EASTER DAY
24th April 2011
Graphics and cartoons & liturgical material appear only in the printed version
COMMUNIST ELOQUENCE
Leonid Brezhnev made a speech at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. With great self-importance, he began: "Oh", then paused, and said "Oh" again. After another dramatic pause he delivered a third "Oh". His speech writer tapped him on the shoulder and said: "You're reading out the Olympic insignia! The speech starts down there."
MORE THAN USEFUL RESEARCH
Recent research has shown that six out of seven dwarves aren't happy.
CONTENTMENT
True contentment is a thing as active as agriculture. It is the power of getting out of any situation all that there is in it. It is arduous and it is rare. G.K. Chesterton
RETURNING TO ZIMBABWE (20)
Andrew Neaum
This is the twentieth episode of an account of the recent trip to Zimbabwe and Lesotho made by Diana and myself last October. The previous episodes can be found:
http://www.andrewneaum.com/articles.htm
We at last turned our back on Harare, on a day with a fairly tight schedule, to head south west for Kadoma, which is about ninety miles from Harare on the main road to Bulawayo.
Gold mines
Kadoma (in earlier days Gatooma) was the first parish of which I was ever the Rector. The town itself, like so many here in Victoria, owed its existence, in part at least, to local gold mines, some of them still in operation. Indeed All Saints', its Anglican church, during the time that I was its Rector, was the richest in the diocese, having been left many years previously a fifteenth part of a third of a local gold mine. The income generated from this bequest was very modest to start with and so had been carefully and legally tied up for the sole use and benefit of the parish in an attempt to keep the always rapacious hands of bishops and diocesan officials off it! Then the price of gold shot to astronomical heights and we were almost embarrassed with riches. It encouraged and enabled us to interpret "for sole use and benefit of the parish" very generously and widely.
A road much travelled
We made our way out of Harare through industrial sites and along the perimeters of several of the old townships which still pullulate and seethe with humanity, the closely packed and mostly tiny houses, enterprisingly surrounded whenever possible by edible verbiage of one sort or another. The roads were pot holed and vicious and litter was everywhere. We eventually found ourselves on the main road to Bulawayo which for twenty or so miles, up to the Hunyani river, is a four lane highway.
The outskirts of Harare are ugly, dotted with small houses, some of them relatively substantial, others of the shanty sort. They are all set in a treeless landscape, rendered thus by the relentless demand for timber to fuel cooking fires and to heat draughty dwellings in the cold winters. Once we had cleared these despoiled areas the landscape returned to being much as I remembered it.
The road between Harare and Kadoma was one much travelled when I was Rector of the latter and so it was good to allow its familiarity to return. There seemed to us both to be little evidence of farm dispossession or any obvious reversion to subsistence farming, though because our schedule was tight, we did not stop really to look and work out what, if anything, was happening. Alongside the Hunyani hills, behind which there is a large dam, known in my days as Lake McIlwaine and upon which I sometimes sailed in our University's dinghies, there appeared to be a thriving irrigation business. And for a brief stretch of the road enterprising and wildly gesticulating vendors were selling jars of honey, whether farmed or wild I don't know.
Chegutu
The only stop we made on the way was at Chegutu, a little town twenty or so miles from Kadoma, which had become a part of my parish towards the end of my tenure. It was a town that depended upon the textile industry for its well being, in particular a firm called David Whiteheads, which appears still to be in operation. Just outside the town on the Harare side, the huge paddock that was always planted with what seemed to be a perfect crop of maize that grew to an astonishing height, deeply dark green in colour, every plant perfectly level with its neighbour, of the sort that the commercial farmers of those days produced to make the country a large exporter of this staple foodstuff, was still reassuringly there, ploughed and waiting for the rain necessary to enable it to do the same once more.
We stopped and turned off to find the little church that had heard many of my early sermons, written and rewritten labouriously in my crabbed left-handedness and then typed on my portable Olivetti, of blessed memory. I still possess most of them in hard copy, but do not think much of them these days. The town appears to have grown and is now thoroughly and vibrantly African, its most notable feature being many magnificent, scarlet flamboyant trees in full bloom. This is a tree that I prefer even to jacarandas, but both of them are a glorious feature of early summer suburban Zimbabwe. The church itself appeared a little run down and shabby, Like most of the country it was set in dry dust, the lawns of days gone long gone. On the porch floor there sat a woman in Mother's Union uniform, as if she had been there all day, with pictures displayed before her, and her gear spread around, almost certainly mentally distressed. We did not disturb her. The door to the church was locked and so I had to photograph its interior through a window. We wandered around and then sat and ate our lunch under the simple little campanile before heading off down the straight road along the railway line to Kadoma.
Kadoma
Oddly I remembered the railway line to be on the other side of the road, wrongly. The approach to Kadoma, however was very much as I remembered it and so we turned off correctly and without hesitation, past the Dairy Marketing Board factory, still there, and from which the milkman used to bring not only bottles of chilled milk to our house daily, but also delicious chilled guava juice. The early morning rattling of milkman's bottles is another of the sounds from our youth that has now gone.
So we made our way up the road past the fine, colonial municipal buildings, and turned in to Warwick Street, which is graced by All Saints' Church and its Rectory, the first home of Peter and David, and a parish and residence dear to my heart.
The church and rectory were not hugely changed, nor in bad condition. The parish is mercifully no longer a part of the benighted diocese of Mashonaland, rent asunder by the mountebank bishop Kunonga. Presumably then it is relatively well ordered and in good spirits.
There was obviously a function going on in the hall which turned out to be a wedding reception, and so I was denied the pleasure of a speculative wander around the scene of my limited badminton successes and more common humiliations. Nor could I view the little room in which I laboured so frequently over the parish gestetner, even more frustrating, but no less miraculous and far more interesting a piece of engineering than modern photocopiers.
Bees, hoopoes, swifts and barbets
I have always loved the church itself. It is long and narrow, shaped like a lancet window, with two lancet windows to echo this behind the altar, filled with interesting mosaics of thick coloured and French (I think) glass, one largely brilliant red, to shape Bernard Mizeki, the other blue to shape St Patrick. When I had first arrived as Rector the chapel in which I said my daily prayers was a windowless little transept, more conducive of claustrophobia than spiritual enlightenment. This enabled me to persuade the parish to add a lovely little lancet shaped chapel, in the same style as the main church. Once we had completed this, I would sit at prayer, with the window open beside me allow in the sound of bees in frenzied contentment humming pollen into pouches and nectar into their stomachs as flocks of swifts, nesting next door in the eaves of the municipal buildings, swooped and swirled around and hoopoes hooped and barbets called and called.
We wandered into the church and had a good look round, taking a few photographs. I have to admit that its beauty to me is enhanced by association and nostalgia, though lovely it is. One of its features was narrow copper window boxes inside which on festivals we would fill with aromatic and lovely flowers. I was disappointed to see them now filled with cheap and nasty plastic ones. (To be continued)
CONGRATULATIONS
Birthdays:
Betty Garraway 27th April
Elizabeth Woodyard 29th April
Bill Hunter 29th April
Anniversary
Elaine & Daniel McMullen 24th April
THANK YOU
Thank you to flower arrangers and providers, to the loaners and carriers of pot plants, to servers, Eucharistic assistants, choir members, organists, sacristan, and to all worshippers over the past week. Thank you too to the far too small band of church cleaners who would have terrorised spiders, de-webbed the church and breathed in more venerable dust than they did last Tuesday had there been more to help them. You all have contributed to a memorable and holy Holy Week and Easter.
GARDEN WORKING BEE
Garden Working Bee this Saturday 30th April. All are welcome to come along and enjoy some fellowship while beautifying our lovely gardens.
NO BAKE CAKE STALL
On Wednesday 4th May there will be a no-bake cake stall. The proceeds will be our St. Augustine's contribution to ABM - Lady Day. Please come along with a little extra in your pocket, all donations will be greatly appreciated by ABM.
VERY IMPORTANT
You will note that your Patronal Festival invitation is on the back page of "Outreach". We do need numbers for catering so please fill in the form and return to the office. If for some reason you have not received an "Outreach" see Heather at the office and she will give you one. We hope that there will be a great turnout for this special day. It is a lovely occasion when our Parish gets together to celebrate our heritage and enjoy a good time together. Please have a look at your diaries and give the day priority. It is also a good opportunity to invite anyone who may be lonely, new to Shepparton or would like to reunite with their Faith, a good outreach opportunity.
RECTOR AWAY
Diana and myself are away from Wednesday for just over a week. We meander our way down to Robe in South Australia where an old friend has holiday house and with whom we will probably be picking his olives.
THANK YOU
The Palm Sunday Old Fashioned Picnic was great fun and well done to Mary Pearson for organising it with flair and imagination. Thank you.
THINKING & LEARNING THE FAITH
On April 30th in Seymour there is a session of the "St. Columb's Travelling Ministry Fair". Anyone who would like to attend this day please contact Heather Fitzgerald or the office. The session will continue to focus on three constituencies: nurturing current church members, bringing back people who call themselves Anglican, but only worship occasionally and reaching out to people who might say they are "spiritual but not religious." It also provides an opportunity to mingle with like-minded Christians and Anglicans. A rewarding experience.
DATES FOR THE DIARY
April 30th St. Columb's Travelling Fair/Seymour
May 10th Junior Confirmation Classes begin
May 12th G.V Health Ext. Care film afternoon & lunch
May 13th Turaton Concert 7.30
May 15th Hospice Service 2.00pm
May 17th Hospice Bi-annual Fund Raising Function
May 22nd Patronal Festival
May 26th Raffle Sub-Committee meeting
May 28th Garden Working Bee
June 3rd Synod
June 4th Synod
June 16th Parish Fair Planning Group meeting 4pm
June 25th Garden Working Bee
July 17th Bishop's Visit
July 30th Garden Working Bee
Aug 20th Wedding
Aug 27th Garden Working Bee
Sept 24th Wedding
Sept 24th Garden Working Bee
Oct 1st Wedding 2pm
Oct 8th Wedding 2pm
Oct 8th Wedding 3.30pm
Oct 22nd Parish Fair & Garden Party
Oct 23rd Confirmation
Oct 29th Wedding
Oct 29th Garden Working Bee
Dec 10th Wedding
REQUESTS FOR PRAYER
Nicole Ackland, Alan Akers, Lorraine Ashbury, Jeffrey Andrewartha, Deb Bagley, John Ball, Shelly Bartlett, Jan Black, Liam Bognar, Kaye Boyle, Ian Carman, Tom Downie, Kath Grills, Frank Harder, Leigh Harder, Margaret Hoare, Katherine Holt, John & Kate Horder, Colin Henderson, Dot Hunter, Ross Judd, Glenda Kuehnapfel, Hilder Lidgard, Margaret Kidman, Lynn Morcam, Albert Oxenbury, Isabelle Richards, Peter Swindells, Suzanne Singh, Patricia Sparkes, Shirley Young, David, David & Judith, Belinda, Bonny, Stewart, Harry, Amanda, Michael, Peter, Lewis, Janet, Rhianna, Leone & Darryl.
Rest in Peace:
Ellen Pearson, John Reed, Jack Halsall, Stanley Rutherford
Anniversary of death:
William Fentham, Merle O'Donohue 24th, Norman McArthur 25th, Elizabeth Guyatt, Frederick Broadbridge 26th, Elsie Minchin, Vivian Parrant 27th, George Hardwick, Hock Stonehouse, Eunice Earl 28th, Christine Brown-Shepherd, Elizabeth Raleigh 29th.
Duties for Easter Day 24th April 2011
Readers 8.30 Heather Fitzgerald, Liz Gyles
Readers 10.30 Jenny Moran, Lynda Prosser
Servers 8.30 Beth, Michelle
Thurifer 8.30 Carole Henderson
Servers 10.30 Jenny Pleming, Eve & Grace Way
Intercessors Clergy
Euc. Assts 8.30 Carole Henderson, Heather Fitzgerald
Euc. Assts 10.30 Greg Pestell, Jenny Pleming
Welcomers 8.30 Heather Nichols, Anita Saville
Welcomers 10.30 Charlotte Brewer, Gloria Wayman
Sidespeople 8.30 Gwyn Cowland, Merv Cowland
Sidespeople 10.30 Charlotte Brewer, Nola Brewer
Tea 8.30 Shirley Dean
Welcoming Table 8.30 Dorothy Cook
Mowing 23rd Margaret Carroll & Beryl Bonfitto
Altar Linen for April Rosemary & Pat
Monday Office Duty none this week
Duties for 1st May 2011
Readers 8.30 Bev Condon, Norm Mitchelmore
Readers 10.30 Andrea Fisher, Joan McCann
Servers 8.30 Michelle, Beth
Servers 10.30 Zebedee, Greg, Joan
Intercessors Clergy, Mary Pearson
Euc. Assts 8.30 John Griffin, Heather Fitzgerald
Euc. Assts 10.30 John Pleming, Joe Fernandez
Welcoming 8.30 Pat Griffin, Judy Lloyd
Welcomers 10.30 Nola Brewer, Volunteer
Sidespeople 8.30 Bev Ralph, Max Ralph
Sidespeople 10.30 Volunteer, John Pleming
Welcome Table Dorothy Cook
Altar Linen for April Rosemary & Pat
Tea 8.30 Pat Griffin
Mowing None this week
Monday Office Duty Rosemary Moore, Jeanette Smith
THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
Monday 25th April - Anzac Day
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
Tuesday 26th April - Public Holiday
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
Wednesday 27th April
7.45am Mattins only - Lady Chapel
10.00am Eucharist - St Augustine's
1.00pm Funeral - St Augustine's
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
6.00pm EfM - Roz's Room
Thursday 28th April
7.45am Mattins only - Lady Chapel
10.15am Eucharist - Grutzner
11.00am Eucharist - Harmony
3.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
5.30pm Choir Practice
Friday 29th April
8.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
Saturday 30th April
Associate Priest's Day off
7.45am Mattins only - Lady Chapel
9.00am Garden Working Bee
9.00am St. Columb's Ministry Fair- Seymour
1st Sunday of Easter 1st May
8.30am Sung Eucharist - St Augustine's
10.30am Eucharist - St Augustine's
8.45am Eucharist - Dookie
10.45am Eucharist- Katandra
4.30pm Alternative Worship Service