FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT
17 February 2013
Graphics and cartoons & liturgical material appear only in the printed version
WATER VERSUS BOOZE
A woman went to her Doctor in Glasgow, worried about her husband's temper and threatening manner. The Doc asked: "What's the problem, Janet?” "Weeell Doctor Cameron, I dinae know what to do. Every time ma hubbie comes home drunk, he threatens to slap me aroon'." The Doctor said: "Aye, well... I have a real good cure for that. When your husband arrives home intoxicated, just take a wee glass of water and start swishing it in your mouth. Just swish and swish, but don't swallow it until he goes to bed and is sound asleep." Two weeks later she came back to the doctor looking fresh and reborn. She said: "Doctor that was brilliant! evrae time ma hubbie came home drunk, I swished with water. I swished an' swished, and he didnae touch me even once! Tell me Doc...wha's the secret? How's does the water do that?" The Doctor says: "Janet hen, it's really nae big secret. The water does nothing - it's keeping your mouth shut that did the trick."
THIS AND THAT (72)
Andrew Neaum
I am annoyed with the Pope for attempting to steal the thunder from my retirement. Not entirely successfully I am sure.
The ship we are booked to go to England on takes us through the Panama Canal to Philadelphia in the States. There, over a period of three days, we swap ships for one that takes us to Antwerp. While in Philadelphia we hope to see Peter French, whom many of you will remember from his time in Shepparton. He is now Chaplain at Princeton, just up the road from Philadelphia.
Last Sunday afternoon we went to Melbourne, and stayed the night with Fr Ray and Glenys McInnes. The prime purpose of the visit was to obtain visas for America, an involved and sometimes frustrating business. We were successful however and discover that the Visa obtained lasts for ten years. We also took a trip up the Eureka Tower, a gift to us from Lil and Nathan. Fascinating and well worth it, the view of Melbourne enlightening.
The other day, as I was riding my bike up St George Road some low-lifer shrieked a mouthful of insults at me as she passed by as the passenger in a white car. I gave her a friendly wave with was it one finger, two or five? It was fascinating therefore to read a few days later an article on the BBC website entitled The psychology of why cyclists enrage car drivers. The clever and convincing author argues that motorists hate cyclists because they think they offend the moral order.
Driving he says, is a very moral activity – there are rules of the road, both legal and informal, and there are good and bad drivers. The whole intricate dance of the rush-hour junction only works because everybody knows the rules and follows them: keeping in lane; indicating properly; first her turn, now mine, now yours. Then along comes a cyclist, who seems to believe that the rules aren't made for them, especially the ones that hop onto the pavement, run red lights, or go the wrong way down one-way streets......
RETURN TO
TRISTAN DA CUNHA (7)
Sunday 16 September, 2012 11.30am
A cold and windy day with occasional showers. I awoke at about 5.30 to hear a shower on the tin roof and realised that yesterday was an aberration not a new norm. It had been a lovely and largely sunny day with only a light breeze, though cool to cold along the beach. In the late morning we went down to the harbour and headed west, past the stinking fishing boats, where drying out pieces of dead octopus attracted flies and so down on to the beach. I was hoping to find the cave we used to visit as children, but didn’t. I learned later that it is on the east side of the harbour, on the beach that has been ruined by heavy traffic and industry.
We walked along the very pebbly beach under the cliffs, big pebbles too, difficult to walk on. It was good to be beside real sea though and with only a gentle if cold wind blowing. We came across the two French lads with Frank Repetto and his brother who was fishing. He already had a couple of rather small “five fingers” in a bucket. As we chatted to them Simon and his family came along looking for a penguin someone had seen earlier. They discovered it too, just sitting on the beach, possibly ill. It allowed Jim, Simon’s father, to pick it up. Having photographed it the two of us pressed on as far as you could comfortably walk, almost up to the Hill Piece, where the water came right up to the cliffs.
We headed back by way of Hottentot Gulch, having first thrown a lump of pumice into the sea to see it float. The beach, sadly, is littered somewhat with debris from the sea: plastic bits and pieces being the most unpleasant. There is a lot of fishing flotsam such as rope and buoys that detract from what one hoped to be pristine ocean and beach. It could do with an occasional clear up.
In the morning we attempted to visit the Administrator whose house is next door to the Rectory. The door was open but we couldn’t rouse anyone. Later, when at last in our back garden, it being fine and so good for hanging out washing, we heard voices through the flax and found both Administrator and wife in their vegetable garden. Diana had a bit of a chat to them, largely to do with gardening. We then unravelled a piece of old nylon fishing rope to make a line to hang washing under the eave of the back of the house.
Later in the afternoon we did a little visiting, returning bowls in which gifts of food had been given to us. We visited Agnes behind the church, but there was no one there and so we left the bowl with a note. She was the one who gave us the crayfish. We then visited Peggy and Brian Rogers who had given us a shepherd’s pie and had a really good chat with them. She is an exact contemporary of mine and was in the same class at school. On the way we encountered Julian Swain, the best of fellows, who had been on the boat with us. He told us that an old girl called Rose Glass had informed him that she used to babysit us when we were on the island. I have no memory of this at all, but we must go and see her. Peggy had been with Pam and my sister Sue as girls on a trip to Nightingale in the old canvas long boats. Peggy is a very bright spark indeed, and remembered my brother Peter as the one who liked to fight and was naughty. She filled us in on a variety of people and names and her husband Brian showed us two of the model longboats he makes for tourists. Rather lovely, they don’t take him all that long to make. We had a good laugh over a drink and she gave us a great nog of frozen fish - goodness knows what, but probably blue fish - and three uncooked crawfish tails. Earlier in the day Linda Potgieter had brought us round two whole but cooked crawfish, also frozen so they are now in the freezer.
In the evening we were cold and so tried to light the gas heater but couldn’t get it going, the kindly Linda informed us that she was well used to such heaters, but even she could not get it going and decided that there was something wrong with it. Later her husband Kobus, who is a sort of CEO under the Administrator, came round with a similar heater from his place next door and put our gas cylinder in it. It worked and we were soon warm. He said he would tell Carleen to sort out our own heater on Monday.
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We had a light breakfast of toast and a hot drink before heading off to church for our first Sunday Eucharist. We enjoyed observing the little calf born to one of Lars’ cows in the paddock in front of the Rectory.
The church was already open with a line of people in the very last row, their backs to the wall and one or two others scattered about the pews. Today, for the first time since being away, I donned a clerical shirt and took sandals to wear with black socks for the sanctuary.
A very bright young girl called Jade was already robed and waiting in the vestry as the day’s server. She was only too eager to assist in any way. The service went easily and smoothly, Lars is a confident lay reader, and the lessons read by Beverley and then by him were well done. The hymns were very protty, from some modern collection or other, but they were sung robustly and seemed justified in such a setting, though my parents would have been turning in their graves. No choir any more!
Although there were hardly any kids present I did a little kids talk, which I think everyone enjoyed. My laryngitical voice aroused a little comment afterwards, but not the content of either the talk or the sermon. However, I divined that they were well pleased. About sixty folk were present and we finished at about five past nine, in time for those who wished to do so to join the RC’s for the big reception ceremony of a youngster who had been baptized in extremis earlier.
We found our way into the back of the R C church and I sat next to the Administrator. Several expatriates were present including Bob the dental technician and Katarina, a botanist of some sort. Anyone who wished for a blessing was invited forward, but none of us stirred. The little church was comfortably full, about forty of us I would say. The priest was in a purple zucchetto, taken off for the Consecration Prayer and mounted by a mitre for the Blessing. The priest I thought strangely hesitant and fumbling and he elevated the host once with one hand as the other held down the page. Unfortunately we were too late for the homily. There were apparently fourteen godparents.
Afterwards we had a quick chat in the cold to the Administrator and to Brian and Francoise Robertson, he being the psychiatrist who came with us on the boat. We invited them in to a cup of coffee and had a most interesting conversation with Brian, all about psychiatry, me asking questions and probing which he seemed to enjoy. The nature of imagination for instance and whether there is a difference, as of course there must be when you think about it, between a normal, laudable and vital imagination and the imaginary world of the schizophrenic, but how different and in what way? Then we got on to empathy and autism, empathy itself being a form of imaginativeness. We also touched on just how psychiatrists train and whether they have any deep knowledge of psychology. According to Brian too little in most cases, and so psychiatrists have a tendency, due to dealing always with abnormality, to be ignorant of psychology in “normal” people. We touched too on St Helena where Brian has worked and on suicide, and the inevitability of losing patients to suicide as a psychiatrist, how to cope and much more. Altogether I warmed to him as a wise old bird, human and not at all bonkers himself.
Half an hour after their departure we headed up to the Prince Phillip Hall for the big “baptism” bash. Pretty well the whole island was present. We were deliberately about twenty five minutes late, so it was a bit daunting to walk in on a great crowd of people who are not much given to effusion. There were lots of ex-pat people to relate to first of all however and so we duly did that. We were able soon to make sure we fraternised more widely. I had three light beers and some very good tucker, of which there was a constantly replaced abundance, the most notable being a variety of crawfish pastries and home made potato crisps.
Before sitting down on a bench with some of the older island women I had a good chat with Kobus, who is a Buddhist. When I asked him what had turned him that way he said he had been working in the war-ravaged hell hole that was Sierra Leone and it was largely in response to that. I asked him how Buddhism answered the problem of that sort of evil and his answer didn’t fully explain it to me, possibly because of the noise in a hall full of merrymakers. It has something to do with the necessity of being able to find inner peace. He also said that in Buddhism he found an absence of politicking. He is obviously a thoughtful and interesting person and we will engage in Island questions over dinner on Wednesday, because he and Linda have asked us round.
My talks with a succession of older ladies were good fun and involved for the most part reminiscing and repeating myself about what used to be. We had plenty of good laughs and I think it was a useful exercise. I should perhaps have gone outside to join the majority of the younger men. However a good time was had by all and we left at about ten to two.
We fell asleep in the sitting room until about four and then went out for a walk. It was sunny but windy from the west. We decided to visit the ruined Garden Gate beach. It is now little more than an industrial dump and wasteland. The sand has all been bulldozed away, there is an old and large rusting iron pontoon frame dumped there, the boulders below the cliff are infested with kikuyu grass and the beach is now great pebbles with no sand left at all. Three ancient and derelict boats are beached high and dry further along, two of them not dissimilar to the life boats on the Agulhas. I tried to determine the contours and whereabouts of Little Beach which no longer exists as we walked up to the little lagoon gathered behind the great dam of beach stones, but found it very hard to do so. The great lava flow it seems has swallowed up both Big Beach and Little Beach. I need to look at some of our old photos to see if things aren’t made clearer.
FROM THE REGISTERS
Birthdays:
David Bagley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Feb
Elaine Weaver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Feb
FRIENDSHIP GROUP
19 February Tuesday 2pm Narthex
We begin with the Eucharist in the Lady Chapel. The meeting follows with Show and Tell. If you have an item: photo, poem, piece of jewellery etc. please bring it along and share it with us-because it is special. Afternoon tea, readings and other sharing as usual.
THE ROVING LENT COURSE
19 February, Tuesday at 7.30pm
First Session -St Augustine’s Church Narthex
What is the most important spiritual question of our time? The reading material for the first session in the Lenten study will be available at the back of the church to pick up today (Sunday) for people from St Augustine’s. If anyone from other centres is planning to attend this first session, please let me know (hmalcolm@bigpond.com) or contact the Office 58 217 630 and I will do my best to get a copy to you before Tuesday.
LADIES GUILD
21 Feb Thursday at 1.30pm in the Narthex
The first meeting of the year will start with a Eucharist at 1.30pm. After that discussion will take place to plan together a programme for this year.
MEN’S BREAKFAST
23 Feb Sat 8.00am Eucharist, 8.30 Breakfast
Sign up! come on you chaps Sign up!
The ladies had 30 at their breakfast - we set you a challenge to beat that, and they don’t even have bacon, sausage, tomato, egg etc. Speaker: Dennis Boothey - expert on old vehicles.
GARDEN WORKING BEE
23 Feb Saturday 9.00am
To our loyal regular gardening group and any one else who would like to have a fun working morning in our beautiful garden, just turn up and help prepare the garden for Easter. For those at the Men’s breakfast you will be on the spot to come and join in after your tucker!
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER
1 March Fri 10.15am St Brendan’s Church
The theme of this years Day of prayer is ‘I was a stranger and you welcomed me’. The service has been collated by the WDP Committee of France but is as relevant to us here in Australia as it is to people all round the world. About 3 million people will attend in over 170 countries and will gather in their own time zones to follow the same order of service on this day. Feel free to be one of those here in Shepparton and this year St Brendan’s Church is hosting the service.
RECTOR’S LAST AGM
The AGM began at 7.30pm and finished at 8.45pm. The shortest ever. Splendid. Church Wardens remain the same: John Horder (Rector’s Warden), Bev Condon, John Pleming. Parish Councillors: Beryl Black, Charlotte Brewer, Dorothy Cook, Robert Cook, Irene Crawford, Robert Gilbert, Kerrie Midgley, Norm Mitchelmore, Mary Pearson, Martin Richardson, Jeanette Smith, John Wellman.
A B M BOXES AND ENVELOPES
Marg Carroll is now the Anglican Board of Mission representative in our parish. Thanks to all those who have had their boxes emptied. Anyone else with an ABM box to be emptied please bring it to Church or to the Parish Office then we will be able to tell you the grand total.
Anyone who has not yet had a box and would like to know more, please contact Marg Carroll or the Office. The Lent Envelopes will be available throughout Lent for donations to ABM’s extensive work here in Australia and overseas.
LOOKING FOR TOMATOES
As and when anyone has a glut of tomatoes, Marj Earl at Katandra would appreciate relieving you of excess to make relish for the Bottle Stall at this year’s Fair. Contact Marj direct or via the office please. Thanks to last weeks annonymus donor, gratefully received.
REV PATTI MATTHEWS
and NORM HART
It is good to have these two fine priests doing hospital, home communion and nursing home work with us on Thursday mornings. They run Euroa Parish together and help us out with enthusiasm, expertise and style. Thank you.
FOR THE DIARY
Feb 18 Mon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ares 255
Feb 19 Tue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Friendship Group 2pm
Feb 19 Tue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lent Study in Shepparton 7.30pm
Feb 21 Thur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ladies Guild 1.30 pm
Feb 23 Sat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Men’s Breakfast
Feb 24 Sun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Katandra AGM
March 1 Fri. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .World Day of Prayer
March 3 Sun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dookie AGM
March 10 Sun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mothering Sunday & Breakfast
March 31 Sun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Easter Sunday
May 23 Thur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4pm Raffle sub Committee Roz’s Room
May 31 Fri. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Synod
June 1 Sat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Synod
June 2 Sun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patronal Festival & Induction of new Rector
June 8 Sat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martyrs of Uganda Service and Breakfast
June 13 Thur. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4pm Fair Planning Group Roz’s Room
Oct 19 Sat. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parish Fair
REQUESTS FOR PRAYER
Hilary & Alan Akers, Joyce Auldrige, Liam Bognar, Nola Brewer, Joyce Caville, Halina Czerkaskyz, Christina Furze, Victoria Heenan, Bruce Hodgson & family, Katherine Holt, Edwin Johnson, Dos King, Bob & June Mc Kellar, Colin McKenzie, Elsie Lieschke, Helen McDonald, Anita Saville, Lynda Saville, Dawn Scott, Sandra Simonis, Nicole Sleeth, Patricia Sparkes, Shirley Venimils, Ray, James & Rachel, Cheryl, Joy, Simon, Jenny, Tom.
Rest in Peace:
Menique Richards, Joseph McKie. Jacqueline Tremlett, Arch Young.
Anniversaries:
Helen Chalmers, Roland Row, Pamela Reich (17 Feb), Clarence Connor (18 Feb), Peter McNamara, Graham Herberte (19), Frederick Clark, Eva Baldwin, Maisie Jolliffe, Elsie Blair, Melba Briggs, Reginald Bambrook (22 Feb), Allan Fitzgerald (23 Feb).
READINGS NEXT SUNDAY 24 February
Genesis 151-12,17-18, Psalm 27, Philippians 317 - 41
Duties for Sunday 17 February
Readers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liz Gyles, Gwyn Cowland
Intercessor 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Norm Weaver
Servers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Beth, Michelle, Soibhan,
Euc. Assts 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather Pearson, John Griffin
Sidespeople 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Bev & Max Ralph
Welcomer 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Shirley Dean, Heather Nichols
Welcome Table 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dorothy Cook, Bev Condon
Tea 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Val Bambrook
Reader 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aaran Bhat
Intercessor 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Bhat
Servers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny, Sarah, James
Euc. Assts 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Joe
Sidespeople 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Pleming, Irene Crawford
Welcomers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Yasmin Bhat, Beryl Black
Welcome Table 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dorothy Cook, Bev Condon
Projector 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Charlotte Brewer
Children’s Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary
Mowing Feb 23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gary Grant, John Horder
Mon Office Feb 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Barbara Brown, Pat Gibson
Duties for Sunday 24 February
Readers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jeanette Smith, Pat Griffin
Intercessor 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heather Pearson
Servers 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John Griffin, Soibhan Beth
Euc. Assts 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John Horder, Barbara Schier
Sidespeople 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Pearson, Trevor Batey
Welcomer 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Eileen Quaife, Bev Reither
Welcome Table 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothy Cook
Tea 8.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gwyn Cowland
Reader 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peter Martin
Intercessor 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nancy Noonan
Servers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Olivia, Oscar
Euc. Assts 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jenny, Joe
Sidespeople 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .John Pleming, Charlotte Brewer
Welcomers 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anne Hall, Kylie Milsom
Welcome Table 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dorothy Cook
Projector 10.30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mary
Children’s Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Suzanne
Mowing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .none
Monday Office. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joyce Oxley, Bob Galt
THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
Sunday 17 February 1st Sunday in Lent
2.00pm Sudanese Church Service
5.30pm Evening Prayer- Lady Chapel
Monday 18 February
(Rector’s Day off)
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
11.00am Shepp Aged Care
5.30pm Arise 255
Tuesday 19 February
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
10.00am Play Group
2.00pm Friendship Group & Eucharist
5.00pm Evening Prayer
7.30pm Lent Study in Shepparton-Narthex
Wednesday 20 February William Broughton
7.45am Mattins - Lady Chapel
10.00am Eucharist - St Augustine’s
4.00pm Banksia
5.00pm Evening Prayer
5.30pm Eucharist for Lent
6.00pm EfM
Thursday 21 February Cyril & Methodius
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
9.30am Tarcoola
10.15am Grutzner
11.00am Harmony
Hospital
1.30pm Ladies Guild & Eucharist
5.00pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
5.30pm Choir Practice
Friday 22 February
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
5.00pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel
Saturday 23 February Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna
7.45am Mattins & Eucharist - Lady Chapel
9.00am Garden Working Bee
8.30am Men’s Breakfast
6.00pm Vigil Eucharist
Sunday 24 February 2nd Sunday in Lent
8.30am Sung Eucharist - St Augustine’s
10.30am Eucharist & Children’s Church- St Augustine’s
9.00am St Paul’s Rushworth - local
11.00am Christ Church Murchison - Local
8.45am Eucharist - St Luke’s Dookie
10.30am Eucharist - St Mary’s Katandra & AGM
2.00pm Sudanese Church Service
5.30pm Evening Prayer - Lady Chapel