Walking the Path with Ros

Initially I stayed with my friends Maurice and Betty Coutanceau, then spent the weekend with Rev. Ian Arnold, both of whom I’ve known from the New Church in Australia (NCIA) since I was young. I particularly wanted to spend time with Ian, as he is the “senior pastor” in the NCIA and I have much to learn from his vast international ministry experience. Betty is very active with Bible study in their church, and welcomed me into a women’s Bible study group that she leads in their home. Maurice contributes to the music in their church, and is now a luthier. He makes a variety of stringed instruments, and plays them too. Ian included me in his daily walks on a bush track near his home. We saw a mother python brooding over her eggs, and many bush turkeys.

The next ministry trip was to Perth, on the west coast in Western Australia. Check the Australia map in the “Wonderful Woonona” post in February for the exact location! I was invited as a visiting minister by a lovely group of New Church people from two branches of the Swedenborgian community. There is not a minister in Perth, so they rely on lay leaders, visiting ministers and a retired minister, sometimes separately and sometimes integrated. The lay leaders of the two groups, David Walker (NCIA) and Mary Smuts (General Church), each hosted me in their homes. While in Perth, I gave two classes, one of which was the “Why Worry?: We Knew This Would Happen” presentation I’d given at the mini-retreat in Sydney in January (see the “Ministry and Music” post from March). I also led a worship service with Communion/Holy Supper. We also got together socially a few times. So good to catch up with old friends and meet new people as well!

It was a well-organised visit in Perth, thanks to Mary Smuts’ skill at planning minister visits. Several elderly members were in need of a pastoral visit, but declined because they were too sick. But I did manage to visit with my friend Ros, whom I hadn’t seen in over 30 years. I also managed to spend a little time circle dancing, which I had been introduced to at Gathering Leaves (the international retreat for Swedenborgian/New Church women), watch a windsurfer near there at Safety Beach, and see some friendly cricket in the park. Aussies spend a lot of time on outdoor activities year-round, especially at the 12,000 beaches around the Aussie coastline.

Early in February, we had a family outing to the nearby Symbio Wildlife Park to see both Aussie wildlife and some from other countries. We lucked into feeding times for many of them, as you can see from the koalas munching leaves in the tree. The kangaroos however had already had a good feed, and could not be enticed to eat anything from our hands : ( The giant monitor lizards were decidedly active as it was not a very hot day. A friendly, perhaps too friendly, sulfur-crested cockatoo was very interested in sharing our lunch! Often the Tasmanian Devil hides out under cover, but he showed his behind to us as he waited for food. And the fairy penguins, which used to visit the Taylor family farm in Victoria annually from Antarctica, were a new and playful addition to the Park this year.

Continuing on the water theme, I accompanied Evie to her swimming lessons shortly thereafter. Learning to swim, including learning basic lifesaving skills, is highly important in Australia because 80% – 90% of the population live in coastal areas. Going to her lesson brought up so many memories of learning to swim in private lessons as well as in PE class, where we also learned lifesaving. An unusual feature of her swim school is the family of llamas in the enclosure next to the pool. One of them was rather fascinated with my hair, apparently!

Near the end of February, we went camping for a weekend with some friends of Jon and Angela’s. The campground at Lake Conjola NSW had tent and caravan (trailer) camping, cabins, and fun activities for the kids. Everyone enjoyed the pool and cafe! The river offered fishing and kayaking, and the nearby beach and lagoon were great for surf and monstrous sand dunes.

The following weekend, the New Church in Australia (NCIA) held a weekend mini-retreat at the Roseville New Church, in northern Sydney. The theme was “What’s the Use?” Previous plans for a week-long retreat at a conference centre had been dropped because of low registration numbers, which was also the case for an Assembly that had been scheduled for April. On the Saturday, I went out to dinner afterwards with some Hurstville congregants and visitors.

I was supposed to be the retreat preacher on the Sunday. Normally the NCIA-affiliated Roseville church would not have a female preacher, because their minister is “on loan” from the General Church. But as it was in the context of an NCIA retreat, I was invited to deliver the message. The politics of women’s ordination are still alive and kicking! However, I learned on Saturday night that I had been exposed to Covid earlier in the week so decided not to risk being a Rona Superspreader. Rev. Howard Thompson from the Roseville Church graciously filled in for me.

Speaking of low registration numbers, dwindling numbers in Swedenborgian/New Church and other religious organisations, and suggestions for strategies in response, was the topic of my presentation at the mini-retreat. Earlier in January, I’d given the same talk (with USA statistics) in Bryn Athyn, PA, USA to local people and Zoom attenders from around America. People from the branches of the Swedenborgian/New Church faith community in Australia and America seem to respond to my question of “Why Worry?: We Were Told This Would Happen.”

With the Canberra group, the plan is to meet monthly while I’m in Aus. On Saturdays we are doing a Spiritual Growth class written by my friend Rev. Clark Echols in USA, and on Sundays we have a worship service, followed by lunch together. In the photo, Tina is holding up her mobile phone to represent Jen, who joins us via Zoom.

And that brought to a close my path in Australia in January 2024, with three more months to follow!

I abbreviated my third and final trip to Canberra to one day of activities, to maximise my time with Jon, Angela and Evie who were by then quite settled into their townhouse apartment and lifestyle. However there weren’t any trains running that weekend, which meant I spent an extra night in the Hurstville church’s guest house, Baringa, which I have known since the original owner’s widow lived there when I was a young child. Before Angela’s sister Carolyn gave me a lift to Baringa, she and their parents Owen and Margaret Heldon came over for a farewell lunch and visit in a nearby playground.

Before returning to Woonona, where Jon and Angela now live with a view of the beach from their apartment, I farewelled the ever hospitable Murray and Lori Heldon over breakfast at their lovely home. With all these farewell meals, it was beginning to sink in that I was really going to be leaving, and Jon’s family wouldn’t be coming with me. But my path in 2022/2023 ended with us filling our final two days with a few adventures! First, south to North Woolongong, where Jon has joined an early morning breathwork group. We visited the two lighthouses, from 1870s and 1930s, saw the rockpool area where Jon’s group meets, looked at the boats in the historic Woolongong Harbour, and of course played in a park (AKA playground) on the lovely esplanade along the beach.

For my last day, we headed north for breakfast at Sydneys’ first communal motorbike workshop and restaurant combo for city dwellers. Angela’s cousin-in-law is one of the owners of The Rising Sun Workshop, where the ramen menu is outstanding. From there we took one of the famous Sydney Harbour ferries, to the Taronga Park Zoo wharf. Evie was enthralled by her first ever ferry ride on the dazzling Sydney Harbour. We somehow walked past the world-renowned zoo, and instead took the Bradleys Head Walk. Growing up, my family had come several times to Bradleys Head on Sydney Harbour for swimming and picnics, and I’d just been there for New Years Eve. Very different to be there again without the crowds, and in daylight! We swam at gentle Athol Beach, marvelled at the views of the harbour and the wildlife around us, and then swam and climbed on the rocks at Bradleys Head. Then off to the historic “Rocks” district of Sydney for an early dinner (we debated linner? dunch?), and then home in time for me to pack for my long flights to the USA the next day.

The adventure got real when I left Adelaide and headed off to Victoria on a road trip in a hire car! I accepted my GPS’s offer of the fastest route to Majorca, a small town in the middle of the state, where I was to spend the evening and next morning with my friends Barry and Edith Rabone. In infamous GPS tradition, it took me through the back roads for many hours, including a long stretch on a narrow track just wide enough for the wheels of my car. When oncoming traffic approached, which happened occasionally, we both had to go almost off-road into the red soil to pass each other. Luckily I had enough fuel to just make it to a country town to fill up the tank! Once I made it to the Rabones’ place, we had a great time catching up and discussing some developments in our faith community and my ministry. The next day Edith and I took their vintage 1968 (?) Mini Minor to a nearby town to meet Suzanne for brunch and more joyful post-pandemic catching up.

The drive up to Harrietville in the Victorian Alps/High Country was stunning, with alpine forests, mountain roads, European cafes and shops along the way, and ski slopes waiting for winter snow. In recent years, I’ve tried to go somewhere I’ve never been before in Australia as I follow my ministry and travel path. Growing up in Australia, I’d somehow never heard of the Victorian Alps. That’s where Lynelle, my school friend whom I hadn’t seen since 1974, and her retired minister husband are raising her granddaughter, who is delightful. While I was there we swam in a cold mountain stream near their house, and took a night walk around the town, where I found out about Bush Kindy (similar to Forest School in the US,) heard a local indigenous man playing didgeridoo accompanied by guitar and drums outside a pub, and learned about the mid 1800s gold rush origins of the town. Sleeping in the cool mountain air after a hot day was incredibly refreshing. The next day we bought breakfast from a Swiss-owned cafe, and took it to a beautiful lake, formerly a site for dredging gold. Locals gather for picnics, fishing, swimming and hiking. We had to stop as we drove back for a herd of kangaroo who wanted to cross the road right in front of us. I’d been lamenting I hadn’t seen any Aussie wildlife so far this trip, but my luck was changing!

More than an hour later, I made it to the Lookout, which was worth it in the end. Mt Kosciusko is the highest mountain in Australia, though actually dwarfed by the highest mountains in other countries. An hour-ish later, when I had almost finished my descent, my GPS announced the road was closed ahead and it was time to make a U-turn and drive back over the mountains! Considering all the recent rain and flooding, it seemed plausible. However, I firmly informed my GPS that I was definitely not going back over the Great Alpine Road! I continued on, and found that the closure was just roadwork that had closed off one lane.

During my time in Melbourne, I was able to have an afternoon BBQ with my rellies, meet up with some Swedenborgian/New Church friends, go to the opening evening session at the Australian Open AKA “go the tennis” as the locals say (another bucket list item!) and attend a church service at the new premises of the Swedenborg Community Victoria (formerly the Melbourne New Church.) The church building was sold in 2018 and after a short nomadic period, the community has bought a commercial unit with very adaptable spaces for their purposes: a good model I believe for congregations for whom a church building is no longer suitable.

Although my road trip through Victoria was mostly about travel and catching up with friends, I did have two wonderful conversations with colleagues in ministry. Rev. David Moffat is the Spiritual Leader for the Swedenborg Community Victoria, as well as the President of the New Church in Australia – an association of all the church communities. We talked about diminishing congregation sizes around Australia and the world, and placed that within the context of Swedenborg’s vision of “old” church-based practices being replaced by “new” spiritual practices and ways to relate to the Divine. In that context, David and I are both trying out new ways to reach people online: he’s developing the Swedenborg Community Victoria and I’m working with “Deborah’s Tree.” Right before I left Victoria to fly back to Sydney, I went for a short bushwalk with Rev. Martin Pennington and then talked over coffee. We shared our thinking and viewpoints on some aspects of Swedenborgian theology, but weren’t able to resolve all the questions and debates in our faith community! He also encouraged me to continue to offer support to a woman in Pennsylvania who was recently ordained online into a non-traditional ministry (hospital chaplaincy) in the NCIA, as I’m the closest thing to a NCIA ministry colleague for her. During our walk, Martin and I saw an echidna, an ant-eating mammal, which neither of us had ever seen in the wild. I also got to finally see and hear my favourite Aussie bird, the Kookaburra. During my path in 2022/2023 I had heard them cackling in many places, but hadn’t seen one. I felt complete in terms of connecting with Australia’s wonderful animals in the bush: kangaroo, echidna, and kookaburras.