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" To be pilgrims of the Spirit is to keep moving forward, carrying hope rather than despair, building bridges rather than walls."
When I was installed as Moderator of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, I wore the robe of my late father.
The fabric is worn and the stitching frayed, yet as I put it on, I felt the weight of memory, of sacrifice, of faith passed from one generation to the next.
It reminded me that my story is not mine alone.
I walk this road because others have walked before me, and because God keeps calling us all forward.
This is what it means to be a pilgrim of the Spirit.
We are people on the move, carrying the prayers and hopes of those who came before us, and preparing the way for those who will come after.
Again and again I discover that God is already ahead of us, waiting on the road.
Synod 2025 was my first as Moderator.
It was an intense few days, full of listening, debate, prayer, and decision.
For some it was encouraging, for others difficult.
Some left with energy, others with weariness or feeling unheard.
All of these experiences matter, and all are part of our shared story.
The Faithful Futures proposal is one example.
It moved through working groups, re-wording, debate, and the addition of a fifth goal before consensus was reached.
It bore the marks of prayer and patience, and showed that when Christ is at the centre, we can still find ways forward together.
Financially, our church is relatively healthy, yet we still wrestle with how to balance sustaining the institution with living the gospel.
Decline is felt in both rural and urban congregations.
Some hold significant resources, others are growing but financially stretched.
Rural communities often feel isolated or unheard, especially in the face of fires, droughts or floods.
These are not simple issues. They call us to ongoing discernment about the kind of church we are or continue to be and becoming together.
A Tongan proverb speaks into this: pikipiki hama, kae vaevae manava.
In desperate times at sea, when small boats were out of rations and in danger of sinking, people would bind their canoes together (pikipiki hama) and share what remained, even if it meant tearing apart their own life resources (vaevae manava).
It is a story of survival through sacrificial sharing. Might this be an image for us?
Synod 2025 considered many proposals. I name only a few here, not because they are more important, but because they help frame my early reflection.
This year marks 40 years of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress and 40 years since declaring the UCA a multicultural church.
We committed to a response to the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s final reports, noted the Treaty statement before Parliament, and passed a proposal on non-violent anti-genocide action. Each presses us to live what we proclaim.
The world carries many fractures: the wounds left by the Voice referendum, the rise of racial hatred, the tragedies of wars.
It would be easy to withdraw, but the gospel calls us otherwise. To be pilgrims of the Spirit is to keep moving forward, carrying hope rather than despair, building bridges rather than walls.
The Basis of Union reminds us that “God gives us a future which is the gift of God’s own life”.
That truth steadies our steps. As we begin this new Synod term, the invitation is: let us keep walking, bound together, sharing life, trusting Christ who goes before us, and who whispers still: “Behold, I am making all things new.”
The Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress turned 40 this year. Alison
Overeem and Rev Will Pickett reflect on its legacy, challenges and hopes as the Uniting Church continues the journey.
In 1985, Rev Charles Harris founded the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress as a voice for justice and a space for Aboriginal and Islander Christians to live out faith in their own way.
Forty years on, Congress continues to shape the life of the Uniting Church, calling it into deeper covenant and relationship with First Peoples.
As Synod 2025 closed this year, Rev Will Pickett and Aunty Alison Overeem reflected on what the milestone means.
For Will, Minister at Weeroona Uniting Church in Bendigo, Congress has been a guiding presence from his earliest days in ministry, shaping a commitment to bridge-building between First and Second Peoples.
For Alison, who manages Leprena in Glenorchy, the Tasmanian Congress centre, its heart remains culture, family and creating safe spaces for healing and empowerment.
Both describe Congress as a story of persistence and relationship – a covenant journey that continues to ask the Church to listen, learn and change.
Their reflections are grounded in the long story of covenanting between Congress and the wider church.
The Covenant, entered into in 1994, recognised First Peoples as sovereign custodians of the land and committed the Uniting Church to walk in faith and justice with Congress.
Will traces his ministry back to a small Baptist-affiliated community in Katanning, Western Australia.
By Marina Williams
At One In Christ Family Church he learned to lead Bible studies, mentored by the late Rev Ron Williams.
“Brother Ron took me under his wing,” Will recalls.
“He had such a passion not only for Christ and the Gospel, but for the people.”
In 1982 at Crystal Creek, just north of Townsville, First Peoples came together, Christian leaders from across Australia with some Māori leaders.
Guided by the Spirit they discerned they would sing a ‘Black Congress’ into being - a First Peoples movement, within the UCA.
Then in 1983, these leaders and others gathered again at Galiwin’ku, on Elcho Island in north-east Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. They came together and resolved to form the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress.
Rev Charles Harris was the leader, with Rev Dr Djiniyini Gondarra OAM his deputy.
Charles spoke of holistic evangelism. By this he meant both arms of the cross.
One was (the vertical) pointing to God – they would preach the good news of Jesus Christ; the second (the horizontal) arm was outstretched to the community
That foundation widened when Rev Nalin Perera and Rev Wes Hartley introduced him to Congress.
“I didn’t know who Congress was until then,” Will says.
“But as we talked, I felt what Congress was providing wasn’t just a faith journey – it was social justice, being a voice for
to embrace a hurting people in love, to seek justice and to care for their physical needs. In 1985 the Assembly of the UCA formally recognised the formation of the UAICC. At the Assembly meeting in 1994, the relationship between the UAICC and UCA was formalised in an act of Covenant under God.
In 1996, the Assembly Standing Committee acknowledged the intergenerational harm and trauma it was complicit in and apologised to people of the Stolen Generations who had been under this government policy under its care.
In 1997 the full Assembly affirmed the ASC acknowledgement and apology recognising other places where the Church had housed people under these policies.
The UCA committed to further actions of advocacy and restitution.
A new Preamble to the UCA Constitution was resolved at the Assembly in 2009 and recognised the sins of the past and the Church’s part in them.
From the Uniting Church in Australia website
Rev Will Pickett believes education is critical in promoting the role of the UAICC within the Uniting Church.
Aboriginal people. “That opened doors I hadn’t seen before.”
Those conversations set him on the path to ministry.
Ordained in 2004, he says covenanting and social justice have shaped every placement.
“I see my ministry as building bridges between First Nations and Second Peoples,” Will says.
“It means walking shoulder to shoulder … fulfilling the Word of God to love one another.”
He remembers other ministers who embodied the Covenant, naming Rev Dr Les Brockway, Rev John Barendrecht, Professor Brian Hill, Rev Floss Atkinson and Rev Sister Miriam Thompson.
“They lived out the covenanting,” Will says.
For Alison, who has led Leprena for 13 years, Congress is inseparable from her identity as a Palawa woman.
She speaks of it as “woven threads of all that is seen and unseen – justice, truth telling and truth knowing”.
“Congress is not just part of the Uniting Church,” she says.
“It is its heart. And what is the body without the heart?”
At Leprena, Alison draws on decades of experience in child and family services to
create what she calls “many voices, one campfire”.
The work is layered: empowering staff and families, grounding everything in the Palawa story.
“People need to feel safe to be who they are and where they are in their journey,” she explains.
“Family is broader than the nuclear household – it’s about who stands with you, who made a difference, and who remains.”
Both Alison and Will stress that walking together must go deeper than symbolic gestures.
Will recalls being “gobsmacked” when, two years ago, he asked a rural church council about covenanting and an elder said they had never heard of it.
“Many congregations still don’t know about Congress, covenanting or the preamble – showing how critical education is,” he says.
Alison offers a similar challenge.
The Church, she says, must move beyond token gestures.
“You can’t just love our culture – you need to love us as the people who live and carry it,” she says.
Both Will and Alison link the story of Congress with the wider struggle for justice.
'Strong,
As President of the Uniting Church in Australia, I give thanks with my whole heart as we celebrate 40 years of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress.
As we mark this historic milestone across our nation, I extend my warmest greetings in Christ to the beloved Congress communities in Victoria and lutruwita.
Congress is a Spirit-woven thread in the life of our Church – strong, resilient, and prophetic – calling us to remember who we are and who we are yet to be.
In those gatherings at Crystal Creek and Galiwin’ku, leaders sang into being a movement of sovereignty, survival and gospel truth-telling.
In the decades since then, like the psalmist who gives thanks with a whole heart, you have borne witness through struggle and joy to God’s steadfast love.
Your faith continues to teach the whole Church how to trust God’s promises on this land. In Oodnadatta earlier this year, I was gifted clap sticks by the local Congress community.
They remind me that long before colonisation, there was worship, ceremony, and communion with the creator on this Country.
That rhythm still calls us to listen deeply and walk humbly together.
Our covenant with Congress is not symbolic but central to how we embody the gospel in this land.
May we commit afresh to this covenant – resourcing fully, listening first, and walking together toward God’s kingdom of justice and love for the next 40 years and beyond.
Rev Charissa Suli President, Uniting Church in Australia
Alison Overeem is a powerful voice for change within the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress. Image: Carl Rainer.
On behalf of the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania, I give thanks for 40 years of the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress.
This milestone is both a celebration and a moment for truth-telling.
The journey has not been easy.
We live on land that was stolen and never ceded.
The legacies of colonialism, the longdelayed national apology, the ongoing struggle for the acknowledgment of sovereignty, the fight for genuine self-determination, the persistence of tokenism, and the grief of the Voice referendum are all part of our shared story.
For much of this time, the voice of Congress was a haunting voice — speaking truth with courage and clarity, yet too often ignored or dismissed.
Only in more recent years has that voice begun to gain the traction and respect it has always deserved.
Through it all, the UAICC has borne prophetic and courageous witness, holding both Church and nation
to account, and reminding us that reconciliation is not symbolic but lived.
As a Uniting Church, we are bound in covenant with the Congress.
That covenant calls us beyond words into action — to honour sovereignty, to stand with First Peoples in their struggles, and to embody justice and hope in our common life.
We honour the ministries, communities, and leaders who have carried this journey over four decades.
We give thanks for the resilience,
vision, and faith of the UAICC, whose witness continues to shape us as Pilgrims of the Spirit.
You call us to listen more deeply, walk more humbly, and live more faithfully toward God’s future of justice, peace, and renewal.
May God’s Spirit continue to bless and guide the Congress in the years ahead.
Malo
Rev Salesi Faupula
Moderator, Uniting Church in Australia, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania
At Synod 2025, Will was struck by a presentation on Treaty.
“The speaker said God is a God of justice, using Scripture to show that,” he recalls.
“If God is for justice, then it should be relevant to us as God’s people.”
For him, Micah 6:8 captures that covenant calling: ‘Do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God?’”
Alison frames it as cultural safety and equity.
“You can’t just say the Church is in covenant – it has to be covenanting with real action,” she says.
“That means empowering us as employees of the church, resourcing us to do ministry in our own unique way, and trusting us to know what’s best for our mob.”
Despite frustrations, both leaders cite signs of hope.
Alison points to Leprena’s partnership with Kingston Uniting Church, which gifted land for a new building in recognition of sovereignty.
“That’s an equal relationship, and it
shows what’s possible when covenant is lived out,” she says.
She also treasures the smaller moments.
“At Synod 2025, the most powerful moments weren’t on the floor but in the corridors – people stopping to say, ‘thank you for being here, thank you for your stories’.”
For Will, hope lies in the next generation.
“The dream is that younger leaders will take the baton and do ministry in the way they see fit, standing on the shoulders of those before them,” he says.
“Keeping the vision alive – that’s what Uncle Charles Harris began, and it’s what must continue.”
Yet both caution that the work of covenanting is far from complete.
Alison worries that Congress is sometimes treated as an “extra that has to be done” rather than the beating heart of the Church.
She calls for parity in resources and leadership.
“If institutional relationships aren’t equitable, then we are not in true
covenant. It’s just words on paper,” she says.
Will echoes that concern, warning against fear and complacency.
“Don’t be too fearful of taking risks,” he urges.
“Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to share God’s love.
“Ministry is about building bridges and taking risks for the relationship.”
At its 40th year, Congress continues to call the Uniting Church to be its best self.
Alison and Will see the anniversary not as an endpoint but as an invitation.
“I’ve stayed because I believe in what we’re doing,” Alison says.
“Congress can be part of the transformation of the Church.
“But we need allies and advocates –people prepared to walk with us, not just admire our culture from afar.”
For Will, the message is simple.
“Walking together has moved beyond tokenism,” he says.
“It’s about real relationship – shoulder to shoulder, side by side.
“That’s what covenant means, and that’s what gives me hope.”
Every year thousands of people are impacted by emergencies in Victoria and Tasmania.
The Moderator’s Emergency Response Fund is a way for those of us wanting to help when current or future emergencies occur, and to contribute to communities in need of immediate assistance.
Funds may be used within the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania to provide:
Pastoral, ministry, and mission activities assisting the Church’s response to disasters, emergencies or other crises.
Support relevant councils of the Church to undertake disaster preparation/response programs/processes and partner with organisations in disaster preparation/response programs.
Scan the QR code with your smart phone to find out how you can donate today or visit the Synod’s website: www.victas.uca.org.au
The installation of a new Moderator, powerful speakers, and important decisions relating to the life of the Uniting Church were just a part of what made the recent Synod 2025 gathering such a special event.
Members from Victoria and Tasmania gathered at Kingswood College, and then Box Hill Town Hall, for the four-day meeting from August 30 to September 2.
Synod 2025’s opening day featured the installation of new Moderator Rev Salesi Faupula, a farewell to outgoing
Moderator Rev David Fotheringham, and an opportunity to hear how two peace advocates are working for an end to the conflict in the Middle East.
Installed as the Synod of Victoria and Tasmania’s ninth Moderator, Salesi said he was conscious of the trust placed in him by Uniting Church members.
“As we gather for Synod 2025, I stand before you with humility, hope, and deep gratitude,” Salesi said in his reflection during Opening Worship.
“Gratitude for those who have journeyed with me in faith, for those who have gone before, and for the God who calls us always forward.”
Incorporating the Synod 2025 theme of ‘Pilgrims of the Spirit’, Salesi
encouraged Uniting Church members to “continue to be drawn forward by God” and to “set a new kind of banquet because Christ first set a table for us”.
As he fulfilled his term as Moderator, Rev David Fotheringham offered his thanks for the opportunity to serve the Church in Victoria and Tasmania over the last three years.
“It has been an enormous privilege to serve in this role, and I want to express my gratitude to the Synod for entrusting me with the privilege of serving this way for the last three years,” he said.
“I have understood this to be a part of God’s calling, and I’ve tried to be faithful to that.”
Members at the first day’s final session
had the privilege of hearing from two peace advocates, who continue to work tirelessly for an end to conflict in the Middle East.
Senior Social Justice Advocate Dr Mark Zirnsak introduced Palestinian and Israeli speakers, Riman Barakat and Peta Jones Pellach, and they discussed their ongoing work advocating for peace.
As part of peace groups FeelBeit and Women Wage Peace, Riman and Peta are on the ground promoting the message that Palestinians and Israelis can share a future built around a lasting peace.
One of the highlights on day two came during the final session, when Salesi articulated a strong show of support for those impacted by an anti-immigration
march in Melbourne that day.
In offering support for those who may feel unwelcome or unwanted following the march, Salesi said the Uniting Church held them closely in prayer.
Day two also included President Rev Charissa Suli addressing members, and a Tributes Service recognising ministers.
During her address, Charissa called on Victorian and Tasmanian members of the Uniting Church to embrace the opportunities offered through multiculturalism.
Recognising 40 years of the Uniting Church being a multicultural Church, she said she was “profoundly moved by how our diversity reflects the life of the Spirit”.
Day three of Synod 2025 was
dominated by discussion around past, and ongoing, injustices suffered by indigenous Victorians, and the Faithful Futures Project.
As members resolved to take the first step towards exploring options for offering redress for historic injustices suffered by Victoria's First Peoples, they were given a powerful reminder of why the issue is so important to indigenous Victorians.
First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria’s Aunty Esme Bamblett told the meeting a Treaty, which was introduced via legislation into the Victorian Parliament
Continued P12
last month, would help address past injustices suffered by First Peoples.
Aunty Esme’s powerful words came shortly after members resolved to instruct the Synod Standing Committee to approve the terms of reference for the establishment of a working group to respond to recommendations contained in the Yoorrook Justice Commission’s recent Final Reports.
Also resolved by consensus on day three, after much deliberation and discernment, was a proposal relating to the Faithful Futures Project.
The Faithful Futures Project will guide ministry and mission directions in Victoria and Tasmania for the next 10 to 15 years, and members on day three resolved to adopt the vision of ‘following Christ, walking together as First and Second Peoples, seeking community, compassion and justice for all creation’.
Members resolved to adopt five goals as part of the Faithful Futures Project, namely Coordinated Ministries, Respecting Country, Intercultural Leadership, All-Age Growth, and New Communities of Faith.
The final day of Synod 2025 saw Lisa Carey, Helen Geard, Rev Fiona Morrison, Damien Tann, Rev Heather Hon, and Elika Schaumkel elected to the Synod Standing Committee. Members resolved at Synod 2025 to approve a gap of two years between Synod meetings, starting from the recent meeting.
This decision means the next Synod meeting will take place around AugustSeptember 2027. The Moderator’s length of time in the role has also changed, and has been extended to four years.
“The Synod meeting resolution support(s) non-violent peace-building organisations in response to situations of global injustice and armed conflict.”
Synod meetings are an opportunity for members across the Synod to discern important directions forward for the life of the Synod, including in the area of social justice.
The Justice and International Mission Cluster requested that the Synod consider proposals on five areas, and assisted in formulating a proposal responding to the recommendations of the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission was an independent formal truth-telling process into historical and ongoing injustices experienced by First Peoples in Victoria.
Two of the proposals brought by the JIM Cluster related to areas that have a significant impact on our society and the world, being growing political and financial inequality and the regulation of activities of food corporations.
The Synod meeting adopted the proposal on democratic reforms to address growing political and financial inequality in Australia.
The two issues are related, as in our society, the greater the wealth a person has, the greater their ability to influence government decisions.
The proposal adopted a position that if all people are seen as equal before God, then our political systems should seek to reduce the influence of a person’s wealth in shaping the direction of government decisions.
The resolution included measures to restrict political donations while increasing the ability of people on lower incomes to have a greater say within the democratic system.
The resolution passed on the regulation of food corporations endorsed the Synod supporting several campaigns by public health organisations.
These included measures to curb excessive food consumption, curb harmful food marketing, improve food labelling and assess the long-term health risks of food additives.
Ultimately, the aim is to curb harmful activities by food corporations that place their profits ahead of the wellbeing of people and the natural environment.
The Synod meeting adopted a resolution to extend the Synod Emissions Reduction Fund (SERF).
The SERF provides funds to congregations and presbyteries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which aligns with the 2023 Synod resolution seeking to reach zero emissions by 2040 at the latest.
The resolution adopted at the 2025 Synod meeting requires that the Synod match, dollar-for-dollar, contributions from presbyteries, congregations, faith communities and individuals up to $100,000 to fund the SERF.
At the Synod meeting, the Presbytery of Port Phillip West pledged $30,000 towards the SERF, meaning the SERF will have starting funding of $60,000.
The Synod meeting also adopted a resolution, making the Synod's default position to support non-violent peacebuilding organisations in response to situations of global injustice and armed conflict. The immediate implication is that the Synod will continue to support Palestinian and Jewish Israeli organisations that seek an end to that conflict by non-violent means while seeking to address injustices inflicted on Palestinians.
The Synod meeting adopted a resolution welcoming the final reports of the Yoorrook Justice Commission.
The resolution established a working group to respond to the recommendations of the Commission, especially in relation to the period up to 1871 when colonial authorities reserved land for church purposes.
The working group will consider any other matters related to responding to truth-telling and Treaty processes within the geographical bounds of the Synod.
In summary, the Synod meeting set an ambitious social justice agenda.
Pilgrim Theological College lecturer Rev Dr Sally Douglas recounts how a recent class of ordinand candidates she taught embraced prayer as a “call
to the real”.
At church we often say “let us pray”, we say prayers together, and over morning tea we might offer to pray for someone who is going through a difficult time.
However, in churches often we do not talk about what prayer is for, what prayer achieves or does not achieve, and what to do when we cannot pray.
This leaves people struggling with these questions alone and, at times, marinating in their shame when prayer feels empty.
Prayer - learning to authentically be with the divine - is at the heart of Christian faith as we seek to abide in the Living One, as the Living One abides in us (John 15.4).
However, in order to support people into honestly being with the divine we need opportunities to wrestle with our questions about prayer, we need to be assured that times of desolation and consolation are normal, and we need exposure to the vast array of Christian prayer practices.
I had the joy of teaching Spiritual Formation in the Christian Tradition in Semester One for ordinand candidates. In the first class I told students that we would be exploring diverse prayer practices and that they would not like them all.
I explained that this was okay because it was not just about them.
While a prayer style may not connect, it may be exactly what someone needs in their ministry setting.
This was also okay because they will change.
Anniv s y
Cele ating 10 ye s of being Pil im Theological Co ege
A prayer style that is nourishing now may become dried up.
This is not a sign of a lack of faith, but that we are growing and need different prayer practices when we enter a new season.
Beginning with the earliest church, we travelled through time meeting different spiritual teachers.
From prayers in the Old and New Testament, to the wisdom of desert mothers and fathers, from monastic leaders to mystics, to reformers and contemporary social justice advocates, each week new understandings and practices were introduced.
Utilising an Action Reflection model, the weekly homework was to engage with a fresh practice and to evaluate this.
Students prayed with the Psalms, in silence, and with prayer words. They went prayer walking, and prayed with art and music.
Students used structured and unstructured prayers, they explored lament, intercession, gratitude practices, prayer journalling, and how we might respond when we, or others, cannot pray.
Student Jenny Soakai reflects on the connection between this teaching approach and learning in Tonga: “In Tonga we learn better when theories are combined with the practical…
parents let us ‘give it a go’ and if we make mistakes then they correct us which helps me never forget.”
Fellow student Yoojin Song offers this reflection:
In a car, the most important part is not the accelerator but the brake. At a traffic light or at the destination, if the brake does not work, it will be a big problem. In the Spiritual Formation class, it became clear that prayer is like this brake. In our busy life, we keep running without stopping. Through prayer, God makes us stop and invites us into rest. In God’s rest, we can check our life, see our situation from a new perspective, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, receive new strength and wisdom. The class also introduced many kinds of prayer from different Christian cultures and traditions, showing that God’s invitation to pray can come in many ways, and that we can come into God’s presence anytime and anywhere.
Beyond saying words or wishing, prayer is the call to the real.
It was a gift to journey with students in heeding this call.
Rev Dr Sally Douglas is Senior Lecturer: New Testament at Pilgrim Theological College.
Tasmanian businesswoman Clare Dean loves restoring old things.
That’s probably just as well, because in restoring the manse in the central Tasmanian town of Oatlands she has quite a challenging job on her hands.
But it’s a job she is proud to tackle, as she pays homage to her descendant, George Wilson, who built the manse in 1860.
At different times over the past 165 years, the manse has provided a stately home for ministers serving the district’s churchgoers.
Until 2022, it had been home to Uniting Church minister Rev Dennis Cousens and his wife Sally, before a
Once home to Presbyterian and Uniting Church ministers, the manse in Oatlands, Tasmania has a long and storied history, and Clare Dean, the new owner and descendant of its builder George Wilson, is enjoying bringing it back to life.
By Andrew Humphries
The manse at Oatlands provided a home for Presbyterian and Uniting Church ministers for many years. Image: Circa Heritage and Lifestyle
decision was made by the Church to sell the property as dwindling congregation numbers meant a resident minister wasn’t financially sustainable in the Oatlands area.
Late last year Clare and her husband Brendan purchased the Uniting Churchowned manse, after Clare stumbled upon a real estate advertisement for its sale while on the internet one day.
She says it seems like fate stepped in to make sure she saw the ad that day.
After all, life is busy enough for Clare and Brendan as they juggle a number of business interests, meaning Clare had no particular desire to add another project to her full plate.
After seeing the ad, though, something drew her towards the manse’s important role in her family’s long history in Tasmania and, in the end, she couldn’t resist its pull.
“Sometimes you just can't explain things and I do feel like the manse was meant to come back to us in a way,” Clare says.
“I feel like we're the perfect people to do it justice and not take it in a direction that it doesn't deserve to be taken.
“We’re almost winding back the clock and making it shine, and continuing the conversation around its uniqueness to the area, and the trials and tribulations of the people who lived there and the
service to the community they provided.
“I have to say though, hand on heart, I was not looking for another building project when I saw the ad.
“We've just come off the back of renovating a stone building on our own place, so we absolutely were not looking for something else like that.
“But I do have a bit of a fondness for old buildings.
“Once I saw the ad I started to look through the pictures, and I was gone by about page three, and my gut feeling was telling me we needed to have a go at this.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to work on an ancestral home that is significantly important in the community, but also in our family.”
Clare admits the decision to purchase the manse meant almost throwing out the savvy business skills that have stood her and Brendan in such good stead for many years.
“Most of the time when Brendan and I are considering something, we are always thinking about the question, ‘is this a good business decision?’.
“This is the first thing I've ever purchased with a zero business plan.
“Instead, I said we'll just make it work, and so that's where we are at the moment, just making it work.”
Given the manse’s long family history, Clare says the restoration project has become a real labour of love.
“Oh, you can't even put a number on its importance, and I think that's why it’s so dear to us,” she says.
“Some days I will turn up to begin work there and the temperature will be minus one or minus three degrees, but I’ve still got a smile on my face because I’m working on something so special.
“It’s an absolute pleasure to be able to do that work.
“But even more than that, I've been thinking a lot about my descendants who would've worked here and lived here, and raised a family here, and all of that becomes incredibly sentimental to me and it's just a really enjoyable process, paying respect to all of those things.
“My cousin is a plasterer and has also been working on the building and I said to him one day, ‘I wonder what our
The manse at Oatlands has been part of the community for 165 years. Image: Circa Heritage and Lifestyle
descendants would say if they knew that you and I were up here toiling away all this time later?’.
“I actually think they'd be fairly touched that we are still paying homage to this building all these years down the track.”
Clare admits some challenging problems have arisen during restoration work, as she aims to remain faithful to the manse as it was originally built.
“The beautiful thing that attracted us to this building was the fact that it was so untouched and that anything that had been done to it (since it was built) could easily be remedied,” she says.
“There has been a definite sense of returning it to its original state, so, as an example, I've spent hours and hours stripping back the timber, and it’s very much about dialling it back and just letting the building really shine for what it is.”
Extensive work was also required on the manse’s chimney stacks, which were showing the impact of many years of extreme weather.
“We had to recreate all of the chimney stacks because they had become incredibly damaged after 165 years of heat and cold,” Clare says.
“That took about a month and a half, but it’s all finished now and they will last another 165 years.”
As restoration work continues, Clare hopes the manse can continue to be an important part of the community.
“The idea is to eventually be able to have it as visitor accommodation so people can come in and explore it, and enjoy such a beautiful building and unique place to stay,” she says.
“But I think it’s also going to be a wonderful place for us to get together in as a family.”
While different challenges have popped up as renovation work progresses, Clare won’t put a time frame on when it all might be finished.
After all, some things should never be rushed.
“It will be done when it's done and we're making sure we do it properly,” she says.
Oatlands’ first Presbyterian church opened in 1856 but within two years the building was reduced to rubble when the tower collapsed during a storm.
The construction of a second church was made possible due to a generous donation by John Wilson of Springfield, brother of the wealthy Scottish grazier, George Wilson of Mount Seymour, who had donated the land on which the original church was built.
The new church was completed and reopened on May 6, 1860.
In addition to the rebuilt church, Wilson also paid for the construction of a manse which was completed in the same year.
Wilson’s daughter Margaret was married to the church’s minister, Rev Lachlan Campbell, which might explain the extent of Wilson’s benevolence.
The manse was designed by architects Davidson and Spong of Hobart.
For 47 years the manse was occupied by Rev Campbell, son of Captain John Campbell, of Duntulm, Skye and Isabella Macrae of Glenshiel.
In 1907 Rev Campbell’s obituary, published in ‘The Mercury’, noted that:
“His personality bore all evidence of his Scotch extraction; he was bluff and hearty of demeanour, shrewd and acute in judgment, of large powers of body and mind. His disposition was kindly, and his energies in the best years of a long ministry unflagging. In the early days of his ministry he occasionally preached in Gaelic. Amongst the first seceders, he was sent out by the Free Church in 1852, to take up the Oatlands ministry … he was twice married. His first wife was a Miss Wilson, of Ashgrove, near Oatlands: and his second, the widow of Mr James Wilson, of the same district …”.
In 1908, a year after Rev Campbell’s death, the church was named the ‘Campbell Memorial Church’. Information from the ‘Churches of Tasmania’ website.
Clare Dean’s relative George Wilson, who built Oatlands manse, came out to Australia from Scotland in 1831 and, over the course of 40 years, made a significant and lasting contribution to Oatlands and Tasmania.
That contribution was acknowledged in a ‘Hobart Mercury’ obituary, upon his death in 1874.
“Though not a public man in the ordinary acceptation of the term, (George) has occupied a prominent place in the industrial history of Tasmania, and did much to secure for the colony its agricultural pre-eminence,” the obituary reads.
“He was not one of the very earliest pioneers, having landed here in the year 1831; but he was one of the most energetic and persevering, and few have done more to leave their mark on the Colony's progress.
“He sailed from Portsmouth… and brought with him a stock of bees, which he was the first to introduce into Tasmania; indeed, into Australia, for the innumerable hives of bees that are now spread over Australia are the produce
of the shipment. Mr Wilson first settled in the Macquarie River district (and) obtained a Crown grant of 1300 acres, which he retained to the day of his death, and on which he built the mansionhouse of Mount Seymour, in which he died.
“He was a protection to his neighbours against the then curse of Tasmania.
“The bushranging fraternity gave him a wide berth. They never molested Mount Seymour, though in the direct road from Port Arthur to the North.
“They were in awe of him, and not without reason, for he was victor in many a conflict with them.
“He received the thanks of Government for his gallant seizure of two desperadoes, Rushton and Millar, who had waylaid, with the intention of robbing, the Superintendent of the Public Works, at St. Peter's Pass, who, though shot in the head, escaped with the money he was conveying to pay the men.”
From ‘Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University’
By Marina Williams
In the winter of 2021, Sydney’s Covid-19 lockdown laid bare a stark divide.
Families in disadvantaged suburbs managed home schooling while holding low-paid essential jobs, yet students at elite schools were granted exemptions for ski camps and outdoor education.
At the same time, wealthy travellers bypassed quarantine on private jets while thousands of Australians remained stranded overseas.
For Associate Professor Myra Hamilton, these contrasts crystallised a longstanding research interest: how privilege grants opportunity denied to others.
“These incidents shattered the early pandemic sentiment of unity and exposed a troubling divide,” Myra says.
“Privilege appeared to grant access to freedoms denied to others.”
A sociologist at the University of Sydney Business School, Myra had long examined inequality.
The pandemic prompted her and her father, Clive Hamilton, Professor of Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University in Canberra, to investigate how elite privilege operates in Australia.
“We set out to explore the mechanisms behind these unequal benefits and their broader social consequences,” Marina says.
Their findings became ‘The Privileged Few’, published in May last year.
They define “the privileged few” as individuals with disproportionate access to resources, influence and opportunities
across business, politics, media, academia and culture.
“While wealth plays a significant role, elite status is also shaped by social connections, cultural familiarity and symbolic markers of prestige, such as exclusive memberships, elite schooling, and public honours,” says Myra, who spoke at the Justice and International Mission Cluster’s annual conference in July.
“Privilege, in this context, is less about money than about the exclusive benefits flowing from status, power and embedded social capital.”
Elite privilege, she explains, is the social practice of conferring advantage on the wealthy and influential.
“These practices reproduce and legitimise the privileges enjoyed by elites,” Marina says.
“They don’t appear magically because someone has money – privileges are granted or bestowed by others every day.”
These advantages rest on three interconnected forms of capital: financial, social and cultural.
“These forms of capital can be converted into each other to enhance wealth, status and influence,” Myra says.
The operations of elite networks are often invisible to outsiders but normalised within elite circles.
As revealed in the book, Freedom of Information requests show how billionaire Kerry Stokes secured exemptions from strict Western
Australian pandemic quarantine rules, engaging senior government.
More everyday examples occur in workplaces.
Research participant, Holly, said her shared elite school background with a senior partner led to mentoring: “Work became a little bit easier, just to have a role model who took time with me”.
The book also recounts the story of Justin Stevens, ABC Director of News, who in a 2022 interview described how his elite connections helped him secure an early career break at the Nine Network.
This was not advertised or competitive but made possible
entirely through personal and family networks.
Elite private schools, Myra says, cultivate exclusivity and instil in students the belief they are exceptional.
She describes them as engines of the cycle of privilege, where parental wealth is converted into social and cultural resources that students use to access opportunities unavailable to others.
Myra notes that elite privilege intersects with other inequalities.
“It’s much easier to talk about male or white privilege,” she says.
“Elite privilege is neglected, yet it cuts across race, gender and class in ways that make it harder to challenge.”
Policy change, Myra argues, is essential to addressing inequality.
“Increasing
“Unless we address how (elite privilege) is sustained, legitimised and reproduced, we can’t hope to create a more equal Australia,” says academic Myra Hamilton.
taxation of the rich is the clearest lever for addressing inequality, while reintroducing inheritance taxes would help,” she says.
She also highlights the resource gap between public and elite private schools, noting that tax deductibility for donations to elite schools effectively amounts to public subsidies for privilege. Cultural change is equally important.
“We have a well-developed language for calling out gender and racial inequality, but we lack a shared language for calling out inequalities based on class or educational background,” Myra says.
“Without it, the unconscious preferment of candidates with the right connections or ‘cultural fit’ goes unchallenged.”
For those who see success as purely a
matter of merit and effort, Myra offers a challenge.
“Merit can’t be separated from the structural advantages that shape life chances,” she says. “The pathways to success are smoother for those with elite schooling, influential networks and cultural capital – advantages that are neither earned nor equally available.
“Recognising this is the first step toward building fairer systems.”
Confronting elite privilege is not just about fairness, Myra says, but rather about the health of society.
“Elite privilege is not a by-product of wealth but an organising principle for society,” she says.
“Unless we address how it is sustained, legitimised and reproduced, we can’t hope to create a more equal Australia.”
When Banyule Network of Uniting Churches members decided to sit down and investigate new ways of engaging with the community, inspiration came from an unlikely source.
It meant some thinking outside of the box had to take place, but Mission Development Facilitator David LandisMorse is so glad that it did.
Inspiration came after a meeting between David and an Afghan refugee who, in 2019, was a resident at the Melbourne Immigration Detention Centre in Broadmeadows.
A talented artist, refugee Nasir had been provided with painting materials while at the detention centre, enabling him to create a number of substantial canvas works that went on display within the church.
The two-week exhibition of Nasir’s work proved to be a great success.
By Andrew Humphries
opportunity to engage with people about his work.”
It was, David says, something of a lightbulb moment at a time when Banyule network members were looking at ways to expand their engagement with the community.
“At that particular time, it was suggested at a joint Church Council meeting that, given we were in a very stable position financially, we look to experiment with a few things over the
that says it’s not just about fellowship for people in the church, it’s about strategic engagement with the wider community,” David says.
“So, in that sense, it’s about growing disciples and actually asking the question, what does Christianity mean in our world?
“It’s about demonstrating what it means to be followers of Christ in this world.
" This space is a new thing for us, but there is great excitement around it."
Mission Development Facilitator David Landis-Morse
next few years,” David recalls.
“A local school turned up to view the works and then donated a couple of laptops to the detention centre, which was a wonderful outcome,” David says.
“We often face-timed with Nasir at that time and that meant he had the
“It was about heading in a different direction in some ways and trying a few different things, like engagement through art, to see what might and might not work.”
For Banyule members, that broadening of community engagement was an important part of the ethos of living out Christian principles.
“We have a pretty robust mission plan
“This all coincided with the success of Nasir’s exhibition, and was the first time I thought to myself we could really do something with this church space, and trial something a little bit different.”
Since then, successful workshops and exhibitions have continued to promote art and the community within the Banyule network.
In October last year, Rev Sandy Brodine organised a two-day ‘pause and paint’ workshop for teenagers promoting the ancient art of icon painting.
Led by Uniting Church in Australia icon painting teacher Peter Blackwood,
The Banyule network’s pivot towards the arts has been welcomed by people who previously felt disenfranchised from churches, says David Landis-Morse.
Image: Carl Rainer.
the workshop provided opportunities for those attending to pause, pray and reflect each day as they enjoyed painting.
Another successful initiative was a 10-day workshop, with Banyule Council support, involving local artists exploring their art and issues around faith.
“The artists were asked to come into the church space and produce artworks in response to that space,” David says. “On one of the days the artists spent some time chatting with some of our older members and hearing their reminiscences, and they then did a collaborative artwork in response to that.”
It was an awakening for many of the artists, David says.
“Afterwards, artist in residence Felicity Gordon spoke about how it had been a
wonderful journey of healing for many people because they had sometimes felt excluded from churches, but to be welcomed into ours, and to make art as part of a welcoming community, proved to be a fantastic experience for them,” he says.
“Some of these people had certainly felt disenfranchised previously, and some of them actually spoke to me about that.
“We have now been approached by the Heidelberg Arts Society, whose members are keen to do something similar next year, and for us it’s about making those strong connections through art.
“Some of our church members are looking to put together a series of pictures around seasons of the spirit later this year, with the idea being that
they are put up on our wall as a way of encouraging worship in those spaces, and what it looks like when that worship is done responding to art.”
David takes great pride in the fact that a small spark lit after meeting a talented refugee artist from Afghanistan has grown into a wonderful connection linking Banyule network members and the community.
“This space is a new thing for us, and we’re still finding out what it looks like, but there is great excitement around it,” he says. “It’s about different ways of seeing the world, and there is so much happening in this space.
“It does mean people need to be prepared to volunteer though, because there is a lot of organisation involved in setting up these activities, and it does take some time and energy.”
As Mission Development Facilitator with the Banyule Network of Uniting Churches, David Landis-Morse has a big job.
That’s no surprise, given the many services offered by the network and the important role it plays in the local community.
The Banyule network encompasses four separate congregations, Fresh Expressions hub Common Ground, the SPACE Contemplative Community, Messy Church Banyule, and mental health hub Hope Springs.
And, at the centre of so much of the network’s missional focus, is the Sycamore Tree Café.
David is one of the network’s three pastors but, before that, he managed the café for about 10 years and knows its importance within the Banyule network and wider community.
“In many ways my role as pastor picks
up on many of the programs we ran through the café,” he says.
“The general thrust of the role is to be outward facing, and to engage with the community in that regard.
“I really enjoy that community engagement, and it picks up on a lot of the stuff that I had already been doing, including a lot of volunteer stuff when I was managing the café.
“That is something I can now push in different directions.
“I have a lot of connections with people in the community and am involved in a couple of local council organisations, which allows me to utilise those connections and ensure the church can interact more successfully with the community.”
Those community connections mean the network is able to work closely with the Banyule Council in a number of areas, including mental health.
“We’re a social enterprise, and we tick a few boxes for the local council in that regard,” he says.
“For example, the council is interested in mental health programs, and we run such a program in Heidelberg Heights, and it’s an example of the sort of initiative that the council is happy to get on board with us.”
As the Banyule Network of Uniting Churches seeks to continue its engagement with the community, there are deeper questions to consider, suggests David.
“Those deeper questions focus on what being a Church should look like at this point in time, as opposed to what it was at the end of the last century,” he says. “Where are the connection points between the Church and modern society that see the Church as a space to hold and step into, and speak with a degree of authority on issues?”
Funding from the Synod Emissions Reduction Fund was critical in enabling the congregation to install solar panels sooner than anticipated.
While we had long held a desire for such a project, this funding helped accelerate it.
We worked with Senior Social Justice Advocate Mark Zirnsak to choose an ethically produced system, manufactured without slave or forced labour.
We chose a 17kW system that meets our church’s current needs and was below $20,000.
Our project necessitated regular discussions with the Church Council, and we thank them for their patience as the project goalposts frequently shifted.
Late in the process, we discovered that Synod Property Services required an engineering roof inspection. This was fast-tracked and completed on Boxing Day, permitting a February installation.
The whole process took six months of planning and negotiations with suppliers, Church Council, and Synod to reach installation day, but was well worth it.
Our panels have been active for a number of months and have saved 2500kg in CO2 emissions in that time, according to our monitoring app.
Financial modelling from our supplier
predicts that the cost of our system will be paid off in 5.4 years.
We are pleased to be making a tangible contribution to the Synod’s zero emissions goal, and are also deeply grateful to Mark Zirnsak for his guidance and for access to Synod SERF funding.
Peter Smerdon
The congregation has been tracking the emissions of appliances in the various church buildings for a number of years using their utility bills.
The SERF initiative allowed us to think about replacing the next biggest emitters on the appliance list: two very hardworking hot water heaters.
Putting together the SERF application was reasonably straightforward, with just a bit of work with vendors to ensure that quotes for the new heat pumps included supply, installation and a claim for the government rebates.
Brunswick Uniting received $6444 from the SERF, allowing the purchase of two heat-pump hot water systems that are more reliable, cheaper to run, and have a far smaller carbon footprint than the units they replaced.
When Brunswick comes to study the church's latest utility bills later this year, overall emissions should be lower still and close to half of what they were in
2014 when this decarbonisation journey began.
The congregation benefits from better stewardship of the church's financial resources, carbon footprint and ultimately care of the environment and planet.
James Clough
The congregation formed a Toward Zero Committee in May 2021 to respond to the Assembly’s call to reduce our emissions.
The church had substantial building maintenance issues to deal with but managed to abolish gas at the manse and install 10kW of solar panels at the church-community centre in 2022-23.
The application process for a SERF grant for a quality heat pump hot water service in October 2024 was very straightforward and approved quickly.
The grant, the tendering process and installation all were completed by April this year.
This assisted the Village Church to move one step closer to fully abolish gas and achieve a sustainable electric future.
The timely support from the Synod was much appreciated.
Cam Opie and David Arnott
Below left: Solar panels are installed at Croydon Uniting Church.
Below right: Croydon Uniting Church members are committed to a goal of zero emissions in the fight to limit the impacts of climate change.
The congregation was successful in getting a 2024 SERF grant for $10,000 to replace outdated ducted natural gas heating and evaporative cooling with split system air-conditioning.
Seven, eight and 9.5Kw airconditioning units were installed in March and the natural gas supply was disconnected soon after.
Together with solar, LED lighting, heat pump hot water and electric appliance projects already completed, the church and kindergarten are saving about $15,000 per year in energy costs, and CO2 emissions are reduced by an estimated 13.5 tonnes per year.
The grant enabled the church to proceed with the final project, without further depleting its reserves.
The SERF application process, although requiring considerable detail, was easy to manage.
The benefits of the project to our church are significant and importantly, our future sustainability has been greatly enhanced.
David Morison
In 2024 the Highfield Road Uniting Church, Canterbury changed its four oldstyle gas heaters, located in the hall, to two electric split-system airconditioning units.
This was made possible with the assistance of the Synod Emissions Reduction Fund, which contributed about 50 per cent of the cost.
Here at Highfield Road we are now looking to install solar panels to further us on this path of emissions reduction.
The obvious advantage with the change from gas to an electric split system is the reduction in gas usage and thus the saving of money, better control of temperature and the ability to cool the air on hot days. This was not previously available to us.
Richard Nixon
The recent Synod 2025 meeting committed to continue funding for SERF, recognising the important role the fund is playing in the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
At the August-September meeting, Synod members resolved “that the Synod provide up to $100,000 to the Synod Emission Reduction Fund that would match, dollar-for-dollar, contributions from presbyteries, congregations, faith communities and individuals up until the next ordinary meeting of Synod”.
The resolution means that there is potentially $200,000 available for congregations wanting to access the fund.
The Port Phillip West Presbytery has already pledged $30,000, meaning $60,000 has already been raised for the fund.
The most recent SERF resolution once again aligns with the Synod’s aim to reach zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 at the latest.
From whipping up a batch of scones to enjoying all the fun of the family fair, Uniting AgeWell customers know the benefits of joyful living.
By Cathy Withiel
Aileen Calley has a delightful routine when it comes to cheering for her beloved Cats.
The 100-year-old Frankston South resident dons her scarf and settles down in front of the television in her loungeroom with a glass of Baileys and a few chips to watch Geelong in action.
Like any self-respecting footy fan, she has a marvellous time calling out the odds, even though the chirpy chorus in the background is missing.
She used to have two birds named after Geelong players: ‘Gary Ablett’, who sadly fell off his perch mid-season and died, and ‘Tom Harley’, who had a vocabulary that any AFL coach would be proud of.
Aileen taught him a few choice phrases including “come on Geelong” and “kick the damn thing”.
“I’m sure the players would have loved to have met the birds, but it never happened,” laughs Aileen.
She also loves cricket and famously wrote a poem about the first Test in the 1946 Ashes series mentioning the iconic Keith Miller.
It was sent to the cricket legend who was bowled over by its rhythm and promptly signed it.
It’s now framed and hangs on Aileen’s wall.
Aileen, who has a government-funded home care package through Uniting AgeWell, gets great joy in looking at the photo – as she does in whipping up batches of scones for her friends and family.
Finding joy in life is different for everyone.
Every person has their own story and their own experience.
A book entitled ‘Joyspan – A short guide to enjoying your long life’ released this year by US gerontologist Dr Kerry Burnight, talks about making life count, rather than focusing on the length of life.
Dr Burnight says the focus is often on how long we live, and how many of those years are in good health.
“But what’s the point of a long, healthy life if you’re not enjoying it?” she asks.
She maintains the art and science of what she terms Joyspan underscores how joy, connection, meaning and purpose contribute to overall wellbeing and productivity.
Creating an environment where people can experience the activities or pursuits that bring them joy, and enabling them to engage with their community, remain active or celebrate life with others, underpins Uniting AgeWell’s holistic approach to aged care and the services it provides.
Uniting AgeWell Director of Mission
Rev Clare Brockett says, “We may know joy even in times of sadness, because it connects with our sense of meaning, purpose, spirituality, and the ways we may practice our faith”.
“Our chaplains are present through connection, deep listening, and delight in the joyous, and they offer support in hard times.”
One-hundred-year-old
Aileen Calley loves whipping up batches of scones for friends and family.
Sometimes joy is spontaneous. Other times Uniting AgeWell sets the stage to spark happiness and joy, reduce loneliness and create a sense of purpose. Intergenerational activities where young and old come together have proven to be a great catalyst for this to occur.
For residents at Uniting AgeWell
Andrew Kerr Care Community and children attending The Herd Intergenerational Learning Centre at the Mornington Peninsula site, this is a regular occurrence.
Residents enjoy the company of the children through organised and spontaneous activities and can contribute through volunteering at the
centre, helping with reading or playing games.
There is joy in community and reminiscence.
It’s why the team at Uniting AgeWell Newnham Community Aldersgate Village worked with residents to create their annual Village Family Fun Fair.
Drawing in 2000 people of all ages,
Uniting AgeWell Andrew Kerr Care Community residents and children at The Herd Intergenerational Centre enjoy spending time together.
they relished the opportunity to share in the old-time enchantment of pony-cart rides, sideshow alley games, showbags and stalls, filling the grounds with laughter and happiness.
The mindset to joy Joy colours our lives. But for many, experiencing joy can often be a case of mind over matter.
Dr Anita Goh, Associate Professor at the National Ageing Research Institute talks on Uniting AgeWell’s podcast, ‘The Ageing Ideal’, about the importance of developing a mindset that sees the positives in situations rather than dwelling on the negatives.
In the episode ‘The Ageing Paradox’, Anita talks about resilience.
She says older people have told her that “stuff happens” – and some of it is difficult and potentially traumatic.
Anita says it’s how you come back from it and what you learn from it that is important on your journey to ageing well.
Even just figuring out how to live with a traumatic experience can be key.
Anita stresses that it’s important to concentrate on the benefits of ageing: what you can do rather than what you can’t.
She debunks the myth that ageing limits our capacity to experience the best that life can offer and says, we need to embrace our strengths to age well.
“I think it's a great responsibility for everyone to maybe do some selfreflection about what your concept of ageing is, because ageing is something that we're all doing,” she explains.
“We all age from conception or birth, and it's really a privilege to do so.”
Uniting AgeWell understands this and is there to champion whatever joy means to individual people.
BY AILEEN CALLEY
They had come from merry England with enthusiasm high To play the game of cricket or at least I should say try, The Aussies went to meet them full of vim and zest And so the challenge started at Brisbane’s first big Test
Australia won the toss up, good luck to them I’d say And took up their positions to start the first day’s play Barnes and Morris had opened, from every over scored a run ‘Till Edrich bowled a googly Morris missed, his wicket won
The crowd no longer silent at once began to roar
As Bradman made an appearance to carry on the score Compton took over the bowling but his arm began to ache And he yelled to frisky Ikin, “Come here for goodness sake!”
Rock them on old timer, wear the champion down
But Bradman wasn’t worried it was Hammond that wore the frown. Wright dashed around like a schoolboy, Yardley to the boundary had gone Edrich was doing his best, his place at silly mid-on
The wicketkeeper Evans could not set eyes on the ball ‘Cause the Aussies hit everything bowled them, googlies, yorkers and all Smithy was taken with illness and missed when leaving the field Hutton getting impatient “Get them out you fellows” he squealed.
Washbrook was puffing and panting, Bedser was out like a light But Bradman and Barnes batted onward with a second century in sight The rest of the boys played super, on every face a grin ‘Till Australia declared the innings and the Englishmen went in.
Miller’s terrific bowling bought wickets down with a crash Lindwall doing the hat trick left the pitch in an absolute hash. Johnson knocked down a couple and it was look out for McCool The cricketer from Queensland who proved he wasn’t a fool
When all the English wickets had fallen with faces looking so glum They drowned all their sorrows together on whiskey, wine and rum Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, three grand cities you’ll say Saw Test cricket played no doubt in the dinkum Aussie way.
Now should you always remember when it's cricket you talk about Give a word of praise to the team that travelled way out
Oh England merry England your boys have gone home sad ‘Cause we have taken the victory from them, so we must admit we’re glad.
By David Evans
I read the article on Peter Lalor Philp and Rev Jim Murray with delight (August Crosslight edition), and it brought back many memories.
I would appreciate your kindness in sharing my memories of Fish Creek: there could be people who knew my father when he was Rev Willfred Evans.
In the Presbyterian days, my father as an ordained minister served the congregations of Fish Creek, Stony Creek, Grassy Spur, Meeniyan, Middle Tarwin, and Lower Tarwin.
I was aged from seven to 12 during dad’s years there.
I remember Fish Creek in some detail.
The union church embraced Methodists and Presbyterians.
It sat on top of a hill across the road from the train line, a faded weatherboard building with its pulpit on a little platform.
A big blue banner painted on the wall above urged us to “worship the lord in the beauty of holiness”.
Of the six churches, Fish Creek made the biggest contribution.
They held an annual flower show and sale of gifts, in the Fish Creek hall.
The hall and a block of houses stood across the road from the butter factory, while the train line bisected the township.
The road from Stony Creek crossed the train line beside the butter factory then
continued past the Promontory Gate Hotel toward Wilsons Promontory.
The road in front of the union church came in from Meeniyan via the tiny township of Buffalo and continued past, I think, the Anglican church and further past the road to “the prom” and fetched up at the train station, with the Catholic church opposite.
Later there was also a convent and Catholic school.
The train station handled steam trains going to Yarram, and later on two nights each week the daily Flinders Street to Leongatha rail motor was extended to Fish Creek.
Dad preached in the union church every fortnight, sometimes afternoons, sometimes evenings, and he made a big effort to be friends with all the ministers and Catholic priest in towns near Meeniyan.
I am surprised by how much I have remembered. May the lord bless you and keep you.
Crosslight is a bi-monthly magazine produced by the Marketing and Communications team of the Uniting Church in Australia Synod of Victoria and Tasmania.
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In June, Pratik Joshi, his wife Komi Vyas, and their three children were killed after an Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad. For St Andrew’s Gardiner Uniting Church minister Ajub Jahja, such a tragedy illustrates the message in James 4:13-15, reminding us of life’s brevity and sacredness.
“Now listen, you who say, ‘today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money’. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that’.”
James 4:13-15
Pratik Joshi, a software engineer from India, had lived and worked in London for six years.
He and his wife, Komi Vyas, a pathologist and Assistant Professor at the Pacific Institute of Medical Sciences in Udaipur, India, shared one great longing: to be reunited with their three children and to build a better future together.
They had prepared everything: jobs, visas, schools for the children, and a place to live.
The moment finally arrived. Komi resigned from her job.
They boarded Air India Flight 171 bound for London. Before takeoff, the family took a selfie and shared it with friends and family. That photo would become their last. The plane crashed and they were killed.
One family. One dream. One future: gone in an instant.
We are left stunned, silently asking ourselves: is life really this fragile?
James doesn’t offer an explanation, and it remains a mystery of life. But he gives us one essential, existential truth: life is like a mist, visible for a moment, and then vanishes.
So, how should we live our lives?
1. Don’t postpone living meaningfully. Verse 14a: “… you do not even know what will happen tomorrow …”
We often live as if time belongs to us. We say, “I’ll apologise later”, “I’ll spend more time with my children later”, “I’ll draw closer to God, later”.
But that later may never come.
James reminds us, with piercing honesty, that we truly do not know what tomorrow will bring. So don’t delay doing things that matter, whether it’s saying sorry to someone you’ve hurt, taking the initiative to mend a broken relationship, or expressing love to those closest to you whom we often take for granted.
Because the truth is, today is the only time we really have. Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow is uncertain, and there’s no guarantee we’ll see it.
2. Plan for the future wisely, while staying surrendered to God. Verse 15a: “ … instead, you ought to say, ‘if it is the Lord’s will’ …”
James is not against planning. Wise planning is part of our faithfulness. But he warns us not to live as though God doesn’t exist. It’s okay to have five, or 10-year plans, but we must leave room for God’s will: to adjust, delay, or even cancel them.
Take the story of Pratik Joshi and his family. Their relocation to London was
well-planned and carefully thought out. But who could have predicted that the flight meant to carry them into their dream would instead become the end of it? This reminds us: human plans are never absolute. God always has the final say over our lives.
3. Live with the awareness that every new day is a gift, not a right. Verse 15b: “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live …”
This is not just a pious cliché, it’s a profound reminder: if we are alive today, it’s because God permits it. Yes, when we wake up, breathe easily, and see our loved ones it is only because God still wills it. In a world that pushes
us to chase more achievements, more productivity, more busyness, James invites us to slow down and become aware again of divine grace.
Life is not a ladder to climb, but a current to navigate with wisdom and kindness. Life is not about how much we can accomplish, but about how deeply we stay connected to God, the source of life.
Let gratitude be your first breath each morning. Life is fragile, so live it fully. A full life is not defined by long years or relentless accomplishments.
A full life is lived with the deep awareness that each day is God’s gift. And as long as God still allows us to live, that means our life still has meaning.
For 76 years, Australians have given to the Christmas Bowl as an act of faith, generosity, and hope.
Born in the aftermath of World War II, it began as a simple idea: churches across the country joining together at Christmas to share what they could so that others, far away, could have food, shelter, and safety.
Decades later, the bowl still carries the prayers, gifts, and compassion of Christians across generations.
It is a tradition that has quietly reshaped lives in places most of us will never see.
Year after year, ordinary believers step forward in love, often unseen.
Their gifts have supported refugees, rebuilt homes after disaster, and reminded people in crisis that they are not forgotten.
From Gaza to Ethiopia, from remote Pacific islands to communities recovering from natural disasters, the Christmas Bowl is more than an appeal, it is the church’s legacy of love in action.
In Ethiopia, a young mother named Arsema* fled Eritrea with her daughter, carrying only uncertainty.
Alone, she struggled to survive in a place that offered little welcome and fewer opportunities.
Through the Tesfa program, supported by the Christmas Bowl, she received
training, guidance, and short-term support to begin again.
Today she is slowly building a stable income for her family, and with it, a sense of possibility she thought she had lost.
“Before Tesfa, I felt invisible. Now I feel like I have a place in the world, and that my life matters,” Arsema says.
Her smile carries the quiet courage of someone who has taken the first step toward reclaiming her future.
Her story is one of thousands, and each one begins with a gift placed in the bowl.
The Christmas Bowl is not only about history.
Its power lies in what each of us brings today.
Every coin, every envelope, every online gift is more than financial aid.
It is an act of faith. It is a declaration that we will not look away from suffering. It is hope made visible.
Scripture tells us that God takes what we bring, no matter how small, and multiplies it for good: a widow’s mite, a
Arsema* and her daughter have been given hope through the Christmas Bowl, after fleeing from Eritrea to Ethiopia.
little oil, five loaves and two fish.
In the same way, your gift is used by God to transform lives.
What you bring matters because it puts food on a family’s table.
What you bring matters because it shelters a child who has lost their home.
What you bring matters because it reminds someone far away that they are not forgotten.
The Christmas Bowl has always been about Christians stepping forward in love, together.
This Christmas we are invited again to join in that story, adding our own prayers and hope to the legacy of those who came before.
We invite you to be part of a story that began 76 years ago, and is still changing lives today.
When you add your gift, you continue a legacy of compassion that reaches across generations, bringing hope, safety, and belonging to those who need it most. This Christmas, add your gift to the bowl, and continue the legacy.
*Namechangedforprivacy
Retired Uniting Church minister and former Professor at Murdoch University, Bill Loader, has recently published a number of translations and concise, readable and up-to-date commentaries on the gospels.
He is a leading New Testament scholar and also a provider of resources for preachers and group study through his website, billloader.com.
His latest offering, ‘Following John. A Commentary for People on the Road’, is published by Wipf and Stock, and is available for purchase online.
‘Following John. A Commentary for People on the Road’ has won praise from Rev Prof Dorothy Lee as a “vital resource for readers of John who want to understand it in a relevant and
By Rev Prof Bill Loader
timely way, without being engulfed in technicalities”.
“With its vernacular translation, its up-to-date reflections on the text, and its questions for further reflection, this is a simple and accessible commentary,” Dorothy says.
“It is written by an eminent Johannine scholar who knows his material so well that he can communicate it with clarity and lucidity.”
Retired Uniting Church Minister Rev Alan Robinson says Bill Loader “takes us on a journey following John”.
“Along the way there are helpful stops to converse with Matthew, Mark and Luke and opportunities to learn something of the Jewish and Roman culture of the time,” he says.
“Our guide has been exploring this road for 50 years; its promises and its puzzles, and this is an invaluable resource for the preacher and pilgrim.”
Sentiment: Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year.
Sentiment:
Sentiment: May peace be known in our hearts and homes, in our neighbourhoods, and in all nations this Christmas.
Bible Verse: ‘He came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.’ Ephesians 2:17 (NRSV)
