon John Fowler,
Parish of Charlton/Donald
Can you remember the
Diocese in your will?
Our Diocese has been blessed by the
generosity of past benefactors.
As we seek to expand Christ’s mission in the
21st century, how might you contribute?
You should get legal advice before making
your will. You may wish to consider the
activities of the Anglican Diocese of
Bendigo as the recipient of a specific gift,
or of the residue of your estate.
This wording may be useful for you and
your legal advisor when making your will:
I bequeath The Corporate Trustees of
the Diocese of Bendigo in the State of
Victoria the sum of ... to be used for
the general purposes of the Diocese
of Bendigo in such manner as the said
Trustees may approve.
November 2011 The Spirit 15
o
a
th
th
a
Bishop Andrew is having a break - but Jeremy Ashton, Alf Austin and
Fiona Goy still find The Spirit fascinating reading!
In May, Bishop Andrew was at the Burke & Wills tree,
Curlewis
Street,
Swan
Hill are
- apictured
huge Morton Bay fig .
Eddie Barkla
and Keith
Nicholas
left with Bishop Andrew after their ordination
The first correct
answer came from Anjuli McConnell, Kerang - congratulations!
as priests on St Michael & All Angels’ Day, 29
September, in St Paul’s Cathedral hall.
In the same service, Judy Hall was installed as
the Jenner Lay Canon: she is pictured above
with Bishops Ron and Andrew.
Leading Bendigo clergy’s annual retreat, Dean
Peta Sherlock used coloured ribbons to represent
the varied ministries present. At the final service,
Bishop Andrew (pictured above) wore a stole
woven by the Revds Fiona Goy, Glenda Templer
and Jan Harper from the ribbons.
Maldon laughter club - it’s no joke!
C
s
R
a
S
Hamish Catto concentrates while playing the violin to help
accompany singing as part of the 140th anniversary service
at Kingower on Sunday 23 October.
Story page 8
Ronda Gault,
Diocesan MU
President,
presents the
Revd Fiona
Goy, chaplain
at Tarrengower
Women’s
Prison, with
15 cookbooks
prepared by
Maryborough
MU members
for women
in prison to use
as they learn to
cook (pictured
at right). Recipes
were collected
from members and
parishioners.
a
a
T
he skate park at the back of the
parish hall rings out each Saturday
with peals of laughter. Jenny Parker,
‘laughterologist’, leads the group, who
guffaw,
chortle,
titter, giggle
and Chou
discover
Joshua
Yu (trombonist)
and Jennifer
more(organist)
ways ofatlaughing
forMaldon
half an
hour.
Holy Trinity
after
the 150th
anniversary concert on 7 October.
The group above are laughing for ‘World
Laughter Day’, 6 May, created by Dr Madan
Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga. The
Sheilaclub
Gervasconi
was born in
Hepburn,
laughter
is part(above)
of Maldon’s
Mission
baptized, confirmed, married and worshipped at
Action
Plan:
Jenny
sees
this
activity
as
St Matthew’s. Sheila was the guest of honour at
further
linkingpatronal
church festival
and community.

a combined
and Daffodil Day
Story page 9
service in September.
Story
page 4
Jan
Harper
REAL
ESTATE
REAL
ESTATE
A company with experience and consistent results,
and one who really listens to your needs
For Active and Personal Real Estate
Established 1976 52 Mitchell Street, Bendigo Ph: 5440 9500
Caring at a time of need
Swan Hill Anglicans took part in the ‘Relay for Life’
for cancer on 15/16 October. Pictured above are
(left to right) Sylvia Bail, President of Nyah West
MU, Canon Graham Snell and Lindsay Petersen,
grand-daughter of Joan Blackman.
16 The Spirit November 2011
151 McCrae Street Bendigo
12 Victoria Street Eaglehawk
P. 5441 5577
www.williamfarmer.com.au
A tradition that continues...
a
R
s
v
c
a
th
s
in
to
it
th
fo
th
w