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After what could have been a disastrous beginning when they were down four goals to nothing, Tatura tightened up after half time and, with their handball and general teamwork shifting into top gear, they ran out good winners of a danger game at Tongala.
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B P Hansen, W Moore, P Connors
HB E Grey, A Serra, R Morris

C J Hicks, T Tamburro, E Antonio
HF A Crawford, R Doolan, A Harding
F R Stammers, R Downie, F McMahon
Foll F Houlihan, N Smith
Rover B Birrell 19th S Cohen, 20th G Thomas
Whilst I understand the absolute necessity to protect one another from COVID-19 and ‘flatten the curve’, it is still extraordinary and unsettling to know that at a time when people are afraid, frustrated, worried and looking for answers, our church doors are shut. And yet… our church community remains active. Our message of hope in Christ and our love for community is being spread in new ways. All our parishioners are praying for our families and friends, our church, our town, our nation and the world. The leaders of our pastoral care groups call and check in on assigned members of the congregation every week, to see how they are and if they need any help. As the Minister, I also call a number of different parishioners each week to offer pastoral care and prayer.
Goal kickers: R Downie 4, F McMahon 2, T Tamburro 2, N Smith, F Houlihan, R Doolan, A Crawford.Best: A Serra, B Birrell, T Antonio, T Tamburro, W Moore, F Houlihan,
100 GAMES ROSS STAMMERS
Next Saturday Ross Stammers will play his 100th game for Tatura Football Club. Ross, who has played in many positions for the Club, is a real true-blue Bulldog as he has played all his football with Tatura. Ross started with the Thirds and moved his way up to the Seniors and is one of the Clubs most experienced and valuable footballers.
TON FOR PAUL
Another Tatura stalwart plays his 100th Senior game for Tatura on Saturday, stout defender Paul Hanson. It was not exactly a swap, but Ken Yeates went to Stanhope from Tatura about the same time Paul came to Tatura from Stanhope.
Business Change
Every Sunday we upload an audio and transcript of the sermon to our website (https:// allsaintstatura.org.au/sermon/). We also produce a weekly newsletter which includes encouraging news, stories and photos from parishioners spending their days at home. For those at home with kids or grandkids, we put together a weekly ‘Little Saints’ kids pack which includes a kids bible teaching and some simple crafts to do as a family at home. The sermon, newsletter and kids pack are emailed to the congregation and for those who do not have internet access, is printed and left in letterboxes.
A Tatura business is changing hands with Mr Bruce Minns about to take over the timber and hardware business conducted for many years by Mr Ed Mitchell (Judy Forster’s dad)
Confirmation
Over the Easter weekend, George Ferguson and I placed artwork by one of our parishioners, Kate Peachey, on display outside the church building along with three crosses. The portraits captured Jesus’ journey to the cross and his resurrection. We chose to put up this display
Wayne, son of Mr and Mrs Don Tavener, who is a pupil of the Victorian School for the Deaf Children was confirmed by the Most Reverend Dr F in Tatura, praying for you and believing we
0–2. Struggle Street. Don’t feel too bad. In order for people to live on Bland Street, somebody has to be worse than that and I’m sorry to say that’s you. On the other hand, if you had guessed (c) for every answer you would have gotten four correct so perhaps you were just unlucky.
by Andy Crawford
Woods, Primate of Australia, at the Chapel for the Deaf in East Melbourne. His parents and Godparents, Mr and Mrs Ray Tavener, travelled to Melbourne for the occasion.
Engagement
3-5. Bland Street. The majority of the population fall into this category. After all, average is both normal and safe. If you stand out from the crowd you become a tall poppy and we know what happens to them so rejoice in your ordinariness.
Mr and Mrs Ian Stone are very happy to announce the engagement of their daughter, Wendy, to Chris, the son of Mr and Mrs Eric Sessions of Dhurringile. (currently retired in Tatura)
Sudden Death Of Mr Gerry Maloney

6-7. Above Average (sort of). Well done on another abnormal performance. If you were normal you would have been living on Bland Street and being called unexceptional. So, according to the Oxford dictionary, you are exceptional, irregular and deviating from type. Ask your friends if that sounds like you.
People of Tatura and many areas throughout the Goulburn Valley and beyond were shocked and saddened to learn of the death, suddenly, in Melbourne of Mr Gerry Maloney.
Mr Maloney, who had a long association with the sport of horse racing was President of the Tatura Racing Club when the Licences Board decreed that horseracing in the Goulburn Valley should be conducted at one centre. When the decision favoured racing at Tatura racecourse he became President of the amalgamated race clubs, Goulburn Valley Race Club and Tatura Racing Club. Evidence of the tremendously high esteem in which Mr Maloney was held, was shown with hundreds of people attending the biggest funeral seen in Tatura in living memory.
8-9. Smarty Pants. Excellent. Congratulations! You’re smarter than 95% of the population. Whether you choose to believe statistic is up to you. Oh, you do believe it. I thought you might. However, it also means you’re not as smart as 5%. Oh, I see. You don’t believe that particular statistic. 10. Genius. Every question correct! Go you! Lucky for you it was multiple choice because there were a couple you weren’t too sure about, weren’t there? However, you now have a month to bask in the glory by asking other people how they did on the quiz.
CARPET BOWLS
Tatura carpet bowls teams had the better of their pennant encounters on Tuesday night when the Whites and Greens were successful and only the Golds went down. Three sections were made up of 23 teams.
Presently only 6 teams playing pennant)
HILL TOP BOWLS TOPICS
Congratulations to the winners and also the also rans. Sunday men’s triples was taken out by, wait for it, Harold Payten, Mick O’Reilly and Clarrie Wheeler. If these boys are going to keep this form up, I’ll have to get their names on a rubber stamp to save writing them all the time. They won the trophy from Fred Perry, George Coombs and Eddie Lockwood. At the General Committee meeting it was unanimously decided to enter a B Grade pennant team for the 1973-74 season.
GIRL GUIDES ANNUAL MEETING
Office bearers were elected for the coming year with positions filled as follows: President Mrs Francis Wright, Secretary Mrs Elaine Lowe, Treasurer Mrs Heather Donaldson, Senior Vice President Mrs Anne Eike, Junior Vice President Mrs Margaret Normington, Badge Secretary Mrs Thelma Hatherley and Publicity Officer Mrs Yvonne Harper.
And The Roof Fell In
If I had $10.00 for every time someone said to me, “The roof will fall in if I was to come to church,” I’d have no fear for the future finances of the little congregations that I care for.
It’s a statement I hear many times, every year in my ministry work and even more often as I stand around the firepit after a beer or two, talking about life and what matters. Often the statement is made because they have responded to something I’ve written or said. Sometimes it’s because of something that has been happening in their lives or those they love. Somehow the implied next step forward involves going to church. I’m not sure why, but it does, and the defensive response is, “The roof will fall in…”
I actually raised the issue with one of my colleagues, who knows a lot more about the workings of the church hierarchy, to see if we couldn’t get a special clause inserted into our insurance for such an occurrence. Something like, “this church building and its contents, including injury to other people in attendance, are insured for damage in the event of the roof falling in because unworthy persons entered the building.”
The problem with this is that the insurance companies are bound to see such an event as an “Act of God” and therefore not covered. The term ‘Acts of God’ refers to events that are beyond human control and are not caused by any human activity. Examples of such events include earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, lightning strikes, volcanic eruptions, and other natural catastrophes. When an insurance policy includes an acts of God clause, it means that the insurer will not be responsible for covering losses or damages resulting from these specific events. The rationale behind this clause is that insurers cannot reasonably predict or prevent such occurrences, and they are considered inevitable and unavoidable forces.

So, I suppose that if the roof did fall in because of an unexpected visitor, the insurance company would play that card. By the way this is terrible theology, it represents a view of God that I find abhorrent. But that is for another day.
And then there are funeral services. These are apparently an exception to the rule, because often this will be a funeral for a ‘roof will fall in’ person and large numbers of my ‘roof will fall in’ people will attend the funeral without incident. Invariably when I am called upon to conduct the funeral for a someone like this, I am struck by their life story. No, I am moved by their life story. I am saddened that I didn’t know them more and I believe that the church was the poorer for them not being part of the worshipping community. I find myself saying without qualification, “This was a good person. Not perfect but good. You’d like to have known them better. You were privileged to have been loved by them. And God loves them!”
They didn’t need to come to church. But the church was poorer for their absence, and I do believe that they would have found their lives enriched as well.
We live in an economic culture that relies on making us feel less than enough without this or that product or new thing that they are trying to sell us. Too often we find ourselves surrounded by people who bring us down, constantly criticizing and belittling us. These can make us question our worth, even when we know deep down that we are valuable and loveable. It can feel like we're failing even when we're succeeding. But the answer to these negative influences isn't just surrounding ourselves with people who constantly praise us and sugarcoat everything. It's about finding equals who are both generous and honest. People who are broken, people who are recovering, people who are feeding their soul with words and ideas that affirm life.
Jesus love for the outsiders, the “tax collectors and sinners” as they are often referred to, is a constant refrain in the gospel story. He ate and drank in their homes; he told stories about them as models of Christian behaviour (e.g., The good Samaritan); models of how to pray (“God, be merciful to me a sinner.”); and he recruited them into his inner circle of followers. The only time the roof fell in on one of his gatherings was when Jesus was teaching in a house that was so crowded, no-one else could get in. Some people had brought along a friend who was paralysed in the hope that Jesus might heal him. When they couldn’t get inside by the door, they went up unto the roof and “they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay.” (Mark 2:4)
That’s the only time the roof fell in, it wasn’t an Act of God, but what happened next was.
And it was good news!
- Brian Spencer, Minister, Tatura Uniting Church