The Gippsland Anglican December 2012

Volume 109, Number 11 December 2012
Published in Gippsland Diocese since 1904

The Gippsland Anglican is your award winning newspaper: Best Regional Publication Bronze Award (ARPA) 2012; Best Regional
Publication Silver Award (ARPA) 2011; Item or Feature that shows the most originality Highly Commended (ARPA) 2011; Best Social
Justice Story Highly Commended (ARPA) 2004; Best Regional Publication (ARPA) 2003; Most Improved Newspaper (ARPA) 2001.
Primate welcomes
royal commission
Page 4
Elemental retreat at
the Abbey
page 11
Jesus Christ here and now
for Traralgon parish
See feature inside
2 Our Diocese - Celebrating Ordained Women December 2012
The Gippsland Anglican
The Gippsland
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Index
Bishops message 3
Historic opportunity 4
Ordinations 5
Welcome, thankyou 6
Traralgon parish 7-9
Be fire ready 10
Abbey retreat 11
Trinity feature 12
Competition rewards 13
Traffic flows at fun day 13
Maffra hosts party 14
Nativity color-in 15
Perspectives 16
All about Jesus 17
Diocesan calendar 17
Op shop gives 18
Women on safari 19
Winning breakfasts 19
Diocesan pictorial 20
The Roll Call for Gippsland
ABOVE: A tribute to all the
women who have been or-
dained priest in the Angli-
can Church of Australia in
the past 20 years and have
lived in Gippsland. Efforts
were made to include all el-
igible women but apologies
to any omissions and if you
think there is a mistake,
please contact the editor.
Listed alphabetically:
Elizabeth Alfred
Phyllis Andy
Edie Ashley
Sally Boothey
Brenda Burney
Heather Cahill
Kathy Dalton
Sue Jacka
Jan St James
Thelma Langshaw
Barbara Logan
Heather Marten
Caroline Nancarrow
Marilyn Obersby
Gayle Ockenden
Anne Perryman
Lyndon Phillips
Lyn Porritt
Jenny Ramage
Elwyn Sparks
Glenys Traill
Amy Turner
Anne Turner
Maree Vines
Janet Wallis
Jo White
Lyn Williams
Designer: Jeanette Severs
December 2012 Our Diocese - Bishop Johns message 3
I AM beginning to think
Santa Claus is beyond re-
demption. I have tried for
years to redeem the com-
mercially inspired red-and-
white-colored, insipid,
obese charlatan Santa by
suggesting to children the
real Santa Claus was actu-
ally a Christian saint named
St Nicholas.
However, I can no longer,
in good conscience, at-
tempt to identify that
saintly figure of Christian
generosity and compassion
with the current minion of
grasping retail stores. It
has all become too difficult
and I am ready to admit
defeat.
I have not gone quite as
far as those cynics who
point out Santa is an ana-
gram of Satan, but I am not
far from it.
I wonder if it all began
with that seemingly inno-
cent question: What do
you want to get for Christ-
mas this year? It dawns on
me this question prompts
from a child, a response en-
tirely opposite to the re-
sponse a true understand-
ing of Christmas should
elicit.
At Christmas, we celebrate
Gods gracious gift of the
Christ-child to the whole
world. This should inspire in
us the same gracious giving
in our daily responses to
anyone and everyone.
Surely the question we
should be asking is: What
do you want to give for
Christmas this year?
Is it possible a seemingly
innocuous but wrong ques-
tion has contributed to the
self-centred, almost narcis-
sistic, acquisitive post-mod-
ern age in which we live?
The Santa saga can get
even worse. I shudder
every time I hear an adult
tell children they will not
get what they want from
Santa unless they are good.
Santa has become a form
of manipulation.
If the growing child then
connects Santa with God,
their image of God is en-
tirely opposite to the God of
grace revealed in Jesus
Christ, born on Christmas
Day.
The Santa saga neu-
tralises the prophetic, mis-
chievously undermining the
God of grace, who dares to
care for those most margin-
alised and who inspires
those who have the
courage to stand their
ground against the prevail-
ing spirit of the day.
God becomes nothing but
a mechanism of social con-
trol, a transcendent Santa
ensuring the status quo.
The tragedy then is, even
when, as adults, people
abandon this travesty of re-
ligion, somehow its grace-
less spirit of acquiescence
can still remain in secu-
larised form.
Witness the ease with
which the electorate is
swayed by governments as-
sured of the silence of the
grace-inspired, prophetic
edge which cares for the
marginalised.
We acquiesce to the denial
of the rights of asylum
seekers to seek asylum; to
patronising intrusive legis-
lation to control the people
of our first nations; and to
our engagement in wars
without proper questioning
of the motivations and in-
centives of those who wage
them.
Of course, I cannot blame
all of this on Santa. But the
figure he has become today
is somehow tragically sym-
bolic of the spirit of our age.
We reject the God of grace
revealed in the birth, death
and resurrection of Jesus
Christ, both within and be-
yond the church.
In so doing, we lose the
one vital ingredient that
makes possible the song of
the angels on that first
Christmas night, Peace on
earth and goodwill to all
people.
Having said all that, how-
ever, to date my experience
of Christmas has never
failed to produce at least
one moment of grace. The
amazing truth is, even in
our increasingly graceless
age, the God of grace al-
ways finds a way of break-
ing through in our
celebrations of the Christ-
child with surprises bringing
joy and hope.
May you and your family
know the blessings of God
at this Christmas time and
in the coming year.
Santa Claus is
a tragic symbol
Right Reverend John McIntyre
Bishop of Gippsland
I can no longer identify that
saintly figure of Christian
generosity and compassion
with the current minion of
grasping retail stores.
4 Our Diocese - Feature December 2012
By Jeanette Severs
THE Primate of the Angli-
can Church of Australia has
said the royal commission
recently called by Prime
Minister Julia Gillard offered
an historic opportunity to
protect Australian children.
Archbishop Phillip Aspinall
commended the Prime Min-
ister for her decision to es-
tablish a royal commission.
He urged the commissions
terms of reference should
be full and fearless and
called for the commission to
be properly resourced.
Archbishop Aspinall said a
truly federal process was
warranted given child sex-
ual abuse crosses state and
territory borders, infecting
all places where child live,
learn and play, including
churches, schools, sporting
clubs and families.
Archbishop Aspinall ac-
knowledged the royal com-
mission would address
shameful failings on the
part of institutions, includ-
ing churches. But a com-
prehensive, independent
examination would also
give ordinary Australians a
chance to see for them-
selves the results of a
decade-plus reform process
instituted across many An-
glican dioceses, he said.
In Archbishop Aspinalls
Brisbane diocese, every al-
legation of child sexual
abuse is reported to police;
the diocese assists police;
and victims of historic
abuse have been actively
sought and supported.
Prime Minister Gillards an-
nouncement of a royal
commission came 10 years
after Archbishop Aspinall
requested the then Prime
Minister to hold a royal
commission into child sex-
ual abuse, a request he de-
clined. Archbishop Aspinall
also sought to have a royal
commission into this matter
in Queensland.
When that request was
also unsuccessful, he es-
tablished an independent
inquiry into the handling of
abuse complaints across
Brisbane Diocese, going
back decades.
Archbishop Aspinall has
urged all members of par-
liament to commit to ensur-
ing the royal commission is
well-resourced, independ-
ent and free from any polit-
ical agenda.
He also reminded to the
Prime Minister that all vic-
tims of child sexual abuse
would be looking to the
royal commission for an-
swers and validation, in-
cluding the vast majority of
victims who are abused in
family settings.
Of the nearly 3.6 million
Australians who call them-
selves Anglican, statistically
one in four women and one
in eight men are victims of
abuse; so it is something
affecting our church on
many levels, Archbishop
Aspinall said.
Archbishop Aspinall said
he would write to the Prime
Minister to formalise his
support for a national royal
commission, to the extent
of his powers as Primate
and Archbishop of Bris-
bane; and to raise matters
for inclusion in the terms of
reference.
Cabinet has approved Ms
Gillards plan for a national
response that is expected
to be Australias most ex-
tensive inquiry into the pro-
tection of minors; it will
look at the history of reli-
gious groups, sporting or-
ganisations, schools, state
institutions, Scouts and
Guides.
Ms Gillard, announcing the
royal commission will begin
in the new year, said too
many children had suffered
abuse and too many adults
had let them down.
They have not only had
their trust betrayed by the
abuser but other adults
who could have acted to as-
sist them have failed to do
so, she said.
There have been revela-
tions of child abusers being
moved rather than the na-
ture of their abuse and their
crimes being dealt with.
There have been too many
revelations of adults who
have averted their eyes
from this evil.
These are insidious, evil
acts to which no child
should be subject, Ms
Gillard said.
The individuals concerned
deserve the most thorough
investigations into the
wrongs that have been
committed against them.
They deserve to have their
voices heard and their
claims investigated. I be-
lieve a royal commission is
the best way to do this.
Ms Gillard said the reach
of the national inquiry will
be vast and needs to take
its time. She also said the
government will consult
with groups representing
the interests of victims, re-
ligious leaders and commu-
nity organisations, as the
terms of reference are de-
veloped.
The focus of this [inquiry]
is child sexual abuse. I be-
lieve we must do every-
thing we can to make sure
what has happened in the
past is never allowed to
happen again, Ms Gillard
said.
Child abuse is always
wrong, always heart break-
ing, always distressing. I
think we all want to do
everything we can to en-
sure we do not see in the
future, institutions fail to
respond if there are allega-
tions of child abuse in their
midst.
I believe the time should
be taken to get it right, to
make sure the royal com-
mission does the work we
want it to do.
We need to do everything
we can to prevent child
abuse and we need to do
everything we can to en-
sure that if abuse happens,
it is appropriately re-
sponded to so you dont get
a continuation of the pat-
tern of behavior.
Victoria and New South
Wales are already pursuing
separate inquiries and Ms
Gillard said the premiers
have expressed willingness
to cooperate with a national
approach.
Bravehearts founder,
Hetty Johnston, welcomed
the announcement of a
wide-ranging powerful in-
quiry into institutional re-
sponses to allegations of
child abuse.
She said the issues were
endemic and sweeping
powers were critical if the
inquiry is to succeed. She
also cautioned the need to
pass retrospective legisla-
tion to make the destruc-
tion of documents illegal.
In Gippsland
IN Gippsland Anglican Dio-
cese, Cheryl Russell is em-
ployed as the Director of
Professional Standards, an
independent role with a
focus on assisting people
who have been harmed by
a church worker (see regu-
lar advertisement in this
newspaper).
Cheryl said Gippsland dio-
cese welcomes Victoria's
parliamentary inquiry into
child sexual assault and the
royal commission to inves-
tigate organisations from
churches to state authori-
ties.
"It will include how the po-
lice have responded in the
past to complaints and will
examine areas such as
those people who have
been or are complicit in or
committed acts of omission
in regard to sexual abuse of
children.
"I will ensure The Gipps-
land Anglican has the nec-
essary information about
how people can contact the
royal commission early next
year," she said.
"I want people to under-
stand the Professional
Standards Office is not lo-
cated in the registry and re-
mains as independent from
the Church as possible.
Anyone who contacts me
should and can expect con-
fidentiality," Cheryl said.
"As DPS, I handle any
matter of concern, regard-
less of whether it is current
or historic. I rely upon peo-
ple calling me about any
concern they may have
about anyone. This is
sometimes very difficult for
people because they fear
they may be reporting
something that may not be
true or could place a slur on
someone's character."
However, Cheryl said it is
not difficult to discern the
level of seriousness of a
complaint.
"All child sexual assault is
reported, in this diocese, to
the police through Crime
Stoppers (telephone
1800333000). Any person
can ring this police contact
number if they wish to re-
port any concern.
"The Victorian police have
sexual offences and child
abuse investigation teams
across the state, including
in Gippsland. These teams
are staffed by experienced
and qualified police detec-
tives specially trained to as-
sist with responding to and
investigating sexual assault
and child abuse.
"Anyone can contact these
teams: in Morwell, tele-
phone 5131 5090; in Sale,
telephone 5144 2244; in
Bairnsdale, telephone 5152
0540; in Melbourne, tele-
phone 9611 8800."
Cheryl invites anyone who
wants to discuss matters of
sexual abuse of children or
vulnerable people, to tele-
phone her, on 5633 1573 or
0407 563313, or email her
on cherylrussell1@big-
pond.com
Cheryl is part of a team,
led by Archdeacon Heather
Marten, that discusses and
plans safe ministry training
for clergy and church work-
ers in Gippsland churches.
Gippsland diocese has not
been immune from issues
of child sexual assault. In
2007, Bishop John McIntyre
apologised to child sexual
abuse victims of a past
teacher at Gippsland Gram-
mar. A healing service was
held at St Paul's Cathedral
in Sale for victims of sexual
assault at the hands of
Phillip Douglas Hazeldine,
convicted and jailed in
1998.
At the time, Bishop John
said the service for victims
and their families was ac-
knowledgement by the
school and the diocese that
the abuse had occurred.
"For some people, it's too
little, too late and we ac-
knowledge that ... but it's a
matter of acknowledging
that in the past this hasn't
been well handled," Bishop
John said.
The school and diocese
also sent a letter to all stu-
dents who attended the
school during the period
Hazeldine taught.
For several years, this
newspaper has taken a
proactive approach in rais-
ing the need to protect chil-
dren and vulnerable people
in the Church. In 2008, The
Gippsland Anglican ran a
series of articles with a
focus on protecting children
against sexual abuse and
investigating institutions.
Mothers' Union in Gipps-
land has also been proac-
tive in discussing and
disseminating information
among its members about
child sexual abuse and its
effects on victims.
The process
PRIME Minister Gillard will
recommend to the Gover-
nor General that a royal
commission be set up and
enquire into institutional re-
sponses to instances and
allegations of child sexual
abuse in Australia.
Australias Attorney Gen-
eral and the Federal Minis-
ter for Families will
coordinate work on the
terms of reference and the
inquiry commissioner or
commissioners will be
named in coming weeks.
Ms Gillard will speak to
state and territory leaders
about how the royal com-
mission may relate to cur-
rent or proposed inquiries
in those jurisdictions.
A royal commission has
considerable powers only
restricted by its terms of
reference, can compel wit-
nesses, offer indemnities
and seize documents. Two
royal commissions have
lasted four years in dura-
tion.
Anglican Primate: an historic
opportunity to protect children
ABOVE: The Primate, Arch-
bishop Philip Aspinall, is in
strong favor of the royal
commission.
December 2012 Our Diocese - Clergy Ministries 5
ALWAYS pray and never
lose heart; in this way you
will grow into the mind of
Christ. So you will be led
into the world for the sake
of the world. It was with
these words that Bishop
John McIntyre addressed
the four women he was
about to ordain, on Novem-
ber 10.
With a congregation of
more than 170 friends and
family, the Anglican Diocese
of Gippsland celebrated the
ordination of three deacons
and one priest at St Pauls
Cathedral: Pene Brook,
Fran Grimes, Katie Peken
and Reverend Heather
Cahill.
Bishop John reminded the
ordinands and those gath-
ered that ordained people
lead the community of faith
into the way of justice, the
way of being more human
and so of being more
Christlike.
Be outstanding in this
Christ-like life as you lead
your communities and as
you live out your faith in the
world, he said.
Rev. Dr Pene Brook has
worked extensively in edu-
cation from grade prep to
tertiary levels. More re-
cently, she worked as
school chaplain in Brisbane,
Canberra and at Gippsland
Grammar and is currently
chaplain at Monash Univer-
sitys Churchill campus.
As well as degrees in fine
art and education, Pene
holds an honours degree in
theology and a doctorate in
theological education.
The call to ordination
came as a terrifying and
wonderful surprise both to
me and to many who know
me, Pene said.
It has taken deep reflec-
tion and time to embrace
its possibilities and to come
to a place where I can view
it as simply a continuation
of Gods ongoing call on my
life.
Rev. Dr Fran Grimes is a
medical practitioner and
has worked for 25 years in
general practice, first in
Melbournes western sub-
urbs and for the past 15
years in South Gippsland.
Fran speaks of feeling Gods
call on her life to live out
her passion for Christian
ministry.
In the past 10 years, she
has facilitated and led wor-
ship at Fish Creek Union
Church and been involved
pastorally with people right
across Corner Inlet parish.
In an attempt to reach out
to local youth, she has run
clinics at the local high
school and this year was
part of a youth access clinic
in Foster.
Rev. Katie Peken studied
at the University of NSW in
Sydney, majoring in English
literature and Psychology.
The teaching offered by the
Anglican chaplaincy at the
university was deeply influ-
ential on the development
of Katies Jesus centred
faith. Before entering min-
istry within the church,
Katie enjoyed working as
Associate Lecturer in the
Psychology department at
the University of New Eng-
land.
Subsequently, she was in-
volved in ministry at St
Peters Anglican Cathedral
and then St Marks Anglican
Chapel at UNE.
Katie then studied theol-
ogy at Moore Theological
College and worked as As-
sociate Minister at St
Peters East Lindfield, Syd-
ney, before crossing the
border to become Family
and Childrens Minister at St
Judes, Carlton, in 2005. In
2011, she moved to War-
ragul, where she is em-
ployed as Senior Associate
Minister.
Rev. Heather Cahill is from
Heyfield but worshipped,
played music and minis-
tered in churches from Port
Moresby to Alice Springs to
Canberra, Neerim South,
Traralgon and Rosedale.
My call to ordained min-
istry came while I was at
prayer in a European
Cathedral in 1999 and,
since that time, I have
worked and studied toward
this end.
A crucial motivating aspect
in Heathers journey toward
priestly ordination has been
the deep call of God to min-
ister to people through the
sacraments. Heather said
she feels privileged to be
called to the order and min-
istry of a priest at this time
and in this place.
As these brief biographies
suggest, these four ordi-
nands are not new to this
journey of Christ-minded-
ness. All four are very able
women, whose life experi-
ence and faith add greatly
to the depth of leadership
in Gippsland Diocese.
Contributor: Don Saines
ABOVE: Katie Peken, Dr
Pene Brook, Heather Cahill
and Dr Fran Grimes flank
Bishop John McIntyre after
the ordination service.
Photo: Christine Morris

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Standing out for Christ
Farewell, Don
CANON Don Crewe (right)
was farewelled at St James
Anglican Church in Traral-
gon on November 11.
Canon Don is moving to live
on a property belonging to
his daughter and son-in-law
at Willung South.
Those who venture to
Christ Church at Carrajung
or St Pauls in Gormandale
will meet up with Don and
his family.
Don started his career as
a theatre nurse but was
called by God to join the
clergy while attending St
James in Traralgon. Since
then he has spent time in
St Pauls Cathedral Sale and
in Trafalgar parish.
For many years, Don cre-
ated and published the then
monthly The Messenger
and he is well known for
being the editor of The
Gippsland Anglican for
some years, prior to his re-
tirement in 2006.
We have enjoyed having
Don at St James since his
retirement, where he has
continued to play an active
part in services and in the
choir.
Don will still be found
around St James when he
hosts the meetings of The
Order of St Luke each
month. Don attended and
took services within St
James and is well known
and loved among the local
parishioners. He has served
his community for many
years and will be sadly
missed in the local area.
We pray the Lords bless-
ings will surround him in his
retirement.
Contributor/Photo:
Tara Blomquist
ABOVE: The retired clergy gathered at Warragul on Octo-
ber 30 for a service led by Archdeacon Philip Muston, with
Canon Dr Jim Connelly giving the address and Ethel and
Bruce Armstrong playing music. Gordon and Rosemary
Cooper and Graeme and Jenny MacRobb were among the
participants who enjoyed lunch and fellowship time, or-
ganised by Katie Peken.
Photo: Laurie Baker

6 Our Diocese - Clergy Ministries December 2012
HER Majesty, Queen Eliza-
beth II, has approved the
nomination of Right Rev-
erend Justin Welby for elec-
tion as the 105th
Archbishop of Canterbury.
He will succeed Dr Rowan
Williams who is retiring at
the end of December after
10 years as Archbishop.
Justin Welby, 56, is cur-
rently Bishop of Durham.
He will be enthroned as
Archbishop of Canterbury in
Canterbury Cathedral on
March 21, 2013.
The Primate of Australia,
Dr Phillip Aspinall, has wel-
comed the appointment of
Bishop Welby.
I have been privileged to
work with the Archbishop-
elect during his tensure at
Coventry Cathedral, where
Bishop Welby was a key
leader in Coventrys inter-
nationally renowned min-
istry of reconciliation, Dr
Aspinall said.
I encourage all Anglicans
to pray for Bishop Welby
and Archbishop Williams
and their families during
this period of change.
The Archbishop of Can-
terbury is a key leader in
the worldwide Anglican
Communion. The office car-
ries great responsibility, es-
pecially at this time of
strained relationships and
vastly different approaches
and understandings across
the Communion. My prayer
is that Bishop Julian will re-
ceive the grace needed to
be a wise, insightful, coura-
geous and healing leader.
Justin Welby, MA, Hon FCT,
was educated at Trinity Col-
lege, Cambridge. After a
career in the oil industry in
Paris and London, he
trained for the ministry at
Cranmer Hall and St Johns
College Durham.
He served his title at Chil-
vers Coton with Astley,
Coventry diocese from
1992 to 1995. From 1995
to 2002, he was Rector of
Southam and Vicar of
Ufton, Coventry diocese
from 1998 to 2002.
From 2002 to 2007, he
was Canon Residentiary at
Coventry Cathedral and
was Co-Director for Inter-
national Ministry from 2002
to 2005. From 2005 to
2007, he was Sub-Dean at
Coventry Cathedral and
Canon for Reconciliation
Ministry.
In 2007, he was also
Priest-in-Charge at Coven-
try Holy Trinity. From 2007
to 2011, he was Dean of
Liverpool. Since 2011 he
has been the Bishop of
Durham.
From 2000 to 2002 he was
Chairman of an NHS Hospi-
tal Trust and he currently
serves on the Committee of
Reference for the ethical
funds of a large investment
company in the City of Lon-
don. He is also a member of
the Banking Standards
Commission.
Justin Welby is married to
Caroline and they have had
six children (one of whom
died in infancy).
ABOVE: New Archbishop-
elect of Canterbury, Justin
Welby, currently Bishop of
Durham.
FOR the past 11 months,
Reverend Marilyn Obersby
has been the locum minis-
ter for Churchill, Boolarra
and Yinnar parish, caring,
encouraging and guiding
the congregation. It was
with a degree of sadness,
she was farewelled on Oc-
tober 21, at a combined
service in Churchill.
The theme for the day was
Back to Sunday School with
hymns and choruses such
as Hear The Pennies Drop-
ping (we had pennies to put
in the plate), Wide, Wide as
the Ocean and When he
Cometh.
Some people came
dressed up in what they
would have worn to Sunday
school as a child, even to
the point of having hankies
pinned to their blouses as in
the old days.
So many flowers were pre-
sented to Marilyn in
farewell and thanks that
she almost disappeared be-
hind them (above). We
were very grateful for her
time of ministry and a
shared lunch afterward en-
abled more farewells to be
said.
The following Wednesday,
Rev. Brenda Burney was in-
ducted as the new incum-
bent. Bishop John Mc
Intyre, Anglican Bishop of
Gippsland, with Rev. Tim
Angus of the Gippsland
Uniting Presbytery, in-
stalled Brenda into her po-
sition.
Robern Lubawski wel-
comed Brenda on behalf of
the parish and Ian Com-
bridge welcomed Brendas
husband, Rod. Brenda re-
sponded by thanking all
and speaking about her ex-
citement of receiving a
placement in the area she
grew up in and worked as a
kindergarten teacher for
many years.
Contributor: Rae Billing
TOP: Reverend Brenda Bur-
ney and Bishop John McIn-
tyre during the induction.
New Archbishop
of Canterbury
Welcome Brenda,
thankyou Marilyn
December 2012 Our Diocese - Jesus Christ here and now for Traralgon parish 7
By Tara Blomquist
ON February 28, 1880, the
small timber church of St
James of Traralgon was
opened for worship at a
cost of 400 (see picture,
right). Eight years later, on
October 25, 1888, the foun-
dation stone was laid for
the new church of St
James.
A brick structure replaced
the original building for
365/9/0. This was by no
means the last renovations
and changes for the church,
for a new place of worship
was constructed in 1971 on
its current location in Grey
Street, Traralgon.
The parish consists of St
James in Traralgon, St
Johns in Glengarry, St
Davids in Toongabbie and
St Stephens in Traralgon
South.
St Johns Glengarry is 10
kilometres from Traralgon
and was built in the early
1900s. St Davids Toongab-
bie, 20 km from Traralgon,
was built in 1884 and is a
local favorite venue for
weddings and baptisms. (I
myself was married there
and also had my youngest
daughter, Claudia, baptised
there; both ceremonies by
Canon Jeff Richardson.) St
Stephens, 15 km from
Traralgon, is a co-operating
church alternating between
the Anglican and Uniting
churches.
The parish vision state-
ment is To know Christ and
to make Him known and it
can be found throughout
our church and on our pew
leaflets each week.
Reverend Canon Jeff
Richardson is larger than
life and makes his presence
known to all who attend the
church. Canon Jeff is ap-
proachable and friendly but
has a unique sense of
humor.
Canon Jeff regularly hosts
dinners for people in the
parish, where his cooking
skills are obvious to all who
attend; his soup recipes are
legendary and he can bar-
becue a mean steak or
sausage sizzle.
Each week on Friday
morning, Canon Jeff stops
at a local coffee shop for
anyone who wants to share
a coffee with him: a latte, a
chat and a time to unwind.
Rev. Jo White assists
Canon Jeff with services in
the churches of St Davids,
St Stephens and St Johns,
as well as taking occasional
services at St James. Rev.
Jos husband, Ken, often
accompanies the singing on
the piano.
Rev. Jo also has a very
special ministry to those
living in assisted care at
Margery Cole Hostel,
Dalkeith Memorial Homes,
OMara House and Glen-
wood Residential Home,
where she celebrates Holy
Communion. As half-time
Chaplain at St Pauls Gram-
mar School in Traralgon,
Rev. Jo takes religious edu-
cation classes and leads
school services, some of
which are held at St James.
Jordan Breed, a Church-
warden and Youth Leader,
devotes a lot of personal
time to the church. How he
finds the time is certainly a
miracle in itself.
Not only does Jordan at-
tend morning and evening
worship on Sunday, he
helps run Caf J (a monthly
youth service), is an admin-
istrator for the St James
facebook site, plays in the
band at the 10am service
and has put himself forward
to the Bishop as a Diocesan
Lay Reader.
Above all this, Jordan is
studying medicine at
Monash University Churchill
through the RAAF where he
is a Flying Officer; and he is
also getting ready to marry.
For many years, our Or-
ganist, Thelma Edebohls,
has been an important part
of our church. Since 1915,
St James has had only two
organists. Miss V Chaundy
undertook this duty and
continued in this capacity
until resigning in February
1975. Thelma Edebohls was
then appointed, after hav-
ing been choir mistress and
assistant organist.
It can be said by their
great devotion, these two
women have enriched our
worship for a period of 97
years, so far.
Joseph Daniel is St James
Contemporary Music Coor-
dinator. Joseph leads the
singers at the 10 am Sun-
day service, with his voice
and playing the guitar and
electric piano.
St James services are on
Sunday, at 8.30am, 10am
and 7pm; and on Wednes-
day at 10am. Holy Com-
munion Services are held
each week and a more in-
formal service or family
service at 10am, Sunday.
The family service encour-
ages young families with
children, who can move
around and play during the
service, attend Sunday
school and assist Jeff with
questions and activities
during the service.
St James clergy and
parishioners regularly go
into the community to
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8 Our Diocese - Jesus Christ here and now for Traralgon parish December 2012
from previous page
into the community to as-
sist, help and provide min-
istry and assistance where
it is needed. A visiting
team, led by Claudette Mor-
genson, brings comfort to
Anglicans staying in the La-
trobe Regional Hospital.
Defence Force
Service
THIS year, the 8.30 am
Remembrance Day service
at St James Traralgon saw
cadets and officers from the
RSSF and Australian Air
Force and cadets joined the
local parishioners in their
remembrance of Australias
defence forces. It was a day
to remember those who
have sacrificed, fought, suf-
fered and died in the vari-
ous wars and conflicts
around the world.
Remembrance Day and
Defence Sunday remem-
bers all those who have
passed and those who are
still with us, as we say
thank you for giving us a
home of peace to live in
each day.
Thanks to their great sac-
rifice, not only in conflicts
and peace keeping missions
of today, but also from days
gone by, we can call ours a
nation of free men.
The cadets and officers
paraded into the church,
following Canon Jeff and
the choir, carrying the Aus-
tralian flag and the Royal
Australian Air Force ensign.
Several cadets did the
readings and took part in
the service. At the end of
the service, the cadets and
officers marched out of the
church, this time leading
our clergy and parishioners.
Traralgon parishs very
own church warden and
youth leader, Flying Officer
Jordan Breed joined his
comrades in uniform on this
day. It was wonderful to see
him standing proudly
among our defence force
personnel.
The Kohima Epitaph, read
during the service, is:
When you go home tell
them of us and say, for your
tomorrow we gave our
today.
Pets blessing
ST JAMES Traralgon was
over run with animals on
Sunday, October 7, with the
annual Blessing of the Pets
service. Held in celebration
of Saint Francis of Assisi,
Canon Jeff Richardson
opened the church doors to
the communitys furry fam-
ily members for a blessing.
All members, whether two
or four legged, were well
behaved and the singing of
hymns was a mixture of
human voices and dog
howls. After the service,
everyone stayed for re-
freshments and a chance to
get to know newcomers
over a cup of tea.
Melbourne visit
PARISHIONERS recently
visited St Pauls Cathedral
and St James old cathedral
in Melbourne. The first des-
tination was St Pauls
Cathedral, with spires
reaching for the sky catches
and holds the eye as soon it
comes into sight. Set in the
centre of Melbourne and
surrounded by modern
transport and the hustle
and bustle of todays life,
the cathedral reminds all of
Victorias past and settle-
ment.
The construction of St
James old cathedral in
West Melbourne com-
menced in 1839 and is only
one of three buildings to
predate the Gold Rush of
1851. This building was
originally constructed in a
different location and was
pulled apart and recon-
structed stone by stone into
its current location. Each
individual stone was num-
bered and this can still be
seen today.
After enjoying a packed
lunch within the church
grounds, the group set off
for home. After this suc-
cessful event, Dianne Fer-
guson will be organising
more in the future.
ABOVE left: Officers and
cadets at the Remembrance
Day service included Flying
Officer Jordan Breed (far
right), also St James
church warden and youth
leader with the parish.
ABOVE: Joseph Daniel, St
James contemporary music
coordinator, is part of the
team that leads the 10am
Sunday service.
PREVIOUS page: The original tim-
bered building, St James Anglican
Church in Traralgon, opened on
February 28, 1880.
FAR left: St Davids Anglican
Church in Toongabbie, built of
timber in 1884, is a local favorite
venue for weddings and christen-
ings.
LEFT: Canon Jeff Richardson leads
an active lay team of parishioners
in Traralgon district.
BELOW: The current St James
Anglican Church in Traralgon, con-
structed in 1971. There have been
three St James Anglican churches
in Traralgon, with the second
opened in October 1888, con-
structed of brick.
December 2012 Our Diocese - Jesus Christ here and now for Traralgon parish 9
ABOVE: Ella, Jade and Georgia Halket with Spud the pug at St James
annual pet blessing, in Traralgon parish, recently.
RIGHT: Melissa Furlong with her rabbit, Nigle, at the pet blessing serv-
ice.
FAR right: Emma Richardson, with Banjo.
ABOVE far right: Elizabeth, Dianne and Jenny rest during the parishs
visit to Melbourne to view St Pauls Cathedral and St James old cathedral.
The trip was organised by Dianne.
Photos: Tara Blomquist
10 Government Awareness Advertising Campaign December 2012
December 2012 Our Diocese - The Abbey of St Barnabas at ABeckett Park 11
THE last of the Elements
series of retreats for 2012
was held at the Abbey of St
Barnabas at ABeckett Park,
on Raymond Island, on No-
vember 9 to 11.
Archdeacon Susanna Pain,
an Anglican priest from
Holy Covenant Church, Bel-
connen, in Canberra led an
enthusiastic group of peo-
ple in a weekends explo-
ration of the spiritual
aspects of water.
Susanna, a very experi-
enced retreat leader and
one of the founding leaders
of InterPlay in Australia,
very skillfully blended times
of movement, dance and
childlike play with quiet and
reflective meditations and
discussion of the political
and spiritual nature of
water.
Finding joy in the simple
things of life was a key
theme and expression of di-
vinity through play a high
aim of the retreat.
Once again, our physical
needs were wonderfully
catered for by the Abbey
cooks, David and Debbie
Chambers and Sue Gibson.
A visit from the dolphins in
the lake seemed most ap-
propriate to the theme of
the weekend.
A very friendly and hot
magpie joined in by taking
a shower under the water-
ing can as one of the partic-
ipants was watering the
garden.
Contributor: Ann Miller
Retreat theme dances with water
ABOVE: Participants in the retreat at the Abbey of St
Barnabas.
Photo: Ann Miller
RIGHT: Illawarra building is currently undergoing renova-
tions to the conference area.
Photo: Edie Ashley
12 Our Diocese - Advertising Feature December 2012
By Dr Muriel Porter OAM
TRINITY College Theologi-
cal School (TCTS) offers a
broad range of courses for
people of all ages and back-
grounds, according to the
Dean of the Theological
School, Reverend Professor
Dorothy Lee.
Women and men, young
and old, those thinking
about ordination and those
wanting to learn more
about their faith; all are
welcome to join Trinitys
friendly, inclusive commu-
nity, she said.
Trinitys community gath-
ers primarily on campus at
Trinity College at the Uni-
versity of Melbourne, but
also online and in a parish-
based study program.
Trinity is a community
where the ordained min-
istry of women is not only
celebrated but modelled,
with Dorothy, herself, an
Anglican priest. The school
recently hosted a confer-
ence and book launch to
commemorate 20 years
since the ordination of
women priests in the Angli-
can Church of Australia.
Australias first woman
bishop, Kay Goldsworthy,
was a student here, some-
thing we are very proud of,
Dorothy added.
Trinity is also proud of its
status as the theological
college for the Anglican
Province of Victoria. Trin-
itys students come from
the other Victorian dioceses
and interstate, as well as
from Melbourne, ensuring a
vibrant student body.
Trinity is part of MCD Uni-
versity of Divinity, Aus-
tralias first specialist
university and one of the
oldest ecumenical institu-
tions in the world. Dorothy
and the Warden of Trinity
College, Professor Andrew
McGowan, are among MCD
Universitys inaugural 10
professors.
Dorothy, who has taught
New Testament for more
than 20 years, is an ac-
claimed biblical scholar,
specialising in the Gospel of
St John. She has published
widely in this area.
Andrew lectures for Trinity
in Patristics, the study of
early Christian writers
known as the Church Fa-
thers. Both of them are
highly regarded scholars in-
ternationally.
At Trinity, students have
access to the ecumenical
Dalton McCaughey Library,
acknowledged as the
largest and best theological
library in the southern
hemisphere. A short walk
from Trinity, it is housed in
a state-of-the-art centre of-
fering superb facilities and
online access to the leading
databases for theological
research. There is also Trin-
itys own Leeper Library
available to all students.
According to Dorothy, Trin-
ity is known for its aca-
demic rigor and
commitment to excellence.
At TCTS, students study
with internationally re-
garded scholars and priests
committed to the pursuit of
high standards; and who
also possess significant
pastoral experience and a
deep commitment to the
task of preparing men and
women for ministry, she
said.
The faculty staff includes
Rev. Canon Dr Ray Cleary,
formerly Chief Executive
Officer of Anglicare Victoria,
who brings a wealth of ex-
perience in welfare issues in
Australia and internation-
ally. He has a strong, bibli-
cal commitment to social
justice and a deep under-
standing of the challenges
facing Australian society
and the Anglican Churchs
role in it.
Ray has helped Trinity
broaden its commitment to
the emerging church. Dr
David Gormley-OBrien and
Dr Meg Warner also add to
the Schools wealth of
knowledge, teaching Greek
and Patristics and the Old
Testament, Dorothy said.
As well as its academic
program, Trinity runs a Min-
istry Formation Program
where students come to-
gether to worship, to be
formed for ministry, both
lay and ordained, and to
enjoy fellowship with each
other.
They look at the practical-
ities of preaching, leading
worship, and engaging in
pastoral care, evangelism,
mission, educational chap-
laincy and justice issues.
Online, students have ac-
cess to an increasing num-
ber of study options. These
now extend to a range of
diplomas and degrees in
theology, such as the Mas-
ter of Divinity and the Grad-
uate Certificate in
Educational Chaplaincy.
At the parish level, Trinity
offers a flexible, user-
friendly certificate course
offering an introduction to
theology and ministry
through six units that can
be timed to suit individual
parishes.
Like to know more? We
would love to hear from
you: website www.trin-
ity.unimelb.edu.au/theol-
ogy telephone 03 9348
7127 or email tcts@trin-
ity.unimelb.edu.au
The Theological School
provides this wide range of
options on a limited budget.
The Theological School
warmly welcomes dona-
tions from individuals and
parishes to fund its impor-
tant ministry.
For information about how
you can donate or remem-
ber the theological school in
your will, please contact the
Trinity College Advance-
ment Office at telephone
9348 7116 or email ad-
vancement@trinity.unimelb
.edu.au
Trinity to study theology
December 2012 Our Diocese - Family, Children and Youth Ministries 13
TRAFFIC flow at the Mor-
well Traffic School was
steady but constant at the
Kidsplus+ family afternoon
held on Sunday, November
18. Bikes, trikes, skate-
boards, skates, push cars
and their owners gathered
from Mirboo North, Thorp-
dale, Moe, Newborough and
Traralgon; one family with
long association with GFS
came from Melton.
More than 70 participants
converged on the site
where a sausage sizzle
wayside stop was provided
and devoured.
Children aged from tod-
dlers to late teens enjoyed
the opportunity to explore
this community resource,
sponsored by the Gippsland
GFS Kidsplus+ Network,
using some of the funding
allocated through the dio-
cese for our networks min-
istry to children and youth.
Families had responded to
our promotion through The
Gippsland Anglican news-
paper, parishes and through
the mainly music groups.
Thank you to all who helped
with this communication.
This years activity re-
placed the long running,
Cowwarr Weir diocesan
family picnics that have
served many people from
diocesan parishes for more
than 20 years. Such activi-
ties are only made possible
by the generosity of parish
representatives willing to
serve the wider diocese
through networks like Kid-
splus+, Girls Friendly Soci-
ety (GFS) and Mothers
Union, who often assist our
activities.
We are always seeking a
broader parish representa-
tion as we plan for future
events. Watch our website
through the Gippsland
diocesan webpages for fur-
ther information.
TOP right: Abraham Maluel
with Naration and Courtney.
Photo: Glenn Purcell
IT IS a joy to have a grow-
ing number of young people
worshipping at St Marys
Morwell. The older mem-
bers of the congregation re-
ally enjoy being with the
young people. During the
giving of the peace, it now
takes longer to move
around the church and
greet everyone, sharing
with them Gods peace.
Reverend Lyn Williams or-
ganised a pizza and film
night for the young people
who come to church and
their friends. It was a great
success. Large quantities of
pizza were eaten and sev-
eral films were shown for
the mixed age range of the
young people. The congre-
gation were told that the
Rectory fridge had to raided
at the last moment to make
sure everyone had enough
to eat.
Every month in Parish Life
newsletter, Rev. Lyn writes
up a competition, part of
the Kids Corner section and
designed for the teenagers
in the congregation. To an-
swer some of the ques-
tions, it is necessary to
read several verses of the
Bible. Some of the ques-
tions refer to the special
services held at St Marys;
for example, All Saints Day.
There is also a coloring
competition for young chil-
dren.
The winner of each section
is awarded a prize, given
out at the end of the 10am
service, so we can all ap-
plaud. The photograph,
above, shows CJ Reilk re-
ceiving his prize for getting
the greatest number of
questions right.
This month we have had
several children baptised at
St Marys. Some of the
services were private serv-
ices held outside the nor-
mal service times. Jacob
was brought by his mother
Erin and father Glen, to be
baptised during the All
Saints Day service.
Many of his family and
friends came to support
and pray for him at his bap-
tism. It was especially sig-
nificant to have Jacob
welcomed into the family of
the church on All Saints
Day.
Contributor/Photo:
Carolyn Raymond
IN Moe parish, younger members
of the parishs GFS (Girls Friendly
Society) and BAMM (Boys Anglican
Ministry group) and Sunday school
members held a Whoppa Wednes-
day Fun Night at the hall. Parents
and congregation members were
able to participate in a wide variety
of activities.
The evenings activities also proved
to be an opportunity for some po-
tential new members for the chil-
drens group to participate. Jumping
castles, pool on a billiards table and
soccer table games, Mega Four and
giant floor games kept participants
busy.
On Friday, November 30, the
parish hosted a Showcase of Art and
Craft as a fundraiser and outreach
opportunity to see and showcase
the skills of many in our local com-
munity.
Exhibits from the Latrobe Valley
Quilters, Steiner Gallery pottery,
local painting and art groups, paper
crafts groups and lots more art and
craft were displayed.
Local grape grower, Graeme Scott,
assisted with the wine tasting and a
gourmet cake and cuppa corner
provided opportunity for fellowship.
LEFT: Cameron Nicholls was show-
ing some pool skills at the Moe
parish Whoppa Wednesday Games
Night .
Photo: Lauren Kittwood
Traffic flows at
family fun day
Competition rewards
ABOVE: Gary Prosser supervises children from Moe, Thor-
pdale and Newborough.
Photo: Glenn Purcell
Whoppa Wednesday fun
Thank you
Thank you, once again, to
the many parish correspon-
dents and photographers
who contributed news
throughout the past year for
other members of the dio-
cese to read in The Gipps-
land Anglican; thank you to
other contributors; and
thank you to our advertisers
for supporting the newspa-
per. You all help make TGA
interesting for readers.
Jeanette Severs,Editor
14 Our Diocese - Family, Children and Youth Ministries December 2012
ON November 18, in Maf-
fra parish, residents at St
Johns Close joined with
the wider church family to
celebrate the 20th birthday
of the Close. A service of
celebration at St Johns
church was followed by
morning tea in the gardens,
followed by lunch in the
parish centre.
Tex Murphy who has lived
at St Johns Close since it
opened, cut the celebratory
cake. Reverend Dr Jim and
Anne Connelly joined with
us to celebrate this mile-
stone. Jim was Maffras
Rector at the time of build-
ing and opening of St
Johns Close.
ABOVE: Tex Murphy cuts
the cake to mark 20 years
since St Johns Close
opened in Maffra.
Photos: Heather Baker
Maffra hosts 20th
celebration party
RIGHT: Musi-
cians and
some of the
attendees at
the annual
thanksgi vi ng
lunch hosted
by GFS Kid-
splus+ Net-
work in
Gippsland.
Photo: Lauren
Kitwood
Thanksgiving lunch
December 2012 Our Diocese - Family, Children and Youth Ministries 15
Color in the picture
Literature
By Margaret Carlile
Carlile M (ed.) and
Wilkinson E (illus.) St
Thomas Bunyip Cook
Book (2012)
BUNYIP parishs St
Thomas Church craft
group, known as the
Church Mice, are always
busy with their craft items
and ideas for their stalls.
This year, they decided to
include a cookbook, using
contributions from our con-
gregation and our friends.
We now have the finished
product and are thrilled
with the results. After a
great deal of planning, the
book contains many
recipes, (most are rated
easy), covering all courses:
starters, soup, light meals,
mains, salad, desserts,
slices, cakes, bread, scones
and cookies and preserves.
All are tried and true
recipes. The book con-
cludes with a little hints
chapter.
An added Christian ele-
ment throughout the book
is a Grace at the beginning
of each chapter. We have
also included some amus-
ing little anecdotes, which
tend to give the book a
warm and friendly feel.
I have enjoyed the chal-
lenge of selecting the
recipes and producing and
editing this book and, with
the expertise of my friend,
Chris Bennie, who worked
tirelessly on the layout, and
my 11 year old grand-
daughter, Emma Wilkinson,
who created the illustra-
tions, we feel we have an
excellent book that will fit
into anybodys cooking li-
brary.
Copies are available at
$15 each plus $2 post and
packing for each book. To
order, telephone Margaret
on (03) 5629 9615 or email
maxmarg3@bigpond.com
By Mark Hadley
Hadley, M and Lee, N
(illus.) Friends (2012).
Youthworks.
WITH the belief friendship
has to mean more than just
being with people who
make you feel good,
Nathan Lee and Mark
Hadley have teamed up
again to deliver Friends, the
second book in the Panda
series.
In Friends, Panda takes
his second journey of dis-
covery, this time learning
about an essential ingredi-
ent for building healthy re-
lationships. He learns
inward-looking friends who
show no concern for ones
identity or desires are
hardly friends at all and real
friends put their pals needs
first.
For children aged five to
eight years, Friends is full
of quirky illustrations by
Nathan Lee and references
to modern culture and will
engage children to think
more deeply about their
friendships. It is as relevant
for children as for adults,
reminding us that God calls
us to love others in the
same way he loves us.
Friends includes teaching
notes for parents, providing
questions and talking
points to further uncover
the themes in the book.
Available online at
www.cepstore.com.au or
telephone (02) 8268 3344
and at bookstores. RRP:
$9.95.
TO mark Social Inclusion
Week, an innovative digital
story-telling research proj-
ect, I Just Want To Go To
School: Voices of young
people experiencing educa-
tional disadvantage, was
recently launched at a
school in Richmond, NSW.
The project, a collabora-
tion between Good Shep-
herd Youth and Family
Service, Jesuit Social Serv-
ices and MacKillop Family
Services, aims to further
understand factors con-
tributing to young people
leaving school, by giving
voice to young people
themselves, to ultimately
promote positive change in
the education system.
Key findings from the proj-
ect, included in the report,
have identified bullying and
youth mental health prob-
lems and a lack of sufficient
strategies to effectively re-
spond to these within the
education system, as signif-
icant issues and deterrents
to children engaging with
their education. A lack of
understanding of the range
of complex issues young
people face, particularly
those already vulnerable
and involved in the child
protection system, was also
identified as a barrier for
young people attending
school.
The project, launched by
Child Safety Commissioner
Bernie Geary, centres on 13
young people sharing their
stories through digital video
of wanting to attend school
and the bullying, violence
and social and financial bar-
riers preventing them from
doing so.
Project about
youth wanting
to go to school
ABOVE: Many families at-
tended this years second
Traffic School fun day, or-
ganised by GFS Kidsplus+
Network for Gippsland dio-
cese. Abraham Maluel bor-
rowed the stilts from the
Kidsplus+ equipment trailer
to practice walking tall.
16 Our Diocese - Perspectives December 2012
By John Dickson
GIVEN the Judaeo-Christ-
ian origins of our long held
tradition of caring for the
frail, census data indicating
the demise of Christianity
and the ageing of Aus-
tralias population could
herald a perfect social
storm.
The 2011 census makes
clear Christian affiliation is
diminishing, falling seven
per cent in the past decade
to 61 per cent.
The slack has been picked
up by those claiming no re-
ligion, with almost five mil-
lion of us, or 22.3 per cent,
turning our backs on God
(or, at least, on Gods reg-
istered brands). That is up
seven per cent since 2001.
At the same time, we are
getting older. The median
age rose in the last decade
from 35 to 37 years. That
might not sound like much,
but it indicates a significant
increase in the number of
elderly people in our com-
munity.
HammondCare, a leader in
aged-care and dementia
services, notes that by
2050, one in 20 Australians
will be 85 or older. Coupled
with this is an expected in-
crease in the number of us
with dementia, from
269,000 to one million.
And here is the problem.
For almost 2000 years, the
biblical claim all humans
are made in the image of
God, and so are profoundly
and inherently valuable,
has called on those who be-
lieve that idea to treat men
and women as sacred, re-
gardless of capacities or
contributions to society.
Of course, the secularist
will point to all the evils of
Christendom. But these just
show Christians have not
been Christian enough.
They do not obscure the
fact it was the Judaeo-
Christian view of the human
being that gave the west its
hospitals, charities and the
language of the rights of
the weak. As yet, there is
no alternative narrative to
guarantee the inherent dig-
nity of all, regardless of ca-
pacities.
Of course, most of us love
our grandmothers. We do
not need religion to tell us
to look after them.
But as more Australians
move into high-care facili-
ties and dementia units,
sometimes at a great dis-
tance from family, society
will need a solid intellectual
ground for increasing con-
tributions to those who can
no longer give back.
Ancient Greece and Rome,
the cultures against which
Christianity first competed,
had little by way of philo-
sophical reasoning that
could guarantee the inher-
ent worth of those lacking
rational capacity or social
utility.
So infanticide was com-
mon and social welfare for
the aged and dying was vir-
tually non-existent.
Christianity changed this.
It inherited from the Jews a
theology of human dignity
and a program of social
welfare and added the
thought that Christ had
died for the world, even for
the lowly and neglected.
Compassion was due to
all, especially to the over-
looked. So was born the
tradition of charity.
Educated Greeks and Ro-
mans criticised Christianity
for this. To them it was a
religion for the poor and
useless.
Atheist philosopher,
Friedrich Nietzsche, was
one of the first in the mod-
ern era to admit that the
death of God meant the
end of objective ethical val-
ues.
He did not mean we would
all descend into immorality
as soon as we stopped be-
lieving in a creator; only
that at the philosophical
level a secular society has
to abandon the notion of a
universal moral law. Ethics
could, henceforth, only be
based on social convention
or practical utility.
The secularist may feel
like saying humanity is in-
estimably precious, atheist
philosopher Raimond Gaita
says, but only someone
who is religious can speak
seriously of the sacred.
Yales great philosopher-
theologian, Nicholas
Wolterstorff, goes further in
his book Justice: Rights and
Wrongs.
He argues a rational justi-
fication for treating humans
as inestimably precious,
regardless of capacities,
can only be found in a the-
istic framework.
Only if the abandoned in-
fant on the hills of ancient
Rome or the estranged res-
ident in a Melbourne de-
mentia unit is created in the
image of God, can we se-
cure an intellectual basis for
treating both individuals
with the same dignity we
afford societys most able.
If he is right, we should all
be concerned there is an
ageing population at the
same time there is a decline
in belief in a transcendent
narrative of humanitys sa-
cred worth.
The secular West may one
day be able to offer an ac-
count of human dignity
equal in power to the bibli-
cal one.
Or perhaps one of the
other religions on the rise in
Australia will take Christian-
itys place in providing the
conceptual framework for
defending lifes disinherited
and condemned.
Until then, I worry that we
all love our gran will not cut
it in the long run.
Dr John Dickson is an au-
thor and historian and the
founding director of the
Centre for Public Christian-
ity in Sydney.
This is a slightly edited
version of an article which
first appeared in The Syd-
ney Morning Herald on July
14, 2012; it also appeared
in The Melbourne Anglican
August 2012 issue and is
reprinted with permission.
Christianity and ageing
By Dr James Garth, Warragul
PERHAPS the most noteworthy aspect of how my
faith relates to my work life is how little conflict or
clash there actually is. In my profession of aerospace
engineer, divides or schisms along theological lines
are virtually non-existent. I work with Christians, Hin-
dus, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, general theists, new
age thinkers, agnostics and ardent atheists; working
together in teams, using our combined skills to design
complex aircraft structures, components and systems.
Granted, I am perhaps more fortunate than some of
my friends in biology, neuroscience or psychology,
who have to grapple somewhat more head-on with al-
leged conflicts between their research and their reli-
gion. Some of these issues might include the classical
mind/brain problem (that is, do we have a soul sep-
arate from the body; if not, does this threaten tradi-
tional religious beliefs?), the origins of consciousness,
free will, whether morality is simply a by-product of
evolutionary forces and so on.
Personally, although I think these are interesting and
legitimate areas of concern requiring reflection, I ul-
timately do not think Gods existence is influenced one
way or another by their outcome. It seems to me that
if we love and value truth, we ought not be afraid of
the insights gleaned from scientific discoveries.
If we allow science to sensibly inform our religious
perspectives and our religious insights to challenge,
stimulate and interpret our science (particularly its as-
sumptions and limitations), then we are more likely
to understand Gods truth in all its fullness.
I can honestly say none of the above sorts of con-
flict arise in aerospace engineering, where I deal with
machines and components with a beautifully austere
simplicity. Generally, being an aerospace engineer is
not threatened by commitment to any particular
macroscopic scientific theory (although if you doubted
Newtons laws of motion, the physical laws which de-
scribe the relationship between forces on a body and
its motion, then you probably would not get very far).
It matters not what one thinks of human origins,
whether we have a soul, or even how old the universe
is. We simply get on with the job and keep designing,
analysing and testing components and systems;
checking designs have the necessary strength, stabil-
ity and thermal characteristics for the given environ-
ment and are fit for the intended purpose.
To be honest, I entered the field of aerospace be-
cause of an almost primal love of high technology and
the cool factor it brings. I have since become gradu-
ally aware that working in such a high-tech industry
can be seen as a valuable, God-honoring, even hu-
manitarian pursuit in its own right.
The aircraft, helicopters, spacecraft, satellites and
other technologies we develop play a vital role in
transporting goods, moving people around the globe,
bringing together cultures, rescuing people in danger
and measuring and understanding our environment.
The net benefits to humanity are immense and I
think engineers play a particularly deep role in fulfill-
ing our biblical mandate to act as responsible stew-
ards of Gods creation [Gen 1:26, Gen 2:15, Lev
25:23, Jer 12:4, Ps 148, Ps 24:1].
With this in mind, I should mention the only real area
of conflict I think a Christian aerospace engineer can
(and should) be faced with is to what degree does one
support developing technology that could be used to
harm another human being? A huge portion of aero-
space development is driven by and for the defence
industry and I think this is one area where some le-
gitimate concerns can arise.
Should I use my skills to help develop ballistic mis-
siles, if they will help to keep peace between nation-
states? Should I work on platforms to deliver combat
troops or, equally, disaster relief teams? Should I de-
velop unmanned vehicles, increasing pilot safety, even
at the expense of situational awareness?
I offer no easy answers here; save to say I have
found the process of grappling with these issues to be
a constructive one; it has led me to a greater appre-
ciation and awareness of the complexities and nu-
ances involved. I believe it is extremely valuable to
have Christian perspectives represented at the high-
est levels of science and technology; particularly so
in defence-industrial companies; where thoughtful
contributions by Christians can ensure we adopt nei-
ther a laissez-faire nor Luddite approach to technol-
ogy development; but instead one guided and
supported by an informed conscience.
Faith and work
December 2012 Our Diocese - Perspectives 17
By Gordon Dowth-
waite, Leongatha
ONE Sunday morning at
church, the song leader ex-
plained a bit about the
story behind a well-known
Matt Redman song. I like
hearing these stories as
they invariably bring deeper
meaning to a song, so I
looked it up to make sure I
had got the details right.
The story goes that in the
late 1990s, Matt, in his
early 20s, was a music
leader at Soul Survivor
church in England; a fast
growing modern church
where music played an im-
portant part in Sunday wor-
ship.
The Pastor of the church
perceived an apathy in the
church he decided was
caused by a loss of focus.
He shut down the music
team; any singing that oc-
curred would be a Capella.
Matt was out of a job and
learned, along with others,
that he had put music in too
high a place in his life.
Rather than finding his
worth in Jesus Christ, he
had placed too much value
in what he did and the use
of his gifts.
He penned these words:
When the music fades, and
all is stripped away;
And I simply come, long-
ing just to bring something
thats of worth
I am reminded of Paul who
had great credentials, but
also lost his job after the
Damascus Road experi-
ence. He learned to con-
sider his strengths a loss
compared to the surpassing
greatness of knowing Christ
Jesus my Lord (Phil 3:8).
After some time in obscu-
rity, he returned to teach of
the supremacy of Christ in
and over all things (Col
1:15-19) and call Christians
to remain rooted in their
faith in the peace we have
with God through the blood
of Jesus, shed on the cross
(Col 1:20-23).
I am reminded of experi-
ences in my own life when
things I have valued have
been taken from me; and
how my faith in Jesus and
knowledge of God has
grown because of these
times. I am only too likely
to be proud of my gifts and
abilities and to place my
value in what I have or can
do. I have learned this is
wrong but need the re-
minder that Matts song
gives:
Im coming back to the
heart of worship, and its all
about you, all about you,
Jesus;
Im sorry Lord for the
thing Ive made it, when its
all about you, all about you,
Jesus
Matt did not give up music
forever and the church did
reintroduce music. This
song became internation-
ally known and he has
penned other songs simi-
larly well known and theo-
logically sound.
Pauls credentials did not
prove worthless in his min-
istry.
I think God gives each of
us gifts, abilities, concerns
and passions that may be
used for his glory. But if we
find ourselves doing stuff
for God, maybe we need to
give that up and come back
to the cross of Christ; and
worship him alone with all
our heart and soul and
mind and strength.
As Matts song puts it:
King of endless worth, No
one could express, How
much You deserve;
Though Im weak and poor,
All I have is Yours, Every
single breath
During my reflections
while singing that Sunday
morning, my thoughts
turned to our diocese.
When I review the issues
within the diocese as ex-
pressed in The Gippsland
Anglican and by our lead-
ers, I wonder whether our
stated unity in Christ has
become little more than
rhetoric.
I see and hear many opin-
ions: care for the disadvan-
taged; care of the
environment; celebration of
women in ministry; the im-
portance of inclusion; re-
sponses to political policy;
promotion of the family;
what we might learn from
other faiths; what people
from our churches are
doing; and many other top-
ics, some very worthy.
But I see little mention of
Jesus, his saving work on
the cross and his call to put
our own causes aside and
submit our whole life to
him; what we say is our
point of unity.
Sure, we may say we take
all that as a given. But, if
we do not have constant re-
minders, we all too soon
make it all about us.
My response has been to
reflect and write some arti-
cles of what I have learned
about Jesus on my walk
with him. I encourage oth-
ers to do the same.
If nothing else, maybe we
should examine ourselves,
put aside our causes and
works for a while, however
good they may be, and get
back to the heart of wor-
ship: its all about Jesus.
Quotes from Heart of Wor-
ship, Matt Redman 1999
All About Jesus
Diocesan calendar
2012
International Year of People of African Descent,
National Year of the Farmer, National Year of Reading
December
1 Anam Cara Community Day: Waiting
(Advent); Holy Trinity, Stratford; 9.30am to
4pm; BYO lunch; RSVP Brian Turner, 03 5144
1914
2 Commemorative service celebrating 20 years
of women priests; 2pm, St Pauls Anglican
Cathedral, Sale; Don Saines, 03 5144 2020
6 St Augustines annual dinner, Newhaven Yacht
Squadron, Bass Phillip Island parish
9 Commemorative service celebrating 20 years
of women priests in Melbourne; 2.30pm; St
Pauls Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne
24 Christmas Eve
25 Christmas Day
26 Boxing Day
28-Jan.1 Sale parish family outreach: Summer in
Seaspray
30 110th anniversary of St Thomas Bunyip;
10am; RSVP 15/12/2012, 03 5629 5295 or
email anglicanbunyip@dcsi.net.au
2013
110th year of The Gippsland Anglican diocesan news-
paper
January
Dec.28-Jan.1 Sale parish family outreach: Summer
in Seaspray
9 Bass Phillip Island parish fair
11-16 Summer under the Son, Church Missionary
Society (CMS), Adventure Resort, Phillip
Island; www.summerundertheson.org
12 St Nicholas Lakes Entrance fair
February
2 Anam Cara Community Day; 9.30am to 4pm
3 St Philips Dedication Festival, Bass Phillip
Island parish; guest speaker, Archdeacon Edie
Ashley
9 Ordination service, Priests; St Pauls Cathedral,
Sale; 11am; Don Saines, 03 5144 2020
March
1 Australian Voices performance at Cowes
20 Mothers Union Lady Day; St Pauls Cathedral
Sale; 10am; guest speaker, Marilyn Oulds,
Worldwide Mothers Union; BYO lunch
25 Catholic v Anglican and others Golf Day, Sale
Golf Club; Registry office, 03 5144 2044
26 Renewal of ordination vows and Blessing of oils
service; St Pauls Cathedral, Sale; 11.30am
29 Good Friday
30 Easter Book Stall, St Johns Metung, Patterson
Park, Metung
31 Easter Day
Park, Metung
April
Park, Metung
25 ANZAC Day
May
4 Shared spiritual Art festival at St Philips and
St Johns, Bass Phillip Island parish
17-19 Gippsland Anglican 37th annual Synod, Sale;
St Pauls Cathedral, Friday evening; then St
Annes campus of Gippsland Grammar, Sale
June
3-5 Clergy conference, with Charles and Peta
Sherlock
12 Mothers Union June Join-in; details TBC
23-26 Quadratos in an Australian context, a retreat
organised by Anam Cara Community; Palotti
College, Millgrove
27-29 Growth in Ministry intensive; Bishopscourt;
Sale
Details in calendar as available at the time of printing.
18 Our Diocese - Missions and Ministries December 2012
AS Sri Lanka rebuilds,
churches support through
the Christmas Bowl sup-
ports people like Kamala.
With the help my family
received, we have been
able to return to our home
in Sri Lanka, living in a
safer environment. I am so
grateful for all the help we
have received, Kamala
(right) said.
Kamala and her husband
were so afraid when the
bombing and violence got
close to their home, they
fled war-torn Sri Lanka with
nothing but the clothes on
their backs. During five
long years in a refugee
camp in Tamil Nadu, south-
ern India, they dreamed of
raising the daughter born to
them in the camp in their
homeland.
Now, they are safely home
in Sri Lanka. Support for
the Christmas Bowl from
churches around Australia
helped Kamala and her
husband to survive in the
camp and to provide vital
healthcare to their baby.
It helped Kamala and her
family return home once it
was safe. Life is still tough,
but Kamala is grateful to
have the opportunity to re-
build her life.
Kamala and her husband
are among hundreds of
thousands of Sri Lankans
forced to flee the civil war
in their country between
1983 and 2009. Many fled
to Tamil Nadu, southern
India and have been living
in camps there ever since;
and now the conflict has
ended, many are yearning
to return home.
Australians who support
the Christmas Bowl in 2012
will be helping more Sri
Lankan refugees like Ka-
mala to make a safe return
home and providing
refugees who are still in
camps with vital health
care. The Christmas Bowl is
the Christmas Appeal of Act
for Peace, the international
aid agency of the National
Council of Churches in Aus-
tralia.
Photo: Janet Cousens/
Act for Peace
THE Parish Council of Lakes Entrance and Metung
parish decided to make it a priority that, as the
NicholasJohn op shop is supported by the commu-
nity with donations of goods, the parish will give
back to the community by donating to other chari-
ties.
The parish funds an annual music scholarship to
Lakes Entrance Secondary College and a leadership
program and a science program at the college. The
parish has donated money to Ocean Rescue Squad,
Lakes Entrance Surf Life Saving Club, Palliative Care,
(buying a Reverie Harp), Gippsland Lakes Commu-
nity Health and Metung community Health, to cancer
research and, recently, to Lakes Entrance Primary
School to buy a marquee for sports activities (see
November 2012 issue of The Gippsland Anglican).
These are only a few of the groups and activities
the parish has supported. We have also donated to
Anglicord and Marysville.
NicholasJohn welcomes all visitors to the op shop
with the offer of coffee and biscuits. We have many
volunteers from our church as well as the commu-
nity, but naturally more are welcome.
The parish appreciates the wonderful work of op
shop coordinator, Terry McMaster. He would tell you
the volunteers are a wonderful group of people who
are very supportive of the work he does.
Contributor: Kath Grandy
Op shop gives
to community
Christmas Bowl helps
Kamala and her family
By Elizabeth Keever
TELEVISION screens regu-
larly show graphic images
of the destruction and
human misery caused by
natural disasters. We, the
audience, are deeply
moved and send money to
organisations we hope will
be able to help the afflicted
and rebuild lives.
What if the worst impacts
of such disasters could be
avoided? What if people
could be better prepared
and better able to protect
themselves and their com-
munities from much of the
destruction natural disas-
ters usually bring?
This is the philosophy be-
hind the concept of Disaster
Risk Reduction. ABMs Dr
Julianne Stewart met in Sri
Lanka with a team of dis-
aster relief and develop-
ment workers from all over
the Anglican Communion
earlier this year.
The meeting was the sec-
ond in a series of meetings
focused on the production
of a Disaster Risk Reduction
and Preparedness Toolkit
(tentatively named Pastors
in Disasters), for use by An-
glican churches and the
communities in which they
live in the developing world.
Churches often have a
deep reach into rural areas
where many natural disas-
ters hit. So it makes sense
to equip them with tools to
prepare for and minimise
the risk of injury, loss of life
and damage to property
and the landscape during
disasters, said Julianne.
Writing of the toolkit was
the brainchild of Episcopal
Relief and Development,
the development arm of the
Episcopal Church in the
United States, which is
funding most of the project.
The idea came about from
experience that existing
disaster preparedness tools
did not provide enough de-
tail to be an effective train-
ing manual for churches
that are often first to re-
spond to disasters in their
areas.
In the event of an emer-
gency in any country in
which ABM maintains a re-
lationship with a church
partner, we will channel
funds through their respec-
tive church emergency
committees in order to en-
sure the response is medi-
ated by people close to the
situation on the ground.
ABM supports our partners
by helping to prepare them
for emergency situations
and educating them on
methods to mitigate the ef-
fects of climate change.
Read more or donate to
ABMs emergency programs
at www.abmission.org
ABOVE: San Lin from Myan-
mar role-plays a disaster
risk mapping exercise for
use with communities.
ABM pastors in disasters
ACROSS, a TEAR partner
of 28 years, is working to
strengthen communities
and improve education,
agriculture and health in
the new nation of South
Sudan.
The birth of the new na-
tion of South Sudan in July
this year offers a real op-
portunity for people to re-
build their lives and hope
for a better future. How-
ever, there are many seri-
ous challenges, especially
in areas like basic infra-
structure, water and sanita-
tion, health care and child
mortality.
TEAR Australia is working
through local partners to
help with the development
of South Sudan. ACROSS
works in partnership with
local churches to
strengthen communities
and improve education,
agriculture and health.
The Community Health
Project is centred around
three health clinics. Many
women come to the clinics
to give birth, which is help-
ing to address the high ma-
ternal mortality rate. Clinic
staff also train community
health workers, who use
their knowledge in their
own communities.
The Education Project in-
volves activities like helping
girls stay in school longer
and teacher training, help-
ing local teachers develop
skills including classroom
management and lesson
preparation.
Planning for the returnees
(inset photograph) means
there is a need to build
more toilets and wash-
rooms, so a partnership
with SLDA, a local agency,
has meant local people
(above) being employed to
construct water closets that
can sustain high density
usage.
Health and education
December 2012 Our Diocese - Missions and Ministries 19
CWCI completed a suc-
cessful safari through East
Gippsland recently, with Ro
Verspaandonk as speaker.
Ro is very well known in
East Gippsland and many
women were happy to
renew friendship with her
during the safari.
Ro spoke about Finding
Treasures for Life and used
some visual displays in her
talk. She encouraged
women to seek Gods treas-
ures He has in store for us
when we ask Him for guid-
ance in our lives.
Ro visited with other
members of the CWCI team
to Mallacoota and Cann
River, Orbost, Lake Tyers
Trust, Metung and finishing
at Bruthen.
Christian Women Commu-
nicating International
(CWCI) is a worldwide in-
terdenominational Bible-
based ministry. It began in
Australia in 1957 with a
small group of women who
joined together for a week-
end of Bible teaching.
Local CWCI events are
held in cities and country
areas, offering encourage-
ment, inspiration and Bible
teaching.
Know Your Bible studies
are used regularly by
women with more than
2300 KYB groups in Aus-
tralia. Studies are also
available in more than 45
languages and are used in
more than 70 countries.
CWCI safaris travel into
remote areas of Australia
with Christs love and
teaching.
Women wanting more in-
formation about CWCI can
contact, email asoho@cw-
ciaus.org.au or www.cwci-
aus.org.au
Contributor/Photos:
Shirley Crutchfield
TOP: Vivienne Clamp, Ro
Verspaandonk and Gabbi
Minchin at Metung.
ABOVE: Lil Lillyman, Mar-
garet Crouch, Norma Brown
(soloist who sang at each
venue) and Heather Baillie.
Women on safari
High octane
breakfasts at
Cowes for GP
VICTORIAs Motorcycle
Grand Prix (GP) in October
at Phillip Island was a huge
success and a lot of work
for Bass Phillip Island
parish. Approximately
120,000 people attended
the race track over four
days.
Many attendees stayed
overnight in Cowes and
some then needed break-
fast. Volunteers from the
Cowes congregation have
every year put on a full
cooked breakfast for visi-
tors and bikers, raising
money for the parish and
also showing an Anglican
presence at the GP.
For the four mornings, a
total of nearly 500 hot
breakfasts were served
with juice, cereal, coffee
and toast, not forgetting
the vegemite spread.
Saturday morning was the
peak period, with one
breakfast coming out of the
kitchen on average every
80 seconds. This continued
for a three and half hour
period.
A full hot breakfast can
consist of eggs, bacon,
sausages and baked beans;
that is a lot of food being
cooked by volunteers.
There is no shortage of
volunteers for this large
production; it can be hard
work, but also enjoyable
and rewarding with cama-
raderie among volunteers
and the social contact with
customers.
Some volunteers and cus-
tomers return for the
breakfasts every year.
Contributor:
Ralph Leditschke
ABOVE: Happy volunteers
in the kitchen take a short
break.
LEFT: Volunteers serving
breakfast to a constant flow
of visitors during four days
of the Motorcycle Grand
Prix.
BELOW: Satisfied cus-
tomers make time to chat
with a Cowes parishioner.
Photos: Robert McKay
20 Our Diocese - Pictorial December 2012
THE parish fair or a flower,
art or crafts show are op-
portunities for the church
and community to come to-
gether; an opportunity to
enjoy fellowship together
and raise money for church
and community activities
(particularly given so many
churches raise funds to
support community out-
reach and supporting other
groups missions, too).
The summer months are
particularly popular for fairs
and shows. In the past
month, Bairnsdale and Or-
bost parishes held their an-
nual fairs and Bunyip parish
held its annual St Thomas
Bunyip Flower Show and
Market. This is one of the
few stand-alone flower
shows still held in Gipps-
land.
TOP right: At Bairnsdale
parish fair, jam maker ex-
traordinaire, Ken Casey,
with helper, Jan Stephen-
son, help customers.
BELOW: A harpist and gui-
tarist were among a range
of musicians at Bairnsdale
parish fair.
Photos: Ursula Plunkett
RIGHT: Handcrafts were for
sale at Orbost parish fair.
BOTTOM: Food is always
popular at parish events,
including this barbecue at
Orbost parish fair.
Photos: Barbara Lunson
BELOW right: Devonshire
tea is a popular refresh-
ment, including at Bunyips
Flower Show, which pro-
vided a feast for the eyes
(bottom right).
Photos: Chris Bennie
ABOVE: The gardens of Bishopscourt in Sale were the
venue for a Quiet Day organised by Mothers Union Gipp-
sland recently.
Photo: Jan Misiurka
By Archdeacon Ted Gibson
ON January 20, 2013, Bishop John McIntyre will lead de-
consecration of a church which has served the people of
the rich Mitchell River flats since July 1898. After January
20, the congregation of St Martins Lindenow will move
across the road to the Uniting Church to continue with An-
glican worship.
Since 1989, the two congregations have worshipped to-
gether, originally while the Uniting Church were building a
brick church. United by a common lectionary and the Aus-
tralian Hymn Book, they so bonded that when the new
church opened, they decided to alternate use of the build-
ings from week to week. This has happened without the
need for a Co-operating Church agreement.
With the passing of the years, numbers have declined
mainly by death and re-location.
Anglican services in the area began in the 1840s when
the Rector of Cooma travelled through Gippsland and held
services at homesteads, baptising and marrying at many
locations as far as Port Albert.
The weatherboard church dedicated by Archdeacon TH
Armstrong (later Bishop of Wangaratta) was located at
Walpa (Coongulmerang) and shifted into Lindenow in
1954. In the 1980s, the Shire of Bairnsdale asked the
congregation to upgrade the facilities and contractor Peter
Down added a kitchen, two toilets and access ramps at
front and back.
A beautiful mural featuring the Lindenow flats was given
by artist, Mrs Margaret Alexander, and four windows were
given by members of the congregation. These particular
gifts will be re-located to the Uniting Church along with
other furniture.
St Martins Church is unique in Gippsland diocese be-
cause it was not named after one of the saints of the early
Church but after Robert Martin, who came to them as a
stipendiary lay reader and a retired sea captain. He
bought land at Wy Yung, naming the property, Mizpah and
by horsedrawn vehicles he serviced an immense area in-
cluding Paynesville, Meerlieu and Fernbank.
Robert Martin retired in 1918 at the age of 85 years and
died at his property aged 92 years. His single daughter
stayed on at Mizpah and sold it to the church for the foun-
dation of Clifton Waters Village, the initiative and vision
of Canon Douglas Smith in 1953.
So January 20, 2013 will not be the sad occasion some
may worry for. It will be an occasion for thanksgiving and
hopefulness as we simply cross the road. All who have had
links with St. Martins over the years are warmly invited to
the service and to the fellowship in the Uniting Church af-
terward.
End of an era looms
Parishes on show

The Gippsland Anglican December 2012

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The Gippsland Anglican December 2012

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Volume 109, Number 11 December 2012

Published in Gippsland Diocese since 1904

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