The Gippsland Anglican, August 2012

Volume 109, Number 7 August 2012 Published in Gippsland Diocese since 1904

The Gippsland Anglican is your award winning newspaper: Best Regional Publication Silver Award (ARPA) 2011; Item or Feature thatshows the most originality Highly Commended (ARPA) 2011; Best Social Justice Story Highly Commended (ARPA) 2004; Best RegionalPublication (ARPA) 2003; Most Improved Newspaper (ARPA) 2001.

Ena Sheumack andAWA honored

pages 4 & 5

Seeking friends forthe Abbey

Page 3

Literary and mediareviews

pages 18 & 19

By Jeanette Severs

“WE need to listen to eachother respectfully, no mat-ter how much we disagreewith each other,” saidReverend Dr Dorothy Lee,at a seminar recently inSale.Dr Lee, a noted theolo-

gian, was hosted by Saleparish at two seminars, inDrouin and Sale, on July 7and 8. Dr Lee is the Deanof Trinity CollegeTheological School inMelbourne. At the semi-nars, she led discussion onthe topic, ‘How do we readscripture today?’.Dr Lee is a distinguished

teacher in biblical studiesand has written severalbooks, including a prizewinning book on John’sGospel. In all, 84 people ofvarious ages and scholarlyexperience attended thetwo seminars.“A lot of things we do as

Church has to do with howwe read the bible,” saidReverend Dr Don Saines,introducing Dr Lee.Dr Lee took up the intro-

duction, putting forward aselection of New and OldTestament passages fordiscussion by attendeesduring the afternoon.“How we read the bible is

debated at the highest lev-els in the Church, as wellas at the parish level,” saidDr Lee.“I see the bible as the

centre of my faith. Thebible is of critical impor-

tance to us and the Church… it is the inspired word ofGod; and contains all thatis necessary for salvation.“Each one of us has a

method of reading thebible and today may giveyou a chance to ask ‘howdo I read the bible?’.”Dr Lee reminded atten-

dees “the Bible is theprophetic and the apostolicwitness to the Word. Ourreligion, our faith, is deeplypersonal and grounded inthe Word of God.”Dr Lee ran through her

seven principles for read-ing scripture, also con-tained in the lecture notes.Some she dwelt on, givingseveral examples; othersshe skimmed. In particular,she stressed the need toread the bible intelligently.“For reading scripture

intelligently, we bring ourminds to bear on the bibleand ask questions. Thebible is not just divine wordbut also human word,” saidDr Lee, before going on tolead discussion about read-ing the bible with anunderstanding it was writ-ten at a time of differingnorms, cultures, education,influences and understand-ing. In particular, she pointed

out the patriarchal influ-ences that would havestrongly influenced thewriting of many an authorfrom that period and com-pared that to today’s mod-ern culture.“I don’t believe the bible

is dictation. God speaks

through the writers andthey interpret their writingthrough their cultural andeducational influences,”

she said.Dr Lee discussed how

Luke is very well educatedand we see that in his writ-

ings; then compared himto other writers in thebible.

continued page 6

ABOVE: It was a day of celebration for women in the Anglican Diocese ofGippsland when Ena Sheumack House was officially dedicated, at the Abbey of StBarnabas at A’Beckett Park. Pictured enjoying the environs of A’Beckett Park, onRaymond Island, were Diane Ferguson, Denise Rich and Reverend Lyndon Phillips.See inside pages for more coverage of this event and other activities at the Abbey.

Photo: Jeanette Severs

Lee: Respectneeded forlistening

2 Our Diocese - Missions and Ministries August 2012

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IndexRespect needed 1

Letters to the editor 2

Abbey needs friends 3

Ena and AWA honored 4,5

Listen with respect 6

Remembering camps 7,8

Abbey workshops 9

Anam cara leaders 10

Faithful Marj 11

Church in the round 11

Diocesan calendar 12

Color-in picture 13

Perspective ... 14

Annual lecture honor 15

Blessed Caroline 16

Vale, faithful servants 17

God in patient care 18

Wren, song writer 19

Diocesan Pictorial 20

Letters to the EditorImpressed bynewspaperDear Editor,A kind Bairnsdale friend

sent me the June issue ofThe Gippsland Anglican be-cause of our shared inter-est in several topics, all sowell reported in the issue.It was refreshing to read

of the wonderful empathyand understanding dis-played at Synod. BishopJohn’s address was partic-ularly helpful concerningsexuality and the need toread the Bible in context,(“the church can neverread the Bible in the sameway once it acknowledgedthat Galileo was right”). I also found Jordan

Breed’s speech on Gipps-land’s community healthvery balanced, with an ex-cellent perspective on per-sonal responsibility.Yours sincerely,Dick ManuellFrenchs Forest, NSW

Thank youDear Editor,I’m writing to thank you

for including details in yournewspaper about the Spiri-tuality in Everyday Life ArtExhibition at BairnsdaleUniting Church, held overEaster. Some of our Anglican

friends saw the publishedphotograph and article andcame along to view the ex-

hibition as a result.The exhibition was very

successful, with creditgoing to the artists, whoseexcellent works drew a lotof attention. Your co-operation was

much appreciated. Withthanks,Yours sincerely, Jenny EckhardtBairnsdale

Ideas repeatedover timeDear Editor,I have been following the

recent debate about ho-mosexuality and thechurch through the pagesof The Gippsland Anglican,especially the Bishop’sPresident’s Charge to thisyear’s Synod and the let-ters that stemmed from it.One thing has particularly

struck me. There are manyreferences to scripture inthese articles and letters.One side of the debatequotes almost entirelyfrom the Old Testament orPaul’s epistles or Revela-tion (11 out of 12 such ref-erences in my count),while on the other side ofthe debate, all the refer-ences are to the gospels.What may we conclude

from this? I asked myfriend, Joe. He said it looksas if one of these groupsmay think they should takethe actual words of theBible as being a rule to fol-

low in every situation thatcomes along for ever andever. He’d heard of thatidea before. What about the others?

Well, Joe reckons they maythink the words of Jesusand what he did and thekind of person he wasshould be the rule theyshould follow. He said he’dheard of that before, too.Yours sincerely, (Rev. Dr) Jim ConnellyWarragul

Wide-rangeddiscussion welcomeDear Editor,It is good to see a revival

of open debate and thefree expression of differingbeliefs and opinions fromindividual church mem-bers, recently taking placein The Gippsland Anglican.There are inumerable

practices in human life andits social organisation,which could and should bethe concern of those whoprofess the Christian faith,which should surely besubject to serious discus-sion.A take it or leave it atti-

tude to acceptable scrip-ture has probably causedmany to lose faith in thechurch because of the in-terpretation of a biblicalquotation contrary to theChristian Gospel.Irrespective of the histori-

cal accuracy of the OldTestament stories, we can

not be expected to acceptthe ethical and moralatrocities supposedly com-mitted under the directionof God.In those times, few peo-

ple would have been liter-ate; the (media) wouldhave been well and trulycontrolled by the nationalleaders who were certainthey were the chosen peo-ple of God.The supposed adherents

to the 10 commandmentsand a host of regulationshad no hestitation in de-claring that God was in-structing them in theirmass slaughter of millionsof human beings in theirpursuit of wealth andworld domination.In 2000 years of Chris-

tendom, Christian civilisa-tion and nominallyChristian nations, the car-ing and sharing gospel oflove has been constantlychallenged within churchand state.We live in an era of un-

precedented scientificknowledge and instant in-ternational communica-tion, which means thathuman wellbeing dependson loving our neighbors asourselves.Humanity certainly has a

long way to go in that re-gard.It is to be hoped concern

for the expression of uni-versal love may inspire awide range of discussion infurther correspondence toThe Gippsland Anglican.Yours sincerely,Eric KentLang Lang

Be a part of supporting the Aboriginal Ministry Fund

The AMF exists to resource employment of Aboriginal people in ministry; training of Aboriginal people for ministry; development of Aboriginal ministry in the community; the planting of Aboriginal churches; education of the Diocese about Aboriginal issues. Be a part of achieving these aims. Contact the Diocese of Gippsland 453 Raymond Street, Sale, Victoria PO Box 928, Sale, 3853 Telephone 03 5144 2044 Fax 03 5144 7183 Email [email protected]

August 2012 Our Diocese - Missions and Ministries 3


A CONSORTIUM of twocompanies, Exxon Mobil(Esso) and Ignite EnergyResources, together havean onshore exploration li-cence to search for CoalSeam Gas (CSG) in theGippsland Basin. They areseeking to assess the natu-ral gas potential in thedeeper coal seams and todetermine whether it canbe commercially produced. The preliminary assess-

ment phase is for the next12 to 18 months. If com-mercial operations arefound to be viable, produc-tion could come on line infive to 10 years.A critical issue will be to

discover whether or not Hy-draulic Fracturing (fracking)would be required to stim-ulate the coal seam to pro-duce enough gas forcommercial purposes. It isat this point the search forCSG becomes problematic.Gas companies are very

reluctant to reveal whatthey use in the frackingprocess. Fracturing fluidsare primarily water but con-tain other chemicals, in-cluding acids, solvents,surfactants, biocides andhydrocarbons. The chemicalresidues from fracking cancause potentially irre-versible contamination toboth ground and surfacewater sources.CSG extraction also poses

serious risks to fresh wateraquifers. The huge volumesextracted from coal seamscan lead to major deple-tions in adjoining aquifersused for drinking water,agriculture, other industriesand fire-fighting. Aquifersmay also be connected tosurface water systems. Further to that, typical re-

leases from gas wells in-clude substances whichaffect the respiratory sys-tem. Twenty-five per centare carcinogenic; 37 percent affect the endocrine

system; 52 per cent affectthe nervous system; and40 per cent affect the im-mune system. They canand do contaminate the airas well as water systems.Heavy metals and other

toxic compounds are alsonaturally present in coalseams and may be broughtto the surface in wastewater.Serious health problems in

human and animal popula-tions have emerged in NSWand Queensland where CSGis being extracted in farm-ing communities.For more details about the

negative effects of frackingin farming communities,see online at www.western-

downs.group-action.com Exxon Mobil has played

down concerns about theinitial exploration for CSG inthe Gippsland Basin, sayingcoal here is of a lower rankthan coal found in NewSouth Wales and Queens-land and may not requirefracking. One response local prop-

erty owners may take in re-sponse to the approach ofthese companies to accesstheir land for exploration isto lock the gates of theirproperty. Lock the Gate is acampaign begun in NSWand Queensland to slow theprogress of what may leadto environmentally haz-ardous practises associatedwith CSG extraction. Lock the Gate organisers

advise land owners not toallow company representa-tives onto their land for any

reason but to meet them atthe gate for any discussion,preferably with a neighbor,but never alone. They ad-vise neighbors to speakwith one voice and to re-fuse companies access toproperty. A simple ‘No Trespassers’

sign on all access gates willkeep them away. Land own-ers have a legal right to dothis, which will be upheldby the courts. Organisersfurther advise land ownersnot to sign anything and toseek legal advice.For further information,

Lock the Gate Gippsland isonline at www.lockthegate-gippsland.com Issues particular to Gipps-

land include, most impor-tantly, the potential threatto food production in thisfertile and productive partof Australia, and the healthrisks to local populations.In relation to Exxon Mobil,

local landowners alreadyhave had negative experi-ences of the company’sdealings with them, partic-ularly around the Longfordgas plant. It has a ques-tionable reputation in ourcommunities for not beingtransparent in its dealingswith local people.Furthermore, the company

shows no commitment togroup bargaining with landowners. They prefer to dealindividually with land own-ers and to come to separatearrangements for accessand payment. Typically,farmers who are doing itharder than others may be

more easily persuaded intoless than just financialarrangements when tar-geted individually.The situation does, how-

ever, remain complex.Exxon Mobil argues that, ifCSG can be extracted safelyin Gippsland, it will provideus with a far ‘greener’means of power productionthan that generated bybrown coal plants and mayhelp the region respond tothe potential loss of jobsassociated with the impactof the carbon tax on powerproduction in the valley. Exxon Mobile also claims it

gives access to furtherwater supplies produced inthe process of extraction,once that water has beenfiltered. Nevertheless, no-one can

be sure that safe extractionis a possibility without anenvironmental impact studybeing carried out.It is of concern the Victo-

rian government has shownno inclination to accede torequests for a moratoriumon exploration for CSG inGippsland until an environ-mental impact study is car-ried out. Given the NationalParty’s claim specifically torepresent the interests offarming communities, thereis understandable concernamong local farmers theirapproaches to governmenton this matter seem to befalling on deaf ears.

Perhaps the coalition’s his-tory of complicity with themining sector compromisestheir capacity to respond torural concerns about CSGexploration.I suggest it falls within the

church’s responsibility toensure we are informedabout this issue whichthreatens to impact disas-trously on our communi-ties, and to stand ready toadvocate with and for landholders for their rights to bemaintained in the face ofthe demands that may beplaced on them in thesearch for CSG in Gipps-land. This is a matter of duty for

those who would hear thecommendation of Jesus to“hunger and thirst for jus-tice”.

Bishop concernedpoliticians don’trepresent farmers

Right Reverend John McIntyreBishop of Gippsland

“the church’s responsibilityto ensure we are informedabout this issue whichthreatens to impact disas-trously on our communities”

AT A recent gathering at theAbbey of St Barnabas, at A’BeckettPark on Raymond Island, Archdea-con Ted Gibson encouraged peopleto become a friend of the abbey.Archdeacon Ted was the incumbentwhen the church of St Barnabaswas moved to A’Beckett Park, fromBriagolong.“The congregation of the abbey is

only a handful of dedicated Angli-

cans,” he said.“We must encourage others to be-

come friends of the abbey, to sup-port its vision, operation andupkeep; and to pray for the abbey.”Friends of the Abbey of St Barn-

abas at A’Beckett Park receive aregular newsletter, pray for theabbey, are encouraged to be in-volved with the abbey and in pro-moting it and the programs

offered. They are encouraged togive financially to the work of theabbey.In particular, Friends of the Abbey

are encouraged to offer time andexpertise to support the develop-ment of the abbey as a centre forspirituality and the environment.Membership is $10 and at the re-

cent dedication of Ena SheumackHouse and the reunion retreat led

by Ted and Annabel Gibson, the in-terest of some attendees extendedto taking up the membership offer.“When you stay at the abbey, you

are immersed in creativity and asense of peace; with marvelloussunsets and the beauty of theGippsland Lakes,” said ArchdeaconEdie Ashley, priest at the abbey.Telephone 03 5156 6580 or email

[email protected]

Abbey seeking friends in their thousands



Dedication of house and clavinovaBy Jeanette Severs

A SIGNIFICANT period in the life of thediocese was concluded on July 25, whenEna Sheumack House was dedicated bythe Bishop of Gippsland, Right ReverendJohn McIntyre. Ena Sheumack was thewife of Bishop Colin Sheumack and wasdedicated to supporting the wives of clergyand the women of this and other diocesesshe served in. She was also a strong sup-porter of Anglican Women of Australia(AWA), which, unfortunately, has ceased toexist in this diocese after 50 years.A memorial fund was set up by AWA to

raise money in the name of EnaSheumack. Recently, negotiations betweenthe diocese and AWA resulted in the fundbeing used to refurbish the house at theAbbey of St Barnabas at A’Beckett Park.The house was used by the managers of

the park in the past and more recently is

for use by the priest of the abbey.The ceremony to dedicate Ena Sheumack

House, as a recognition of not only Ena’sbut all women’s ministry in the diocese,was attended by past AWA members andsupporters from across Gippsland.After the dedication of Ena Sheumack

House, a service was held in the chapel todedicate a new clavinova (organ), gifted byGeorgina Evans in memory of her late hus-band, Scott.

RIGHT: Bishop John McIntyre places theplaque on the wall of Ena Sheumack houseduring the dedication ceremony on July 25.BELOW: Bishop John McIntyre, organistJudy Rennick and Archdeacon Edie Ashleywith Georgina Evans and Bryan Taylor,widow and son of Scott Evans, placing thededication sign on the clavinova in thechapel of St Barnabas at A’Beckett Park.

Photos: Jeanette Severs

TOP: Annabel Gibson, PatCameron and Merrill John-ston cut the cakes in cele-bration of the life andmemory of Ena Sheumack.ABOVE far left: Jim Reevesand Colin Maxfield at thededication of EnaSheumack House.ABOVE left: RosemaryPounder and Sue Gibsonafter the dedication servicefor the clavinova in thechapel.ABOVE: Ian and Jan Cookat the ceremony to dedi-cate Ena Sheumack House,at A’Beckett Park.


August 2012 Our Diocese - Dedication of Ena Sheumack House 5





continued from page one

“God works through thewriters in their own con-text, culture, time and un-derstanding.“We can compare the dif-

ferent gospels and we havethe freedom to ask whichinterpretation or detailingof Jesus’ acts is accurate.Therefore we need to readthe bible intelligently andread it in its historical con-text, culture and kinship re-lationships,” Dr Lee said.“In particular we need to

understand the honor-shame culture of the an-cient world, the fear ofbeing publicly shamed.“We read the bible and un-

derstand that in the ancientworld the writers had amoral responsibility tomake you a better person.”Referring to the four

Gospels, Dr Lee stressedthe need to ask what each

writer, individually, is tryingto tell us about Jesus’teaching and how we canascertain the real story bythen reading them collec-tively, focussing on the dif-ferences, similarities andemphases.“If we are going to read

the bible intelligently, thismeans taking seriously thebible as a human book, tak-ing seriously the historicalcontext, the genre and thequestion of respecting thewriters’ diversity in culture,”she said.“It is important we also in-

terpret the bible canoni-cally, looking for the truthin the writings and at scrip-ture as a whole,” comparingwhat the different writersargue or detail.Dr Lee also spoke about

the importance of interpret-ing scripture theologically.“First we need to see that

Christ somehow stands at

the centre of scripture,” shesaid.“For example, Luke talks

about Jesus’ actions but istrying to interpret those ac-tions theologically withJesus Christ at the centreand according to JesusChrist as the principle of in-terpretation.“We need to listen to each

other respectfully, no mat-ter how much we disagreewith each other.”Dr Lee discussed the need

to interpret scripture “withan eye on resurrection; wehave a destiny of resurrec-tion so we must treat ourbodies with respect [and]interpret that to mean thewhole of creation as well.“The bible belongs in the

worship and praise of God.Therefore we read the biblewith our minds and ourhearts, liturgically andpraiseworthy,” Dr Lee con-cluded.

Respect needed forlistening to each other

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LEFT: Sue Fordham, Reverend Dr Dorothy Lee, Rev. Car-oline Nancarrow and Rev. Lyndon Phillips.ABOVE: Kate Campbell and Annette Hollonds, both of Saleparish, at the seminar in Sale where Dr Dorothy Lee spoketo the theme ‘How do we read scripture today?’.

Photos Jeanette Severs

ABOVE: Reverend TomKillingbeck, of Bruthenparish and Pat McKeown, ofBairnsdale parish (and ex-Bruthen parish) wereamong the 50 people whoattended the seminar inSale, to hear renownedtheologian, Reverend DrDorothy Lee.ABOVE middle: Judy Tul-loch and May Kyne, of Avonparish, attended the semi-nar in Sale, held at Del-bridge Hall.




MATTE (Madeline) Lanigan, nee Rautman, at-tended the reunion retreat last month, at theAbbey of St Barnabas at A’Beckett Park, on Ray-mond Island and reminisced about her time atthe camp, particularly as a young woman in1939 and as a cook in 1965. Matte was bornand raised in Tinamba and has lived the past 60years in Heyfield. Matte is now aged 90 yearsand her reminiscences are included here.

Girls Camp 1939IN January 1939, after the terrible bushfires of

that summer, when many homes and lives werelost in North Gippsland, it was decided the‘Church of England Girls Camp’ would still beheld on Raymond Island. The land was be-queathed by Mrs Beatrice A’Beckett for this pur-pose; she had died the previous year.I arrived at Paynesville on a rainy afternoon,

with my blanket, pillor, two chaff bags, enamelplate and cutlery, plus two shillings and six-pence pocket money. I was rowed, in a smallboat, to the camp jetty, as the antiquated ferrywas closed for the day.I was greeted by Sister May Lambert on the

brick-paved veranda at the front of the cottage,where all the girls were confined because it wastoo wet to erect the tents for their accomoda-tion. A small room beside the house was filledwith straw and some of the older girls, with Sis-ter Winifred, were busily stuffing it into the chaffbags.These bags were quite large and the second

one was pulled down over the filled bag to forma mattress. The room was then swept, leaving aheavy pall of dust which was hard to settle inthe moist atmosphere.Sleeping positions were arranged around the

walls but there had not been enough straw leftfor me and, being a little older, I was given theprivilege of using the canvas folding campstretcher. Oh, lucky me? All the suitcases hadbeen stowed underneath, with corners stickingup everywhere. Sister May then placed a wooden packing case,

with a hole cut out on top, on the floor, with akerosene tin underneath, at the foot of my bednear the door, explaining it would be too coldand dark to venture out at night. Besides, thetoilets would not be available until next day. Well, the sound of rain on an unlined roof could

not compare with the noise of the kerosene tinthroughout the night.There was little sleep. One girl was trying to

shield the light of a torch while she wrote a let-ter to her mother.We breakfasted, seated on wooden forms be-

side a long trestle table under the veranda.There was 13 on each side and a Sister eachend when all were seated. We had cereal withmilk and sugar on our enamel plates, followedby poached or fried eggs on the same plate. Isoon learned to retrieve some bread to mop up,as I was not keen on milky, sweet eggs.After breakfast, work began on the toilet facil-

ities, using an allocated area where twigs andgrass were used to cover the evidence, whileholes were dug nearer the beach for our sewer-age system. These were dug until the waterlevel was reached and each day were flushed bythe Bucket Brigade, involving every camperspread at intervals to the beach, with a seniorgirl knee deep in the lake, filling the buckets topass on.Once our wooden box seats were installed and

hession placed around, we were indeed living instyle.The camp ground had dried sufficiently for the

tents to be erected but we did not witness it, aswe were all away busily exploring.Dora Beadle collected our pocket money on ar-

rival and for half an hour each day the ‘bank’was open and we were allowed sixpence tospend at the tuckshop (boxes of assortedsweets, etcetera, put out on display).The tents were erected for the girls but the

adults slept in the house, where the meals werealso cooked, but I never did see beyond thedoor onto the veranda.Mrs Bright-Parker, a Girls Friendly Society

(GFS) leader from Melbourne was there with hertwo daughters and Sister May brought a girl or-phaned by the bushfires, who she had adopted.The girls came from all areas around Gippsland.We all had a happy time, swimming, walking,

playing organised games, as well as prayertime. One day, loads of thick sandwiches weremade and packed into the ever-useful kerosenetins and we boarded a boat to hold us all andcircumnavigated Raymond Island. We disem-barked at the far end for a picnic lunch.Throughout it all we were accompanied by Sis-ter May’s small dog, Jeldi, and entertained our-selves looking for koalas.I was always fascinated with plants and rocks

and our favorite spot on the island was thepointed end of A’Beckett Park land, which jut-ted out into the water. It was a mass of inter-esting rocks and around in the bush leading toit were all sorts of small succulent-type plants.I could not resist these and I guess I asked Sis-ter May’s approval, because I brought themback to the cottage.The edge of the veranda opposite the door was

blocked off. Maybe a vine had once grown there,but it was the ideal spot for a rock garden, suchas I had built for cacti at home. I must have en-thused by new young friends to help carryrocks, because a sizeable rock garden resulted.It was still there when I visited some years later.I would love to know if there is still someone

around who was there and remembers.

Boys Camp 1965I HAVE returned to Raymond Island several

times in the intervening years. I was at thecamp when Mrs Evanne Garnsey, with womenfrom all over the diocese, outlined the forma-tion of a combined group to include all womenof the Anglican faith to get together. We all saton the grass in front of the cottage, until somewere so bothered by mosquitos they retreatedto their cars.My children attended various camps, both with

the school and Sunday school groups. My nineyear old son was at a junior Sunday schoolcamp when I was asked if I would help at aBoy’s Adventure Camp to follow. I agreed andthen learned the cook was sick and unable toattend; and I was to be the cook.There were 17 senior boys enrolled, so I felt I

could cope with their rostered help, as it wouldonly be a little more than double my usual fam-ily to cook for. I was to have one free day, as acamp away was planned for the boys.On arrival, I discovered there would be many

more than 17 boys; there would, in fact, be 56people. Two CEB leaders had brought theirwives and families, as had our minister. A sportsleader, my small daughter and my son from theprevious camp were among the extras.

The wife of one CEB leader offered to help, butsadly had to leave after only a few hours be-cause of a death in her family, but was per-suaded to leave her children with us. The otherwife took her place, but had a young baby. Thisleft only the pregnant wife of our minister tohelp.Of course, kitchen arrangements were soon

well organised, with the boys in teams carryingout the menial tasks, including peeling vegeta-bles and washing and drying dishes.Then several of the boys were struck down

with a gastric virus and I contracted it. Luckily,it hit me in the night, when I was violently ill,but I recovered quickly next day. I blamed myunrest on worrying how I was to make fourchickens into a hearty meal for so many, asthere were no shops on the island nd the bishopwas coming to visit.However, with lots of spaghetti and vegetables,

it was wonderful how the casserole expanded,like the loaves and fishes.The boys were busy at the water’s edge, with

old drums, rope and planks, as they endeavoredto construct seaworthy craft. When all wasready, I was asked to prepare food for a picnic,so with boilers packed with a mixture of sand-

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Matte remembers camps at A’Beckett Park

continued next page

ABOVE: Jean Heasley with her friend, MatteLanigan, at the A’Beckett Park reunion.




continued from previouspage

wiches, cakes and fruit, weall set off.We had taken a yacht with

us from Heyfield and therewas a rowing boat at thecamp. Two lads from homearrived with a speedboat totake the women, but Iopted to row the boat, aswe made it across thewater to Newland’s Arm.Eventually, all he boat-

builders arrived, having setoff earlier, with much pad-dling and repairs on theway. Everyone had a lovelytime swimming and sun-baking but I was whippedhome in the speedboat toprepare the evening meal.They day of the big adven-

ture arrived, when all thesenior boys were to campovernight at a destinationnear the sea and I was tohave the promised day off;after preparing all the foodfor them to take. I refusedto make the requestedboiler of custard to go withtheir tinned fruit, as itwould be difficult to take ina boat anyway, so theyopted for the suggestedcondensed milk. Finally, at4pm, with much fuss withfishing gear and otherequipment, the last boatleft the island, leaving mewith only 23 mouths tofeed.We all relaxed and decided

not to get up at the usualearly hour in the morning.Imagine our surprise whenthe breakfast was barelyover at 9am and the first ofthe ‘adventurers’ began ar-riving back. What is more,we did not get our promisedmeal of fish and chips, as itwould have been too costlyto get for everyone.One of those boys at the

camp was Bill Ray, nowBishop of North Queens-land.After that time, I cooked

at several camps and gotmuch satisfaction from

planning early and buyingspecials, using as muchhome grown fruit and veg-etables in the menu as pos-sible, to make the campeconomical for the families.The camps were always a

lot of fun and the im-promptu concerts displayedlots of talent, too. I feel sadthat there are so few chil-dren attending Sundayschools now. At the lastcamp I cooked for therewere 86 campers, but theywere from across a largearea of the diocese. I thinkthat camp was 10 yearsago, maybe more.

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Matte remembers camps

ABOVE: Betty Luxford andMargaret Beckett looking atphotographs from pastgirls’ and boys’ camps heldat A’Beckett Park.RIGHT: Matte Laniganshows Joan Hall, ShirleySunderman, GwynnethDickins and Merrill Johnstonphotographs from the 1939girls’ camp she attended atA’Beckett Park.


RIGHT: Iris Maxfield andJanet Trotter reminisceabout times past, looking atphotographs from girls’camps held at A’BeckettPark. A’Beckett Park wasbequeathed to Gippslanddiocese by Beatrice A’Beck-ett for the use of churchand school camps andother youth activities. Inrecent years, the diocesehas redeveloped A’BeckettPark as an abbey offeringretreats and workshops anda centre for spirituality andthe environment.




A’Beckett Park girls’ camp 1939PHOTOGRAPHS taken at theChurch of England girls’ campheld in January 1939 at A’Beck-ett Park, from Matte Lanigan.FAR right: At a picnic at the farend of Raymond Island in Janu-ary 1939, Sister May (black veilon her hat) sits at the base of atree with some girls. Sister May’sdog, Jeldi, is in the foreground.RIGHT: The campers board theboat after a picnic.BELOW: Vin Kelly, KathleenBright-Parker and Matte Raut-man with (front) Mavis Owen.BELOW right: Tent mates, LalieMurphy, Mavis Owen and Kath-leen Bright-Parker.

LAST month, leaders gath-ered from across Gippslandat Monash University tothink creatively about thenext series of workshop re-treats at the Abbey of StBarnabas at A’Beckett Park,on Raymond Island. From August 3 to 5 is the

men’s retreat, led by Rev-erend John Stewart. Forpeople who enjoy creativewriting or who would like totry their hand at it, SueFordham and ArchdeaconPhilip Muston are offering‘Writing in the Fire’ fromAugust 17 to 19.If making or listening to

music is your interest, FayMagee and Reverend DrDon Saines offer ‘Music inthe Wind’ from September

14 to 16. Bring yourrecorder, tin whistle, voiceor other instrument, if youhave one.By popular interest, Dr

Pene Brook will be leading‘Art grounded in Earth’ fromOctober 12 to 14 for peoplewho like creating visualworks of color and beauty.On November 9 to 11,Archdeacon Susanna Painand Dr Ann Miller offermovement to rhythm with‘Dance through Water’. Anam Cara retreats are

becoming popular at theAbbey. A small gathering ofpeople in Ena SheumackHouse on the evening ofJune 22 shared a meal andbegan a short quiet time ofreflection and evening wor-

ship. Kate Campbell and Kath

Grandy led attendees on agentle journey with a sensewe walk together in thepresence of God. ‘Embrac-ing Winter’ was the themeof this retreat.The next Anam Cara Re-

treat is on September 28 to30, with the theme ‘Em-bracing Spring’. This onewill be led by MarilynObersby.Enjoy your retreat in the

comfortable A’BeckettUnits. Each room has anensuite, a queen sized bedand a single bed, mi-crowave, refrigerator,toaster, crockery and cut-lery. The full retreat price of$195 includes all meals,

Abbey retreat leadersexplore their elements

towels and linen provided ina single room with ensuiteaccommodation. For double, twin share or

budget options, please con-tact Sue Gibson at theAbbey, telephone 03 51566580. To book or for furtherinformation, telephoneSue, 03 5156 6580, [email protected] oronline atwww.theabbey.org.au

Contributor: Edie Ashley

ABOVE: Lalie Murphy,Win Kelly and BrendaWoodland.

BELOW: Lady Bay, on Raymond Island, identifiedby Matte Lanigan, nee Rautman, from photo-graphs taken in January 1939 at the girls’ campheld at A’Beckett Park.



THE Anam Cara Commu-nity held a service ofThanksgiving and Commis-sioning on June 30, at StMary’s Morwell, givingthanks to God for activitiesand ministry in the pastyear.As part of the liturgy, new

Associates of the commu-nity were welcomed andexisting Associates re-af-firmed. The Servant Lead-ers were commissioned forGippsland: Kate Campbell,Sue Hopkins, Jane Mac-queen, Carolyn Raymond,Colin Thornby, HeatherToms, Anne Turner, BrianTurner, Christopher Venningand Marion White for AnamCara Gippsland. JeannetteMcHugh was commissionedfor Anam Cara Canberra-Goulburn.Prayers of thanksgiving

were offered for the inau-gural Soul Carer of thecommunity, Reverend AnneTurner, who retired fromthe leadership to journeywith the associates in othercapacities. The new SoulCarers, Jane Macqueen andColin Thornby, were com-missioned for their newministry by ArchdeaconHeather Marten, Vicar Gen-eral of the Diocese of Gipp-sland, and were receivedwith great joy by the gath-ered associates of the com-munity.Dr Thornby spoke about

the Rule of St Benedict andthe requirement for theServant Leaders to be eversensitive to the individualneeds of associates and en-quirers. The community isgrowing and evolving with

the guiding grace of theHoly Spirit.Participants enjoyed lunch

together in St Mary’s hallfollowing the service.Bishop John MacIntyre will

lead the next Anam Caraquiet day, at St Mary’s Mir-boo North on Saturday, Au-gust 11. All are welcome. For information, contact

Jane Macqueen, telephone0411 316346 or emailjane.macqueen@anam-cara–gippsland.org or DrColin Thornby, telephone0403 776402 or [email protected]: Sue Hopkins

Encounter theJewish faith

STATISTICS from the2011 Census indicate97,300 people identify asJewish in Australia, repre-senting about 0.5 per centof the total Australian pop-ulation. Jewish people inAustralia, however, havemade contributions to Aus-tralian life far beyond whatmight be expected of sucha small population group. People such as Otto

Frankel, Robert Manne, SirGustav Nossall, SidneyMyer, Barrie Kosky, HarrySeidler, Sir Zelman Cowen,Isaac Isaacs, John Monash,Geraldine Brooks, ReneeGeyer and Raymond Applehave added to the richnessof Australia and sharedsomething of what it means

to be a Jewish person.The history of Judao-

Christian interactions hasoften been difficult andthere are many examples ofanti-Semitism in thechurch’s past, from which ithas rightly repented andsought forgiveness. Recentbut incomprehensibleevents such as the Shoah(Holocaust) demonstratesthe continuing unreasoningfear and hatred felt bysome for the Jewish people.Throughout all of this, the

Jews have sought to remainfaithful to the Covenant be-tween God and the childrenof Israel. Various culturalexpressions of the Jewishfaith have sprung up acrossthe world and many arerepresented in Australia.On Saturday, October 13,

the Anam Cara Communityhas organised a day of con-templative encounter with

two Jewish guests, Gerryand Karen, who will sharesomething of the experi-ence of their faith withthose present. Everyone iswelcome to attend. People intending to attend

are asked to prepare byreading one of ChaimPotok’s novels, such as TheChosen, My Name is AsherLev or Davita’s Harp (eachof these should be availablefrom local libraries).The day will be hosted at

Allan and Jan Huggins’home at 1067 YarragonSouth Road, TrafalgarSouth. Access is from thePrinces Freeway via SunnyCreek Road. Morning andafternoon tea and soup aresupplied; participants areasked to bring their own

lunch. RSVP by contacting Car-

olyn, telephone 0351918343, Jan on tele-phone 03 56347616 orMarion, telephone 0356233216. Cost is free to$15, depending on yourmeans.Further information online

at http://www.anamcara-gippsland.org/?p=730Contributor: Colin Thornby

ABOVE: Anne Turner (frontright), retiring leader of theAnam Cara Community,with Jane Macqueen andColin Thornby, the new SoulCarers of the Anam CaraCommunity. Jane and Colinwere commissioned onJune 30.

Photo: Carolyn Raymond

Anam Carawelcomes newleadership

Cursillistas gather at Sale

ABOVE: The group of par-ticipants and team mem-bers who gathered at Salein early July to participatein this year’s Cursillo. Thetheme for Women’s Cursillo35, chosen by the partici-pants, was ‘I am the way,the truth and the life’.

Photos: Christine Morris

August 2012 Our Diocese - Parishes 11


EVERY now and then inthe church, we recogniseand celebrate the wonder-fully faithful service ofmembers of our faith com-munities. On Pentecost Sunday, May

27, the members of StMary’s Anglican Church ofMirboo North recognisedand paid tribute to the con-tribution of Marj Allen(right) to the ministry ofmusic in the worship of Godduring 45 years in ourparish and beyond. There was a special com-

bined worship service at9.30am to give thanks toGod for Marj’s gift to us andmany others, as this part ofher ministry to the life ofthe church drew to a close.There was a good atten-dance of people to say“Thank You!” to Marj, in-cluding a few communityvisitors. Marj is usually one of the

first people to arrive atchurch each week. She is

an enthusiastic and faithfulChristian woman, who hasmany other gifts which shedisplays selflessly, includingher prayerfulness, readingof Scripture, generosity andattention to the needs ofothers. The service was followed

by a special morning teawhere we continued to cel-

ebrate Marj’s terrific contri-bution and make appropri-ate presentations to her(including chocolate, flow-ers, a hairdressing voucherand a Plaque of Recognition(inset above), which hasjust received its appropriatefaculty for placement in themusic alcove.

Contributor: G. Pittaway

Song and storyCLIFTON Waters Village

Variety Club performed intheir latest musical Mood,Melodies and Memories.Songs from music halldays, comedy, solo per-formances and the choirwere much enjoyed by theaudience.The congregation of St

John’s celebrated their Pa-tron Saint, St John the Bap-tist, on Sunday, June 24.The organ played, the choirsang and Canon GordonCooper, locum priest whilethe rector is on leave, cele-brated Holy Communionwith praise and thanksgiv-ing for our church. We were also reminded

that St John the Baptist wasan inspired prophet and rel-ative of Jesus.After the service, many of

the congregation enjoyedlunch while Archdeacon TedGibson, who has a vastmemory of church historyand local events, spokeabout the beginnings of StJohn’s church in Bairnsdale. He talked about the first

ministers travelling onhorses from the MonaroHigh Plains to minister to

the people of Gippsland, asthere were no churches.Between 1880 to 1920,when churches were beingbuilt, ministers were happyto share their buildings withcongregations waiting tohave their church com-pleted. St John’s was happy to ac-

commodate the Lutheranworshippers for a time. Soeven in those days, ecu-menical meetings withother churches were beingheld.Amanda Ballantyne, the

youth and children’sworker, has resigned fromher ministry in Bairnsdale.She was farewelled at theservice with a special bless-ing. We wish her well in thefuture.

Contributor: U. Plunkett

ABOVE: Clifton Waters Vil-lage residents perform.

Photo: Bairnsdale Advertiser

BELOW: Archdeacon TedGibson spoke about the his-tory of the parish at StJohn’s Bairnsdale’s PatronalFestival.

Photo: P. Brand

Faithful servant, Marj

Church in the roundIN June, St Mary’s hosted

the annual ThanksgivingService of the Anam CaraCommunity. The AnamCara Community requestedthe church be prepared soeveryone could be seated inthe round and all could re-ceive communion by stand-ing together in a circle. It was decided to maintain

the church in the round forthe Sunday services. StMary’s congregation appre-ciated the symbolism andwe have made some smallchanges during the month,such as bringing the chil-dren’s corner closer to thefront of the church, but wehave maintained the churchin the round for Sundayservices throughout July. On July 1, Reverend Lyn

Williams was taking theservice. The Gospel lessonspoke to us of Jesus send-ing out his disciples topreach the word. The Bibletells us not to take manypossessions as we set outto preach. To the surprise of the con-

gregation, Rev. Lyn col-lected a suitcase and anumbrella from behind theorgan and was about toleave the church to preachthe gospel on the streets ofMorwell. However, she hada suspiciously large caseand this did not seem to befollowing the instructions inthe Bible about travellinglight. She was outed by

Archdeacon Heather Martenand three children from theSunday school, Stacey,Presley and Remey. Theyfound, as they suspected,

that Rev. Lyn had many un-necessary objects. Fortu-nately, she did have a verylarge Bible.She decided to leave her

preaching on the streetsuntil later and she stayed tofinish the service.On Wednesday, July 11,

the mission group held acasserole tea and filmnight, in aid of our missionproject for the year, St Mar-garet’s hospital in NewGuinea. We all had a greatnight, enjoying the homecooked food and the filmwhich took us to Paris bynight. We were all surprised and

pleased when a ‘Lolly Lady’,alias Joan Peachey, sharedher wares with everyone.We crunched our waythrough lollies and pop-corn all through the film.

Contributor: C. Raymond

Open GardenMORWELL parish is host-

ing an open garden, in aidof our St Mary’s missionproject, St Margaret’s Hos-pital in New Guinea.Oliver and Carolyn Ray-

mond are opening theirgarden at Tyers, an acre ofmainly native garden set onthe side of a hill. The ad-dress is 60 CooloongattaDrive, Tyers; just up theWalhalla Road past theLookout.There will be Devonshire

teas on the verandah, timeto explore around the gar-den and wander along thebush road winding downthe hill into the valley.The garden will be open on

Saturday, October 6, from1pm to 5pm. Cost is $10per person; children free.

ABOVE: Reverend Heather Marten, Stacey, Presley andRemey ask Rev. Lyn: “What have you got in your case?”

Busy BoolarraCHURCHILL Ladies Fellow-

ship met in July at PatStewart’s to organise aWinifred Kiek service onJuly 22, a Pleasant SundayAfternoon on August 12and a sausage sizzle on Au-gust 25.A Winter Warming was

held at Boolarra on July 1,when tinned and packagedgoods were blessed for thework of Anglicare in Morwelland delivered the following

day. A CRE service at Yin-nar on July 15 was dedi-cated to the RE program inour local schools.Reverend Marilyn Obersby

has led a study series onthe book by Philip Yancey,What’s So Amazing AboutGrace?, using the DVD forsmall groups.Boolarra Yinnar parish is

organising a murder activ-ity as an outreach event.

Contributor: R. Billing



2012

International Year of People of African Descent, National Year of theFarmer, National Year of Reading

August3-5 Men’s retreat led by Reverend John Stewart, Robert

Fordham and Rev. Brian Turner; Abbey of St Barnabas, A’Beckett Park; telephone 03 5156 6580

4 Lay Reader Training; Bairnsdale; 9.30am to 4pm; contact reverends Jenny Ramage, Tony Wicking and Bruce Charles; register at Registry, 03 5144 2044

10-11 Seminar with Tim Dyer; follow up to conflict seminar for clergy, 2011; Traralgon

11 Anam Cara quiet day, St Mary’s Mirboo North, 9.30am to 4pm; telephone Jane, 0411 316346 or Colin, 0403 776402

12 A pleasant Sunday afternoon, Boolarra Yinnar parish18-19 Fire and Creative Written Expression; workshops led by

Archdeacon Philip Muston and Sue Fordham; Abbey of St Barnabas, A’Beckett Park; telephone 03 5156 6580

21 Mothers’ Union executive meeting; Morwell; 9.30am to 11.30am; contact Karin McKenzie, 03 5662 2148

22 Barry Marshall Memorial Lecture presented by Trinity College, Melbourne; guest speaker Michael Kirby AC CMG; topic Religion and Sexuality: Uncomfortable Bed Fellows; 6.30pm; Melbourne Brain Centre, Royal Parade, Parkville; enquiries 03 9348 7127

25 Multicultural music festival, Royal Society of Church Music; St Paul’s Cathedral, Melbourne; 2.30pm to 4pm

25 Sausage sizzle, Boolarra Yinnar parish31 to Sept. 2 Retreat on the Spirituality of Spring, led by Reverend

Anne Turner; Abbey of St Barnabas, A’Beckett Park; telephone 03 5156 6580

SeptemberAug. 31 to Sept. 2 Retreat on the Spirituality of Spring, led by

Reverend Anne Turner; Abbey of St Barnabas, A’Beckett Park; telephone 03 5156 6580

9 Back to Church Sunday11 Mothers’ Union Gippsland annual general meeting;

Leongatha; 9.30am14-16 Workshops on Wind and Music, led by Fay Magee and Dean

Dr Don Saines; Abbey of St Barnabas, A’Beckett Park; telephone 03 5156 6580

25-28 Mothers’ Union invitation week, A’Beckett Park; telephone 03 5156 6580

October6 Open garden for Morwell parish mission to St Margaret’s

Hospital, New Guinea; 60 Cooloongatta Drive, Tyers; 1pm to 5pm; Cost $10 per person, children free.

7 Feast day of St Francis of Assisi9 Family Forum, with Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, sponsored by

Gippsland Mothers’ Union; 7.30pm; St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School Traralgon campus; telephone 03 5134 1356 or 03 5156 1949

12-14 Workshops on Earth and Art, led by Dr Pene Brook; Abbey of St Barnabas, A’Beckett Park; telephone 03 5156 6580

13 Anam Cara Community contemplative encounter, Windows into Judaism; Trafalgar South, 10am; telephone 03 5634 7616

15–18 Annual clergy retreat; Pallotti CollegeTBA Mothers’ Union East Gippsland AGM, Swan Reach27-29 Women’s and Men’s Lay Retreat; Palotti College. Contact

Gwyneth Jones, Moe; telephone 0421 501 024 or email [email protected]

November1-3 Growth in Ministry Intensive; Bishopscourt, Sale. Contact

Archdeacon Heather Marten, telephone 03 5144 20449-11 Workshops on Water and Dance, led by Archdeacon

Susanna Pain and Dr Ann Miller; Abbey of St Barnabas, A’Beckett Park; telephone 03 5156 6580

10 Quiet Day with Mothers’ Union and Bishop John McIntyre; at Bishopscourt; 10.30am to 2.30pm, BYO lunch.

11 Defence Sunday11 Remembrance Day27 Mothers’ Union Gippsland executive meeting, Morwell;

9.30am; followed by lunch

December2 Commemorative service celebrating 20 years of women

priests; 2pm, St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Sale9 Commemorative service celebrating 20 years of women

priests in Melbourne; 2.30pm; St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne

Diocesan calendar

Information printed as provided to The Gippsland Anglican.

Jesus Feeds the 5000Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. John 6:11 (NIV)Puzzle is based on John 6:1-14

DOWN1. To take food into your mouth,

chew, and swallow it2. To cure someone of illness or

disease; to make someone well again

3. What we eat to give us energy and to help us grow strong bodies

4. An animal without legs that lives in water

ACROSS3. The number that comes after

four and before six5. The number equal to one plus

one6. Pieces of bread shaped and

baked in a single piece and sliced for eating

7. A basic food made from flour, water, and yeast mixed together and baked

1 2

3 4

5

6

7

Puzzles

H J F W W W H F J S S X N N V

V B B O A T T B K X A Y C D D

X P T J M F L N A M T H Q P J

C D Q F E A A C K K I E N T R

T H C L O H V R E U S G K W Z

O E U U T L G I T Z F C P E V

W A X T J R L P X Z I L A L V

N L H T X E Z O L S E P M V B

S E I C Y H S V W P D B V E I

L D C R G S C U L E E S F S K

J O T A E M I M S J D O D K C

F B A S K E T F U L S W P S K

P I B V T T A K B D O H S L W

P S S L E B D U I R K M X M E

Q D J H K S F K C L M E H A O

JESUS THANKS TWELVE FISHBASKETFULS LEFT HEALED BOATSATISFIED FOLLOWED CROWDS SICKPEOPLE LOAVES TOWNS

Copyright: www.sermons4kids.com

FOOD FIVE HEAL TWOLOAVES BREAD EAT FISH

Wordsearch

Crossword

August 2012 Our Diocese - Children, Family and Youth Ministries 13


Color-in picture

Feeding the 5000 Copyright: www.sermons4kids.com

JameswinsawardFORMER student of St

Paul’s Anglican GrammarSchool, James DiFabrizio,has received the Premiers’VCE award for his excel-lence in drama last year.Nominations for the 2011Top-All Round VCE HighAchievers category werebased on study scores from2011 and 2010.Mr Baillieu congratulated

283 Victorian students, in-cluding 134 students fromIndependent Schools Victo-ria member schools, whowere recognised at the an-

nual Premier’s VCE Awards.Among those studentsawarded were the state’s26 top all round VCE highachievers, who gainedstudy scores of 46 or higherin at least five of their VCEstudies.

ABOVE: James DiFabriziowith his Premier’s Award.

PLANS are underway forthe 2013 diocesan Kid-splus+ Children’s and YouthCamp, to be held at theCoonawarra Farm Resort,Stratford. It will be held onMay 3 to 5. Parish Children’s ministry

teams are asked to encour-age interested participants.Hopefully, early notificationwill be helpful to parishplanning and fundraisingsupport for children andyouth aged 6 to 18 years. It is anticipated costs will

be approximately $100 perperson, plus extra for thehorseriding optional activity

($35 each) .Parish leaders are encour-

aged and welcome to par-ticipate in the campleadership team. Nothingcan replace the “Come withme invitation” in encourag-ing participation at thesewider diocesan events. The diocesan Kidsplus+

Network welcomes input forthis and other activities.Email [email protected] The next dioce-san Network meeting is onSunday, August 12, 1.30pmat St James’ Traralgon. Allare welcome. Contributor: Mary Nicholls

2013 camp plansunderway now

Rock, L and Ayliff, A (2012)My very first Story of Jesussticker book. Oxford: LionHudson.

THIS is the story of Jesus from hischildhood in Nazareth to the resur-rection. It contains, in an easy toread format, some of the most wellknown stories about Jesus;his lovefor children, healing the lame,sending out the tax collectors, thegood samaritan and last supper.Along the way, each page contains

opportunities to discuss the story,draw parallels with the child’s ownlife and, of course, place stickers onthe page relevant to the story.The book concludes with a prayer,Shine, and questions to encouragechildren to talk about simple thingsthey do to make the world brighter.

Rock, L and Rowland, A(2010) Journey into theBible. Oxford: Lion Hudson.

THIS hardcover book contains 20adventure stories but with a mod-ern learning twist. The text by LoisRock includes discussion about lan-guage, interpretation of words,maps to plan and follow the jour-ney of the adventurers.There are great illustrations by

Andrew Rowland, easily recognisedand identified by children. Overallthis book is ideal for many ages. It can be read by parents to young

children and by older children aloneor in discussion with others.Both books available from Rain-

bow Book Agencies. [email protected] or tele-phone 03 9470 6611.

Two worthwhile books for children

14 Our Diocese - Perspective August 2012


By Gordon Dowthwaite,Leongatha parish

I RECEIVED an email a few weeksago offering me the opportunity tobecome a ‘follower of Brad Sugars’.Apparently Brad is an expert onhelping small businesses and if Itake up his offer to join as his fol-lower on social media he will sendme useful tips on how to makemore money.The social media offers us many

opportunities to get closer tocelebrities and personalities by be-coming followers, giving the allu-sion of a closer relationship andhearing ‘first hand’ their opinionsand words of wisdom. The meansof communication is proving effec-tive as blogs, tweets and websitesbecome a way of life for many andcan sway personal opinion andmaybe behaviour.I wonder whether our notions of

following Jesus are being shapedby these popular definitions of ‘fol-lower’ in the social media and cur-rent culture. Is being a follower ofJesus simply about tapping intoJesus’ opinions and words of wis-dom in the hope we will gain some-thing to make our life or businessbetter? Do we feel more ‘in the know’ be-

cause we follow Jesus and ‘he toldus’? Maybe we claim to be morecommitted and stay a supporter‘win, lose or draw’ as if he was afooty club. Is it possible we onlygreatly admire him and maybegenuinely want to know about himand his views, even to copy or im-itate him?The definition of ‘follower’ in my

trusty Macquarie dictionary agreeswith all this, but the Bible has somemore direct and troubling things tosay about being a follower of Jesus.When Jesus called Peter and An-

drew to “Come, follow me”(Matthew 4:19), they immediatelyleft their nets and went with him.Their old life was left behind and anew training, to become “fishers ofmen”, began. This was not isolated to them or a

few special apostles. A teacher ofthe law was told following Jesusmeant having “no place to lay his

head” (Matthew 8:18-20). Anotherperson was told following Jesusmeant leaving family behind(Matthew 8:21-22; see also Luke14:26). The so-called ‘rich ruler’ was told

following Jesus required him to selleverything he had first (Matthew18:18-22). It gets worse.Jesus sends us out as sheep

among wolves (Matthew 10:16),with the expectation we will behated by family, friend and ‘theworld’, even arrested and maybekilled, all because we stand againstthe world as followers of Jesus(Matthew 10). Jesus doesn’t send us out in front

like [chessboard] pawns. Rather,he is the King who has led the way.He was hated by the world first; hisfamily stood against him, his clos-est friends deserted him; he putaside all self-interest and laid downhis life according to the Father’swill. He calls us to follow him onthis same path. In fact Jesus said, “Anyone who

does not take up his cross and fol-low me is not worthy of me.”(Matthew 10:38)Why on earth would anyone

choose to follow Jesus if it meanssuch total commitment and sacri-fice of self? I find myself with Peterwhen he was confronted with thecost of following Jesus. “Lord, towhom [else] shall we go? You havethe words of eternal life. We be-lieve and know that you are theHoly one of God.” (John 6:68-69)It is the living God whom we fol-

low, how could we put our own in-terests before that?There is the lovely picture in John

chapter 10 of Jesus as the GoodShepherd who calls his sheep byname and leads them out. They fol-low because they know his voice.The shepherd even lays down hislife for his sheep. I am reminded of Psalm 23 where

the sheep are provided for andcared for by the shepherd. The liv-ing God we are called to follow isalso good and loving. May we becounted worthy of our King, theGood Shepherd and Lamb of Godby “following [him] wherever hegoes” (Revelations 14:4).

By James Oakley

‘GOOD girl! You shared sonicely with your brother justthen.’‘Your sister’s ready for school

now, and you’re not evendressed. Please get ready quicklylike your sister does.’‘It’s 9:30! Go to sleep! It’s not

that hard, just lie there still andbe quiet!’‘If you can be really helpful

while we tidy the house up,there’ll be a special treat for af-ternoon tea!’‘Stop tormenting your brother!

Can’t you see he doesn’t want acuddle? How hard is it to think ofwhat he wants for once?’‘You’ve hurt your sister now!

Go over there and say you’resorry and give her a hug to makeup.’

DOES this sound familiar? Theendless variations of these phrasesform the background track to mostof my home life. My wife and I tryto teach and instruct our kids. Wetry to set clear boundaries on theirbehavior and to enforce those rulesfairly. We work hard toward the goal of

releasing them from our care(eventually) as loving, honest,competent adults.We have read all sorts of parent-

ing books by Christian authors, de-scribing tools and techniques tohelp us in our task of shepherdingour children’s hearts and guidingtheir energy and behavior. We haveused sticker charts and time outand 1-2-3 and count downs.It was a shock to me to see a de-

scription of my parenting as non-Christian parenting by Christianparents. Yet, the more I thoughtabout it, the more that descriptionrings true. Are any of those opening state-

ments that could not have beenmade by a Muslim parent? A Jewishparent? A secular or atheist par-ent? But what is actually wrong with

the statements at the start? Myconstant repetition of those themesconveys these messages:

You can earn approval (or good-ness or righteousness) by yourown efforts.Obedience is easy. Other people

manage to obey to an acceptablestandard.You can make up for your own

wrongdoing.I would never say these things

that plainly to my children. In fact,I spend most of my working lifesaying exactly the opposite to otherpeople’s children.The good news is all about how

we cannot earn God’s approval,that it is hard to obey, that we cannever make things right ourselves,but that we do not have to do so.Jesus obeyed perfectly and that isattributed to us. Jesus died to atone for our wrong-

doing, so we are freed from thatobligation. The promised HolySpirit gives us God’s power to obey.Some of the content of my par-

enting litany is a problem, but thebiggest shortfall is what I do notsay (or do not say consistently). I do not make the connection for

my children between Jesus, thegospel and their day-to-day life. Ido not give grace any air time.So what could I say or do that

would make my parenting distinctlyChristian? What might grace-in-fused parenting look like? I would want to reinforce for them

that I love them regardless of howthey behave. I know they will con-stantly do wrong, constantly disap-point, constantly struggle to obeyor constantly fail to think of othersbefore themselves. They can be free of the crushing

burden of their own imperfectionsbecause of Jesus’ perfection. That,if they trust in him, all that sin isforgiven. If they trust in him, hegives them the strength to love andobey. Their goodness is a sign ofGod at work in their lives.Even as I write this, I know I will

fail to practise it. I know I will gettired or grumpy or pre-occupied orselfish. I know when that happens,I will want immediate obedience,without wanting to take the time toshow grace. I know I will feel guilty for not

practising what I preach; for onceagain relying on something orsomeone other than Jesus. Andonce again Jesus’ grace will some-how be enough to cover my ownparenting failures. Even worse, Iknow I will get it right sometimesand be tempted to attribute thesuccess to my own effort or insight. I will be tempted to believe I can

touch my children’s hearts and turnthem to Jesus. I will swell withpride (although, very modestly, Iwill not admit it) and will usurpGod’s job. In that instant when I give in to

temptation, I know, once again,Jesus’ grace will cover me and setme back on the path of humble de-pendence on him.The book I was reading was Give

them grace: Dazzling your kidswith the love of Jesus by Elyse Fitz-patrick and Jessica Thompson,Crossway Publishing, 2011.This article was first published in

The Tasmanian Anglican, June2012; reprinted with permission.

Perspective ... following Jesus

Perspective ... parents as pastors

Perspective ... abolish slaveryBy Sue Jacka,Trafalgar parish

SLAVERY, or human trafficking asit is often called, is involved in pro-duction of cocoa, seafood, bricks,clothing, rugs and palm oil. Thesegoods are sold around the world,including in Australia. Most of us would be horrified if we

discovered the lovely carpet we ad-mire was made by a small childchained to the loom or the choco-late we eat was produced fromcocoa picked by unpaid womenworking long hours to pay off theirhusband’s debt. Consumers have aright to know if the goods they areconsidering buying have been pro-

duced by some form of forced laborbut so far international treaties andvoluntary codes of practice fallshort of protecting those most atrisk of slavery. What can we do? It is an impor-

tant part of our faith to stand forjustice. Stop the Traffik is an um-brella organisation with strongChristian connections that pro-motes campaigns to alert con-sumers to goods involving slavery.As individuals we can choose prod-ucts with Fairtrade or UTZ symbolswhich ensure the products havebeen produced fairly and in an en-vironmentally friendly way.Australian law recognises slavery

and human trafficking are seriousoffences wherever they occur but it

has failed to offer any incentive forcompanies selling imported goodsin Australia to ensure slavery andhuman trafficking have not beeninvolved in producing their im-ported goods. Companies could berequired to report on the stepsthey are taking to minimise the riskof slavery and trafficking withintheir supply chain and to audit pro-duction of goods to ensure they areslavery free.An ecumenical petition requesting

the Federal government take actionwas circulated to Gippsland clergy.Or you can download it. Mail com-pleted petitions to STOP THE TRAF-FIK Australia, c/- 130 Little CollinsStreet, Melbourne 3000, by Friday,August 31, 2012.

August 2012 Our Diocese - Clergy Ministries 15


REVEREND Brian Turnerwas inducted as Priest-in-Charge of the Parish ofAvon, at Holy Trinity Strat-ford Thursday, July 26. Brian Turner was inducted

into the part-time stipendi-ary position, as an inten-tional transitional positionto assist the parish to en-gage in its partnership con-versations with othersurrounding parishes aswell as to provide ongoingpastoral care and regenera-tion to the parish.Thanks to the good work

of Reverend Geoff Pittaway,of Mirboo North, supportedby the diocesan Registrar,Brian Norris, the diocesehas secured further fundingfrom the State governmentto re-engage David Wilcoxas the Bushfires Commu-

nity Development Workeruntil the end of this year. The government funding is

dollar-for-dollar funding.Reverend Brenda Burney

will move to the Parish ofChurchill Boolarra Yinnarfrom the Parish of Western-port later this year, at adate to be determined.Ken Peters will celebrate

his last Sunday as the long-term locum in the Parish ofYarram on August 12.

Vacant parishesTHE Co-operating Parish of

Croajingolong is looking toits future as the GippslandDiocese takes its turn tolook for a new incumbent.The Parish of Westernport

will begin its search for anew priest in the near fu-ture.The Parish of Yarram is in

process of searching for anew priest.The Parish of Newborough

has begun the search for anew priest.The Parishes of Avon, Hey-

field, Maffra and Rosedaleare continuing discussionsabout developing partner-ships in ministry, includingthe sharing of ministrystaff.Ordination candidates in

Gippsland diocese are Shar-lene Asmus, Dr Pene Brook,Fran Grimes, Katie Pekenand David Perryman. Thosein discernment for ordina-tion are Von Dubbeld (Pay-nesville) and RichardLanham (Sale).

Changes at RidleyTHERE have been impor-

tant faculty changes at Rid-ley College, Melbourne,including the recent ap-pointment of Brian Rosneras principal. He began thisnew role on July 9. Brian will bring a vision for

theological education and aleadership style that willserve Ridley well in prepar-ing men and women forgospel ministry in an in-creasingly demanding con-text. Brian is a renownedscholar with considerableexpertise in New Testa-ment.Following Brian’s appoint-

ment, the board undertooka full review of Ridley’steaching needs. As a resultof this process it was iden-tified Ridley no longer has aposition for a full time NewTestament lecturer and itwas with great regret thatDoug McComiskey’s posi-tion is redundant. This was not an easy deci-

sion and every conceivablealternative was considered,however, the college cannotafford two New Testamentscholars and the collegealso needs to have a fulltime theology lecturer onfaculty.Doug McComiskey has

been a much loved memberof faculty since he startedin July, 1999. He has a clearlove for the Lord and mod-elled humility and grace tothe Ridley community. A generation of students

have benefited from his su-perb exegetical skills, thor-ough preparation andencyclopedic knowledge.He has published severalmajor journal articles basedon significant research andis writing a major book on abiblical theology of restora-tion from exile.The board has also made

the decision that we are un-able to renew the contractof Adrian Lane when it fin-ishes on January 31, 2013.This was another difficultdecision which is a conse-quence of having too manyfaculty in the Ministry andPractice Department follow-ing the implementation ofthe Ridley Vision. Adrian has been at the

college for more than 22years, teaching almost

every subject in his depart-ment. He established andled the Ministry and Prac-tice Department, creating aculture of academic rigorand practice. Adrian made preaching his

specialty, contributing sig-nificantly to the discipline ofhomiletics in Australasiathrough publications andthe establishment of theAustralasian Academy ofHomiletics. He is an adeptteacher of pastoral care andhas had a particular con-cern for training ministersto be trainers of others. Adrian will be on long

service leave in Semester2, returning to Ridley in thesummer. His farewell will beheld early next year.Ridley Melbourne’s gradu-

ation was full of excitementthis year as 70 students re-ceived their awards andwere commissioned forministry and mission. Deanof the Australian College ofTheology, Reverend DrMark Harding commented“there is a real buzz in theplace”.He was particularly taken

by the 19 leaders from theKaren and Sudanese com-munities who received Cer-tificates in Bible andMinistry. Four people received doc-

torates, including Ridleyfaculty member Rhys Bez-zant whose work on Puritantheologian Jonathan Ed-wards’ view of church willbe published by Oxford Uni-versity Press this year. Right Reverend John Har-

rower, Bishop of Tasmania,reminded the gatheringmission begins with adora-tion and devotion of God.Joel and Kristina Kettleton,now serving as deacons inTasmania, spoke abouttheir experience at Ridley,which built them up to sendthem out.Among the graduates are

people who will serve inchurches, schools, biblecolleges, universities andworkplaces in Melbourne,Warragul, NSW, Queens-land, Northern Territory,Hong Kong and Tanzania.

ABOVE: New principal,Brian Rosner, with his wife,Reverend Natalie Rosner.

Appointments in the diocese

Annual lecture willhonor Rowan WilliamsCANTERBURY Christ

Church University will hostthe inaugural internationallecture series in honor ofthe Archbishop of Canter-bury, Most Reverend DrRowan Williams, in Septem-ber this year; it will belaunched by Colleges andUniversities of the AnglicanCommunion (CUAC).The Dr Rowan Williams

Annual CUAC Lecture com-memorates Dr Williams’ 10years as Archbishop of Can-terbury. The inaugural lec-ture will be delivered by DrWilliams at CanterburyChrist Church Universityand will focus on the role ofAnglican universities. This high-profile lecture by

the Archbishop will be heldat the University’s Augus-tine House, Canterbury, onFriday, September 28, 2012and will form part of its Ju-bilee celebrations. It willalso be video linked toCUAC institutions acrossthe world; information onhow to access the video linkwill be released before theevent.In subsequent years, the

annual CUAC lecture will ro-tate among different re-gions and be hosted bymember colleges and uni-versities.

Archbishops affirm Bible inSchoolsTHE two New Zealand-

based Archbishops havepublicly declared the Angli-can Church stands four-square behind the Bible inSchools program.

Archbishop David Moxonand Archbishop Brown Tureiwere moved to commentfollowing televised remarksmade by St Matthew-in-the-City priest, Clay Nel-son, who has joined theatheist-run Secular Educa-tion Network in a bid to getthe religious education pro-gram out of the country’sprimary and secondaryschools.The archbishops’ state-

ment reads, in part:In the light of recent

media comment, it is im-portant to clarify and re-state the Anglican Church’scommitment to Bible inSchools in this country.The ecumenical Churches

Education Commission of-fers the Bible in Schoolsprogram, where a school’sboard of trustees agrees toprovide it.The Anglican Church in

this country has long sup-ported the Churches Educa-tion Commission,financially and in principleand will continue to do so.There are many boards

who choose not to offerBible in Schools; and manyboards who do believe it isappropriate.Where a school does host

this program, pupils do nothave to attend this part ofthe day. This is a long-standing

agreement which honorsthe freedom of choice weenjoy in this country, aswell as the right of parentsto influence their child’sspiritual and moral develop-ment. We honor the work of the

hundreds of volunteers whocontinue, in a loving, sensi-tive and non-manipulativeway, to offer access, when

asked, to this heritage inour schools.

Online sermonsand talksALL Souls Church, Lang-

ham Place, in London, Eng-land, has appealed throughsocial media and its websitefor volunteers to help ‘tag’3,600 free sermons andtalks. More than 12 years ago,

the All Souls church councildecided to make its entirearchive free, even thoughincome from the sales oftapes and CDs paid forsomeone’s annual wage.They believed the talksshould be a resource for theglobal church. There are more than

3,000 talks, going back tothe 1960s when John Stottwas still rector. The archiveis constantly being added towith Sunday and midweektalks available on the web-site and as podcast. “If you know the bible pas-

sage, the preacher or thesermon’s title, it is rela-tively straightforward tofind what you want,” achurch staff member ex-plains on the website. “We have more than 3,600

sermons and talks in thearchive. If we harness theinterest and support of oursubscribers through crowd-sourcing, it would take amatter of only a few weeks.If 300 people tag 10 ser-mons each, in one monthwe could get the whole lotdone!” Visit http://www.all-

s o u l s . o r g / A r t i -cles/309547/All/Resourcing/Sermons/Sermon.aspx

16 Our Diocese - Celebrating Ordained Women August 2012


By Jeanette Severs

SIMILAR to many womenof her generation, CarolineNancarrow, Anglican priestand past Canon, felt a callto ministry in her late teenyears and, like others, wasfacing a life not in thepriesthood but rather in asupport role. At 17 yearsold, Caroline felt “I shouldlike to work for the churchand I should like to studytheology and be involved inministry”.She saw her headmistress

about this vocation who,also typical of her time, wasnot encouraging.“Never had a woman from

this school gone into thechurch,” Caroline recalls hersaying.The headmistress was, in

fact, incorrect, as a formerstudent had been ordaineda deaconess only two yearspreviously.Of eight people that

formed Caroline’s studentpeer group, five work fulltime for the church – threeare Anglican priests andone is a Catholic priest,while one works as a laychaplain in a comprehen-sive school; and anotherfellow student works in alegal capacity for thechurch.Caroline, born and raised

in England, cites the musicand choir master of her co-educational school as a biginfluence on their choice offuture careers.“He taught us to sing, he

was a church organist andsome of us went to churchunder his influence, espe-cially to sing in the choir,”Caroline said.With that vocational door

closed soundly by her head-mistress and parents, Car-oline did go on to tertiarystudy, in librarianship.Work, marriage and a fam-ily followed.“When our children were

two and three we came toAustralia and joined theChrist Church Brunswickcongregation.”It was in 1981 that Caro-

line’s interest in ministryand a vocation to thechurch were re-ignited.“I shilly-shallied around

for some time until I said Ifelt God calling me to min-istry, because I didn’t feelworthy. I was inspired byPat Brennan,” Caroline said.Dr Patricia (Pat) Brennanwas the founding presidentof MOW in Australia andconducted ground-breakingresearch into attitudes to-wards women in the Angli-can Church of Australia.“In 1981, 1982 I put in my

application to MOW. By1983 I had enquired aboutstudying and spoke withJohn Gaden, then head ofthe theological school atTrinity College, Melbourne.[John Gaden’s wife, Janet,was the inaugural modera-tor of MOW in Victoria, in

1984.]“John Gaden asked me di-

rect if I wanted to be apriest. I was overcome.Here was John, thinkingwithout a doubt that I wasenquiring about the priest-hood while it took me manyyears to feel I could saythat was my interest,” Car-oline recalled.“Up until then I’d had no

encouragement from maleclergy. In fact, there werehorrible things said, like, awoman could not stand atthe altar if she was men-struating.“Anyway, under John’s in-

fluence, in 1983 I beganstudying two subjects. Iwas studying alongsidePhilip Aspinall, KayGoldsworthy and PeterDanaher.”Caroline was further en-

couraged when Monica Fur-long visited Australia inApril 1984, to lead retreatsin Brisbane, Sydney, Can-berra, Melbourne, Adelaideand Perth and to speakabout the Movement for theOrdination of Women(MOW). Caroline’s own in-volvement with MOW in-cluded time on the steeringcommittee.However, while studying

she was also experiencingunsuccessful interviews forMelbourne diocese as atrained woman worker.“I loved studying at Trinity

College and excelled. Ifound the theological sub-jects exciting and, in 1987,I finished my degree, de-clining the offer of an hon-ours year because I couldsee I couldn’t be ordained.“So I decided to be an ex-

cellently well educated laywoman and hoped some-one could find somethingfor me to do,” Caroline said.In February 1987, in her

last year of study, Carolinewas offered the part timerole of chaplain at ChisholmInstitute, a role she helduntil August 1988.“It was my first role in

ministry but, rather thanChristian students, I foundI was ministering to andsupporting Jewish and Mus-lim women. This includedsupporting their endeav-ours to get a kosher kitchenat the Institute.”In the meantime, Caroline

was talking to Tom Binks,who was locum at St John’sEast Malvern where sheworshipped. Some peoplein Gippsland will recall TomBinks when he was chaplainof St Anne’s and GippslandGrammar School(STAGGS).“I sought his advice and

he was very encouragingabout me applying for therole of chaplain at STAGGSwhen it was advertised.This was in contrast toother male clergy. I re-member one grudginglysuggested attending an in-terview for the job was afair idea but I shouldn’t ex-

pect to be appointed to therole.”Caroline was met off the

train in Sale by John White,the then chaplain ofSTAGGS. Her interviewsand tours of the two schoolcampuses filled in the re-mainder of the day, includ-ing an interview atBishopscourt by the thenbishop.“I fell in love with that

school that day,” Carolinesaid, remembering in par-ticular a blond youngster,one of a group of childrenwho sang a song for her.That youngster, JacquieEmbling, is now an adultand recently Caroline offici-ated at her wedding.Nearly three months later,

Caroline received the letteroffering her the role ofchaplain and her new life inGippsland began shortlyafter, in July 1988.“I used to walk home

across the playing fieldsand wonder I was paid forthis,” she said. “It was also the only time I

have been paid a fullstipend for my work in min-istry.”Caroline spent eight years

at STAGGS. In that time,she was made deacon, onMay 23, 1993, in front of437 people. As chaplain,she also oversaw the build-ing of the school chapel onthe Garnsey campus inSale.She completed her role of

chaplain at the end of 1996and Bishop Arthur Jonessent her to Bairnsdaleparish, to work withGraeme Winterton, a priestwho had previouslypreached that women andmen were complementaryin ministry.Caroline was one of a

number of curates atBairnsdale. At the time,Paynesville was included inBairnsdale parish. Graemesent Caroline to Paynesvilleto lead services and minis-ter to the congregation.She was priested in May

1997, in St John’s Bairns-dale and recalls 31 priestsattended and lay hands onher.“I was the first person

priested at Bairnsdale sincethe 1940s.”Bishop Arthur then sent

Caroline to Father FredMorrey to undertake train-ing in her role as priest.She went on to be assistantpriest at Bairnsdale; still ina non stipend role and in1988 she was moved toOmeo parish, in the role ofnon stipend priest-in-charge.Caroline was in Omeo

parish for two happy yearsand recalls, during thattime, her joy when BishopArthur asked her to speakat the ordination of ElwynSparks as priest at St Paul’sCathedral in Sale.Bishop Arthur then asked

Caroline to be the first

priest-in-charge of thenewly created EpiscopalDistrict of Paynesville.“I knew them really, really

well because Graeme Win-terton had often asked meto take services in Pay-nesville,” she said.“After three years, Pay-

nesville was viable andSynod passed that it couldbecome a parish in its ownright. I was very proud forthe people of that parish.”However, health concerns

were to take precedence forCaroline and, in 2006, shehad four bypass grafts.Leave followed and thenshe was offered the role ofpriest-in-charge of Avonparish, a role she held untillast year. Also, between2007 and 2011, she was acanon of St Paul’s Cathe-dral, in Sale, in the Seat ofPriscilla. She also steppedback into the role of chap-lain at STAGGS, in a parttime capacity in 2009.After another period of

leave last year, when shespent several months inEngland, she is now an as-sociate priest in Saleparish.Caroline has also inter-

ested herself in pilgrimagesand in membership of com-mittees and Bishop-in-Council in the AnglicanChurch in Gippsland. WithMarilyn Obersby, she hasorganised a number of pil-grimages to England.“I have cried more tears

over the way male priestshave treated me and otherwomen, but I have neverlost my temper at any ofthem,” she said.“I owe Gippsland a very

great deal, because Gipps-land ordained me andparishes gave me opportu-nities.”

Gippsland diocese is hold-ing a commemorative serv-ice to celebrate 20 years’ordination of womenpriests, on December 2, be-ginning 2pm, at St Paul’sCathedral in Sale.

Monica FurlongBORN in 1930, Monica

Furlong was a writer,feminist and Christianwho “threw her consider-able moral authority be-hind the campaign forwomen priests” (TheGuardian, Obituary).Monica was a consider-

able force in the Move-ment for the Ordinationof Women. (Her father, aRoman Catholic, servedmass in WestminsterCathedral; her motherwas an avowed agnostic;Monica was baptised asan Anglican.)Monica was, in fact, per-

sonally committed to theChristian faith and wroteextensively on the needto support men andwomen of Christianideals, especially homo-sexual men in the priest-hood.In 1980, with six others,

she participated in asilent protest during anordination service, lead-ing to ejection from StPaul’s Cathedral. Oneprotestor was supposedlyflagellated by a priest atthe service.The Movement for the

Ordination of Women,founded in 1979 in Eng-land, subsequently tookoff and Monica, as mod-erator, led it her consid-erable moral authorityfrom 1982 to 1985.In 1987, distressed by

the disdain of many maleclergy towards womenand homosexuals, Mon-ica was a founder of theSt Hilda Community, withits aims of cooperationbetween men andwomen in liturgy, usinginclusive language andinviting ordained womenfrom other countries tovisit and celebrate openlyrather than clandestinely.Monica Furlong: Janu-

ary 17, 1930 to January14, 2003.

ABOVE: Reverend Caroline Nancarrow.Photo: Jeanette Severs

Caroline feels blessed by Gippsland

August 2012 Our Diocese - News 17


THE first woman Anglicanbishop for Africa waselected in July in a ‘spirit-filled’ atmosphere. The An-glican Church of SouthernAfrica (ACSA) made historyby appointing the first fe-male Anglican bishop onthe continent. Reverend Ellinah Ntombi

Wamukoya, 61 years, be-came the bishop-elect ofSwaziland and the firstwoman bishop in any of the12 Anglican Provinces inAfrica. It is thought she is only

the second bishop electedin a mainline church on thecontinent. Her election comes as The

Anglican Church of South-ern Africa, which includesAngola, Mozambique,Namibia, South Africa andLesotho, commemorates 20years since the ordinationof women to the priesthoodas presbyters and bishops.The 1992 synod was, coin-cidentally, held in Swazi-land. Rev. Wamukoya was not

initially a candidate butafter seven rounds of elec-tions yielding no results,fresh nominations were in-vited from the Elective As-sembly. She subsequently received

the required two-thirds ma-jority in both houses of laityand clergy. The Assembly was de-

scribed by one observer asa “particularly spirit-filledatmosphere” and there issaid to be much excitementin the diocese over herelection. Founded in 1968, the Dio-

cese of Swaziland com-prises of threearchdeaconries, EasternSwaziland, Southern Swazi-land and Western Swazi-land. Her predecessor was Right

Rev. Meshack Mabuza, whobecame bishop of Swazi-land in 2002. Rev. Wamukoya is cur-

rently chaplain at the Uni-versity of Swaziland and StMichael’s High School inManzini, Swaziland. She also serves as chief

executive officer of the CityCouncil in Manzini. The Member Churches

that have appointed orelected women bishops todate are Aotearoa, NewZealand, Polynesia, Aus-tralia, Canada, The Episco-pal Church, Cuba and nowSouthern Africa. Celebrations of the 20th

anniversary of the ordina-tion of women to the priest-hood in Southern Africa willbe held in September thisyear, on the margins of theProvincial Standing Com-mittee meeting, with TheEpiscopal Church’s BishopBarbara Harris as a specialguest.

Adjournmentmotion passedIN England, the question

of whether women shouldbe ordained bishops is stillundetermined. GeneralSynod recently passed amotion to adjourn the FinalApproval debate on thedraft Bishops and Priests(Consecration and Ordina-tion of Women) Measure toenable the amendmentmade in May to clause fiveto be reconsidered by theHouse of Bishops. The House will meet for

that purpose in September.When it does, it will havepower to amend the part ofthe text of the draft Meas-ure previously altered bythe amendment it made inMay to clause five.The Archbishops have

confirmed that, followingreconsideration by theHouse, the General Synodwill meet in November inLondon to resume the FinalApproval debate in the lightof the House of Bishop’sconsideration.The Bishop of Dover, Right

Reverend Trevor Willmott,on behalf of the SteeringCommittee, successfullymoved the motion propos-ing debate on the motionfor the Final Approval beadjourned. The draft Measure now ad-

dresses the fact that forsome parishes a malebishop or male priest isnecessary but not suffi-cient.

No nuclearpower, pursuealternatives THE Anglican Church in

Japan has called for nuclearpower to be abolished andalternative energy pursued.It is in response to the acci-dent brought about in 2011by the East Japan GreatEarthquake and Tsunami atTokyo Electric Power’s FirstFukushima Nuclear PowerPlant which has posed athreat to people’s lives bydisseminating radioactivesubstances not only in theimmediate vicinity but in amuch wider area, thus re-vealing nuclear power gen-eration is extremelydangerous. The 59th General Synod of

NSKK (Anglican Church inJapan) determined it is nottoo much to say this is awarning from God to eachof us who, having sufferedfrom nuclear bombings,have failed to acquire suffi-cient knowledge about nu-clear power and exposure

to radiation. Nuclear power is a real

threat to people’s lives inthat it imposes sacrifices onsocially weakened people,from mining of uranium todisposal of radioactivewaste. It also runs counter to the

teachings of Jesus Christ asit cannot be sustained with-out people’s sacrifices. Nevertheless, as the

House of Bishops stated inits message on March 11,2012: “We have enjoyedmaterially comfortable lifeby allowing nuclear powerplants to be built in variousparts of the country tomake it possible to con-sume more electricity. “The Great Earthquake

has shattered the safetymyth of nuclear powerunder the guise of peacefulutilisation of nuclear en-ergy. We call for the con-version of Japan’s energypolicy, which currently de-pends on nuclear energy.We also strongly call on allof us to change our ownlifestyle.” Based on this reflection,

we Anglicans in Japan be-lieve that, first and fore-most, we must pray forthose people threatened bythe nuclear accident as wellas the whole of life onearth. And, as Christiansfollowing Jesus Christ, wemust speak publicly againstnuclear power. We demand the Japanese

government be responsiblefor and put an end to thedevastating consequencesof this nuclear accident andwe also share the responsi-bility. As Jesus taught us:“Whatever you want men todo to you, do also to them”(Matthew 7:12).

CovenantNEW Zealand has declared

it is “unable to adopt” thedraft Anglican covenant. Asexpected, the GeneralSynod said a final ‘No’ tothe proposed Anglicancovenant. Throughout theAnglican Communion,seven provinces have ap-proved or subscribed to theAnglican Covenant. Theyare Ireland, Mexico, Myan-mar, Papua New Guinea,South East Asia, SouthernCone of America and theWest Indies.The Scottish Episcopal

Church, the AnglicanChurch in Aotearoa, NewZealand and Polynesia andthe Episcopal Church in thePhilippines bishops alsohave rejected the covenant.In March, it was clear the

Church of England couldnot adopt the covenant inits current form when a ma-jority of its dioceses votedthe document down.

First Anglican womanbishop elected in Africa

ABOVE: Rich Lanham, Reverend Geoff Pittaway and Chris-tine Morris at Delbridge Hall, in Sale, for the seminar ledby Rev. Dr Dorothy Lee, How do we read scripture today?See pages 1 and 6.


VALE Ruth Fraser, Novem-ber 66, 1943 to June 3,2012. Ruth was born inBairnsdale. She was mar-ried at St John’s Bairnsdale,to John, and it was a won-derful marriage and part-nership for 47 years. The past six years were a

battle against cancer andRuth never gave up; shewas always positive and re-lied totally on her LordJesus Christ. She was al-ways ready to tell everyoneshe met about Jesus andhow much she loved Him.Her involvement at St

John’s encompassed manyactivities, including Sundayschool, youth groups andAnglican Women of Aus-tralia. She loved her biblestudy groups and was in-volved in pastoral care. Cursillo was a must and

this led to assisting at sev-eral Alpha courses. Ruthwas also an integral part ofthe church office and an in-valuable welcomer to new-comers to the church. Ruth loved sport and was

a good tennis player and al-ways took a great interestin her husband John’s foot-ball team.She is survived by John,

their children Geoffrey,Kerry and Craig and sixgrandchildren who meanteverything to her. We willall remember her for herjoy of living and her capac-ity to make people she metfeel special.As Archdeacon Ted Gibson

said in his eulogy: “She waswell named after an OldTestament woman who wasremembered for her loyaltyand faithfulness to theend”.

Vale, PeggyON June 2 we received

word of the death in Tas-mania of Peggy Spry, a for-

mer deaconess and contrib-utor in many ways to thelife and worship of BassPhilip Island parish. Before becoming a Social

Worker, Peggy was or-dained as a Deaconess andworked in isolated locationsin the Australian outback.After taking up a position asSocial Worker at the Won-thaggi Hospital, Peggymoved to WimbledonHeights and quickly becamea valued member of theWonthaggi and Phillip Is-land communities.During her years on Phillip

Island, Peggy was a mem-ber of St Philip’s Vestry anda parish councilor. She also,with Bet Robinson, set upthe monthly ‘Focus on Faith’gatherings. We all treas-ured Peggy’s wisdom, herhonesty and her sense ofhumour.

Vale, GeoffGEOFF Bell, of Morwell,

was featured on the frontpage of the March edition ofThe Gippsland Anglican.Geoff passed away in hisgarden on Wednesday,March 21. Geoff and hisstory was featured after hereceived an Australia Dayaward from Latrobe ShireCouncil.

Vale, Ruth

ABOVE: Ruth Fraser.

18 Our Diocese - Literary and Media Reviews August 2012


Colorado, killing two peopleand injuring two more.Jesus Freaks is an obser-

vational, character-drivendocumentary, based on ayoung, dynamic, visionaryleader, John Murphy, andhis school of 45 snowboard-ers as he guides themthrough a maze of spiritualtransformation in the wakeof tragedy.

With little in common butGod and snowboarding, theyoung people wrestle withauthority, substance abuse,religion, dysfunctional rela-tionships, death and more.Guided by peer leadership,deep faith and seekingfresh snow, they set out ona journey that will ruinthem for the ordinary.Jesus Freaks shows the

realities and struggles ofmany young people as theytake ownership of theirfaith. For many youthgroups, this documentary isa great resource in speak-ing to each individual abouttheir own journey with God.Contact Ashlee Hoover,

Heritage HM, email [email protected] or 07 5370 2007.

Crocker, E (2011) Nine MinutesPast Midnight; Authentic Media.

By Colin Goodwin

RARELY does a reviewer get to writeabout a book as remarkable as DrErnest Crocker’s Nine Minutes Past Mid-night. To situate this book it is importantto note two things about the author. First, Ernest Crocker is a person of spe-

cial eminence in the medical profession.His almost 40 years of clinical practiceand teaching in nuclear medicine and ul-trasound, coupled with about 75 pub-lished scientific papers in these fields,have given him national and interna-tional leadership in the fields mentioned. Second, Ernest Crocker is an Australian

whose professional and personal life isdirected and energised by a Christianfaith ever seeking strength and practi-cal wisdom from the Scriptures andprayer. As Crocker sees it: “When we ac-cept Christ into our lives, God gives us ameasure of faith, sufficient to move onfrom a life of nomadic wandering andinto the wonderful plan and presencethat he has for our lives”.Nine Minutes Past Midnight is essen-

tially a compilation of interviews, con-versations and anecdotes, involvingdoctors and patients. The many doctorsconcerned, university professors, cityspecialists and country GPs, were allcommitted Christians, while a number ofthe events involving some of these doc-tors were located in African and Asiancountries. The purpose of Crocker’s assembled in-

terviews, conversations and anecdotes,was to set out sometimes quite startlingfactual evidence, entrusted to him by“prominent medical practitioners ofsound mind and undisputed word” re-garding “the manner in which a ‘per-sonal’ God interacts and intervenes inthe lives of doctors, their patients, fam-ilies and friends”.This factual evidence related to God’s

intervening in the healing process today.Put differently, the central theme of NineMinutes Past Midnight is the experienceby doctors and patients of God’s pres-ence now in day-to-day medical practiceas the “third person involved in patientcare and in the healing process… thatunseen person or ‘silent partner’”.Formal theology is absent, the experi-

ential impact of Bible-based belief is un-derlined, healing ministries aregenerously endorsed; for example,those at St Andrew’s Cathedral, Sydney;

and virtually everything that is saidrests on Christian doctors’ immediateand direct ‘working’ experience of “thepresence of Almighty God, sometimesas Father, sometimes as Son, some-times as the Holy Spirit”.Nine Minutes Past Midnight is a coura-

geous book. It lucidly, compellingly,records an immediacy of experience andemotion arising out of circumstances ofgreat medical urgency and often ofgreat human tragedy. In it the problem of evil is faced re-

peatedly. Typically: “Last week theybrought him into hospital… dead! Wewrestled with God. Why did it happen?”Again: “How could a loving God allowsomething so dreadful to occur? Notonly had they lost their beautiful littlegirl but Rosie herself had been given nochance of survival.” Sceptical opposition is taken into ac-

count: “What if [Christian belief] is all ahoax? What if it’s all a façade? What ifPhilip Adams is right after all?”John Boyages, Professor of Radiation

Oncology at Sydney’s Westmead Hospi-tal, said Nine Minutes Past Midnight was“An inspirational, must-read book whichI couldn’t put down.” This reviewer couldnot put it down either. This article originally published in The

Melbourne Anglican May 2012 issue;reprinted with permission.

God, the thirdperson involvedin patient care

Bullying inter-ventions in printand podcastRigby, K (2010) Bully-ing interventions inschools: Six basic ap-proaches; Camberwell(Vic.): ACERPress/Loggerhead

By Lisa McKay-Brown

SCHOOL communitiesrecognise bullying as an on-going problem for whichthere is no easy fix. It was,therefore, refreshing to findthat this book by Ken Rigbynot only critically evaluatesa selected range of inter-ventions used in schools,but acknowledges that,generally, “interventions toreduce bullying in schoolshave only been moderatelysuccessful”.Rigby suggests this inef-

fectiveness is linked, first,to factors outside the con-trol of the school. Second,he suggests that, whileschools are effective at de-veloping whole-school ap-proaches to studentwellbeing, they are less ef-fective in directly interven-ing in cases of bullying,which is the approach thatneeds to be used to havean impact on this type ofinteraction. This book focuses on case

interventions that havebeen designed to resolvethe problem of bullyingwhen specific episodesoccur. The selected inter-ventions are considered byRigby to be most represen-tative of major approachescurrently being used by“some schools”. The book focuses on de-

scribing the interventionand the rationale on whichit is based. Importantlythere is also a critical ex-amination of each interven-tion, which explores itsstrengths and limitations.Finally, this book discusses

under what circumstanceseach approach can be used

by schools. What I likeabout this book is it ac-knowledges bullying goesbeyond a bully/victim bi-nary and includes others,such as bystanders, in anyepisode. It is also good to see an

author asserting that differ-ent interventions areneeded for different typesof bullying episodes. Thisbook would be a useful re-source for school personnelwho would like to exploreusing more direct interven-tions for bullying behaviors.Further information about

this book is online at theAustralian Council for Edu-cational Research,https://shop.acer.au ortelephone 1800 338402.A series of six podcasts

has been produced by Edu-cation Queensland featur-ing Professor Rigby talkingabout addressing bullyingin schools. Podcasts four,five and six are concernedprimarily with interventionmethods in cases of bully-ing.They can be accessed at

http://education.qld.gov.au/studentservices/protec-tion/community/bullying.htmlNB: Lisa McKay-Brown is

an outreach teacher and aPhD student at The Univer-sity of Melbourne.

Youth, Godand faithJesus Freaks (2012)DVD; rated PG.

A DOCUMENTARY film, JesusFreaks is the story of youngpeople on their journey withone another and God. The story begins on Decem-

ber 9, 2007, when a gunmanopened fire into a Youth WithA Mission dormitory in Denver,

August 2012 Our Diocese - Literary and Media Reviews 19


Puzzling questionsBy Fay Magee

BRIAN Wren stands out asa significant writer amongthe amazing amount of newsongs for congregationalsinging which have explodedinto the world of Christianworship in the past 50years. Born in 1936, Wren wrote

his first hymn text in 1961while at Oxford University,the first of some 200 texts.Ordained a minister of theCongregational Church, hewas associated with ErikRoutley and others of theDunblane group which hadbeen instrumental in pro-ducing a significant numberof contemporary hymns incirculation by the end of the1960s.There are 24 texts by Wren

in Together in Song, eachone a careful constructionand often suggesting freshideas and perspectives onwhat we can sing in wor-ship. Bring many names,(TIS 182) written in 1986,explores the ways in whichwe name God “only indi-rectly, ‘in parable andstory’”.(1) I come with joy to meet my

Lord (TIS 533) was writtenin 1968 and reflects particu-larly on how communionmeans community. Let allcreation dance (TIS 187) isbased on Psalm 148 to thetune Darwall and is a greatmatch of text and tune inexuberant praise.Here hangs a man dis-

carded (TIS 356) allows usto reflect on the emptinessand meaningless of lifewhich Jesus speaks to in hisdeath:

Here hangs a man dis-carded, a scarecrowhoisted high, a nonsensepointing nowhere to allwho hurry by. There is a sense in which

the term hymn can still

mean the text, or the poem,that is set to music. In acommentary about Hymnsfor today, Wren suggests“many hymns are poemsworth speaking, hearing andpraying in worship, even ifyou never sing them; and,of course, if you do.”(2)This might encourage us to

look closely at the words ofwhat we sing, but also tolook beyond just singingthem.Wren has also written sig-

nificantly on the matter ofthe language we use for ourunderstanding of God. What language shall I bor-

row? God-talk in worship: amale response to feministtheology was published in1989 and has been ex-tremely influential. His massive work, Praying

twice: the music and wordsof congregational song,published in 2000, exploresevery possible aspect ofhymns, past and present,their texts and how thecombination works in wor-ship. Brian Wren’s work is defi-

nitely worth a look and asing.(1) Wren, B (2009) Hymns

for today; Louisville, Ken-tucky: Westminster JohnKnox Press.(2) Wren.

A great contemporarysong writer: WrenGriffiths, P and Robinson, M

(2012) Puzzling Questions: asix-week course to explore life’sdeeper issues; Oxford UK andMichigan USA: Monarch Books

PUZZLING Questions is a six weekcourse designed to help you ask someof the big questions about the meaningof life. Questions such as Who am I?What is God like? What happens after Idie? How can I be happy? Why is theresuffering in the world? and What is thespiritual world and how does it impacton my life?This workbook provides extra material

to explore the ideas in the course andallows space for you to keep a spiritualjournal. Use it to go deeper into thetopic for each session. It is also an op-portunity to record your thoughts dur-ing the six weeks you are doingPuzzling Questions.There are poems and character driven

stories and questions to assist you inreflecting on each question and how itapplies to you. For example, there arequestions that enable you to look atyour identity, to consider what God islike, to consider death and beyond,happiness and suffering. You are as-sisted in considering what it means tobe spiritual today.The book enables self-study and also

group study. You may, as an example,go as a group of people or with a studyfriend to a cafe and watch the world goby. Then reflect on the questions raisedand discuss them as a reflection ofwhat you see and feel.The editors write: “Enjoy yourself. Life

is far too short to waste the momentsand opportunities that we are pre-sented with. Many people have found

this course to be incredibly helpful inworking out what they think about life’sdeeper questions and it has set themon a pathway to further discovery.”There are helpful hints in using the

book and the authors recommendkeeping a journal in help in the self re-flection and discovery encouraged bythe exercises.There are additional resources, in-

cluding the book How Can I Be Happy?and a Puzzling Questions DVD.Puzzling Questions is available from

Rainbow Book Agencies, of Preston,Victoria. [email protected] or websearch www.rainbowbooks.com.au ortelephone 03 9470 6611.

Wright, N (ed.) (2012) Five Un-easy Pieces: Essays on Scriptureand Sexuality; ATF Press

By Sue Fordham

THIS collection of commentaries onthe five commonly cited scriptural ref-erences to homosexuality was thebrainchild of Nigel Wright, Anglicanpriest, gay man and long time advo-cate for gay rights.Five Uneasy Pieces begins with an ex-

planation by Nigel Wright of his moti-vation in undertaking this task; isfollowed by a preface written by MarkBurton, former Dean of St Paul’sCathedral, Melbourne; a foreword byWilliam Countryman, professor emeri-tus of Biblical Studies at the Church Di-vinity School of the Pacific in BerkeleyCalifornia; and finally, an introductionby the highly credentialled MichaelKirby, retired High Court judge andhimself an openly gay Anglican man. With a preamble like this, you know

the ‘five uneasy pieces’ have to begood. In addition to scholarly and insightful

contributions by Alan Cadwallader (1Corinthians) and Peta Sherlock (Ro-mans 1), the following deserve special

mention.Megan Warner, the inaugural Morna

Sturrock Doctoral Fellow at Trinity Col-lege Theological School opens with anexamination of Genesis 19, question-ing whether the sodomites of this har-rowing passage were indeed sodomitesor something quite other.Richard Treloar, vicar of Christ Church

South Yarra and Research Associate ofthe Melbourne College of Divinity, ex-amines the Leviticus passages andlooks at the importance of context andAnglicanism’s incarnational spiritualityand canonical reading approaches indrawing conclusions that hold any va-lidity. To quote his summing up: “By asking

the ‘old wine skins’of isolated biblicaltexts to hold the ‘new wine’ of our ec-clesial experience, cultural relocationand advances in social sciences, amongother things, we risk doing irreparabledamage to both”.The final contribution by Gregory

Jenks, Academic Dean at St FrancisTheological College Brisbane, looks at1 Timothy in the context of changingcultural norms and social attitudes. His most telling point is in the listing

of behaviors normative in biblical timesand asks whether these are ones wewould defend today: polygamy and

concubinage, slavery, human sacri-fice, totalitarian forms of theocraticgovernment, collective punishmentand so on.This excellent book, Five Uneasy

Pieces brings insight and scholarshipto bear on the question of sexuality.Each of the five essays engage withissues of etymology (word origin anddevelopment) and the vagaries oftranslation; the shifting and broadword meanings in the original textsthat are translated into our morespecific language and with the par-ticular biases and world views of thetranslator. Above all, Five Uneasy Pieces ques-

tions a set of texts written at a timewhen cultural settings and scientificknowledge were far different than weknow today. It deserves a thoroughand thoughtful reading as it chal-lenges the old standard of literal fun-damentalism that has been soharmful for so long.

Five uneasy piecesassay modern thought

20 Our Diocese - Pictorial August 2012


TOP: Betty Luxford studies the photographs at the reunionretreat at A’Beckett Park organised by Ted and AnnabelGibson.ABOVE: Jeanette Ringin and Helen Davis look at the pho-tos from past camps at A’Beckett Park.BELOW: Rene Patterson with photos and memorabilia ofA’Beckett Park. See pages 7, 8 and 9.


ABOVE: Reverend Jon Taylor, chaplain at Gippsland Grammar, Melissa Irving, SarahPritchard and Julie Irving at the seminar in Sale, on July 8, to hear Dr Dorothy Lee speakabout How do we read scripture today? See pages 1 and 6.


TOP: Margaret Beckett, Reverend Canon Dr Jim Connelly, Rev. Heather Toms and Rev.Laurie Baker after the service to dedicate a new clavinova in St Barnabas chapel.ABOVE: Anne Connelly, Helene Dennis and Joan Hall.BELOW: Judy Rennick (organist), Bryan Taylor, Georgina Evans, Annabel Gibson andArchdeaon Ted Gibson outside the chapel of St Barnabas. Bryan and Georgina havegifted a new clavinova in memory of Scott Evans, father and husband. See page 4.


Documents

The Gippsland Anglican, August 2012