Month: February 2018

Saturday morning started with a run, then breakfast at the Rising Sun Workshop with Lori and Murray. Sorry, no photos of the motorbike owners working on their bikes below us.

My son Jon had recommended the “Breakfast Ramen” so I ordered it – yummmm!

Then some shopping in Newtown with Lori, and a visit with Norman Heldon, now 100 years old!

Later on, I attended the Angel Service at the Roseville New Church in north Sydney, which involved train rides over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and a lovely view of Sydney and the Harbour all lit up for the evening. After the service, I was able to network over dinner with Jan Primrose, president of the Swedenborg Association of Australia, and her friend Lynn.

Roseville New Church, a NCIA congregation

On Sunday, the co-ed worship team consisting of Cliff Adamou and myself led an outdoor service which included a children’s talk and a discussion of correspondences in nature. I’m pretty sure it was unusual but not groundbreaking for the congregation to have a woman co-lead a worship service. In the past I was able to co-lead a Good Friday service with Communion here, and lead study groups. This is the church for which my Dad was the pastor for a total of 19 years, and in which I grew up, so it feels like home in many ways.

Cliff and me before the service

Norman still comes to church regularly

Discussion re: Correspondences in Nature

Coffee hour inside, after the service and discussion

Some of the congregation went on a picnic to Oatley Park afterwards.

L-R Sam Johnson, Carolyn Heldon, Murray H, Cliff, Patricia Walsh, Lori H, Huiling Sun, Jenn Beiswenger, Kristen J

A Ghost gum – my favourite kind of gum tree – towering above our picnic spot

Carolyn Heldon and I left the event before the swimming bit to drive down to Thirroul on the NSW coast, where Carolyn lives with her sister Michelle, Michelle’s husband Dylan and their 10 month-old daughter Aneira. Because Michelle’s twin Angela is married to my son Jon and lives with me back in the USA, they very sweetly introduced me to Aneira as “Grandma Ros.” While on childcare duty for part of the afternoon, we went to the gorgeous Thirroul beach. Once again, my beach time was foiled a bit by rough surf and dangerous currents, but I was still able to enjoy the beach, and the salt-water Olympic size pool at the beach.

Thirroul beach, which was closed to swimming. Many east coast beaches up and down the coast were closed for a few days due to effects from Cyclone Gita which had hammered Tonga and is approaching New Zealand

Later on we learned of another family connection that got me and Michelle all emotional: Aneira’s toy box is the same one my family used all those years ago when I was growing up in Hurstville. Michelle had rescued it from under the church a few years ago. What a sweet little reunion as our paths cross again!

No visit to Sydney is complete without a Harbour Day! Sydney Harbour, perhaps more properly Port Jackson, is one of the most beautiful natural harbours anywhere in the world. Not that I’m biased! Sydney was founded on its shores, at what is now Circular Quay AKA Sydney Cove. On my way out, I snapped a few photos of the Hurstville New Church property and tried my hand at selfies, with way less than stellar results. I need a selfie-stick!

Hurstville New Church and Manse (Pastor’s residence)

Baringa and Church

Selfie experiment, outside Baringa

Circular Quay, which is usually buzzing with people who work right there in the city’s Central Business District, and tourists, and runners, and people doing a Harbour Day, was extra energised because it was the Chinese New Year. Now it’s the Year of the Dog, characterised by loyalty and honesty. Circular Quay was all decked out for the holiday, including representations of all 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac.

From Circular Quay I caught a (passenger) ferry across the Harbour to Manly Beach. Ferries have been an integral part of the Sydney public transport system since the very beginning. Taking the Manly ferry and seeing the notable sights on the Harbour was something I’ve been doing since childhood. Here’s a sampling:

My favourite restaurant on Circular Quay

Opera House, which was non-existent or under construction until I was in my teens

The two most notable features of Sydney Harbour: Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House.

Another typical Harbour ferry passing by in the opposite direction

Sydney Harbour Bridge, which I have walked across many times, and climbed once

Central Business District behind the Opera House

Fort Dennison where incorrigible convicts were sent for solitary confinement. In front of the long vessel to the right there’s a tall ship lending a bit of historic authenticity to the photo.

As a child I always loved watching the water churned up by the ferry. As an adult as well, truthfully.

North and South heads of Sydney Harbour

There are always plenty of sailboats on the harbour

 Once we got to Manly, I enjoyed the traditional fish and chips, walked on my favourite beach but couldn’t swim because of the dangerous currents that day, and did a little shopping on the Corso (walkway and shops between the wharf and the ocean-side beach)

Manly Wharf and “Miriam’s Manly”  – the quiet Harbour-side beach at Manly

Got to have Fish and Chips at the beach!

Relaxing – with a life guard raft and Dangerous Currents sign nearby!

A long walk along the edge of the water, one of my fave beach activities

Love the Norfolk Pines along the footpath next to the beach

Beautiful waves, but only the most experienced surfers could catch them

“Mine! mine! mine!”

The Corso

For dinner, I celebrated Chinese New Year with my friend Huiling Sun (from China) and her son Matthew Cooper. I forgot to take a photo for those who knew Huley and Genghi, as we knew them, when they lived in Bryn Athyn during her husband’s theological school years. Instead, here is a series of selfies. Let me know if you think there’s any purpose to trying to perfect my technique, since it all seems rather hopeless at this point 🙂

First look

It’s always an emotional moment for me when I first catch sight of my homeland from the airplane window. An ache for all the time spent away from my family and friends and culture, and a simultaneous catch of breath to be welcomed back again to my sunburnt country. This time it was a bit of the southern coast of Sydney, then Botany Bay and very quickly the airport, no sunburning, but still my country.

Botany Bay, the first place Captain Cook landed and considered as a place to set up the new British colony. They ended up in the beautiful Sydney Harbour 10 miles north.

 Off and running! After a brief nesting in Baringa (church office and social hall and guest house) and welcome from my Baringa house-mate Margaret Ward, it was off by train to see Donna Heldon, hubby Jason Martin and their 7 month old twins, Anna and Erik. On a hot day at the end of a hot summer – 39 Celcius, 102 F.

Donna, Anna, Erik, Ros, Jason. Never did get all 5 looking in the same direction at the same time. Kudos to Owen for keeping on trying!

And to complete the Heldon day, a Valentine’s Day dinner at Murray and Lori Heldon’s, complete with a heart-shaped red-topped Pavlova. After dinner, Todd and I met to plan out the Lay-Lead Service for Sunday, since he was going to Perth in Western Australia to minister to a General Church group there for an extended weekend. As I wrote earlier, he had originally wanted me to lead the service, but the General Church leadership objected to the choice of a female lay-leader. But they agreed to an outdoor service with a balanced worship leading team: a male lay leader doing the liturgics (opening the service, prayer, readings) and me giving a children’s talk and leading a discussion about “Correspondences in Nature.”

Dylan, Zachary, Rev Todd, Jenn, Jessica, Jeffrey, Lori, Lily, Kristen, Liam, Sam, Murray. Sorry for any misspellings. Not literally all Heldons since the Beiswengers and I were included.

My path the next day took me to my favourite running track when I’m in Hurstville: through Quarry Park and preserve. After that wonderful exercise in the bush, and a load of wash hung out to dry quickly in the sun, a friend from St George Girls’ High School picked me up for lunch at Doll’s Point on Botany Bay. Our plans for a formal afternoon tea with other St Georgians in our class had fallen through, so Diana and I went out anyway!

Our view from the cafe on Botany Bay

It was too hot to sit outside, but this would have been our view of the bay.

By the time we got back from lunch, the laundry was dry and I caught up on those housekeeping details that are sometimes hard to keep track of when on holiday. I’m learning to make time for myself as I go along so I won’t need a week to recover when I get back!

The rain continued for much of my last two days in Auckland, but no worries, Denis and I were able to drive through some farmland and mountains, past dormant and extinct volcanoes, down to the Bay of Plenty on the east coast of the north island. After I saw a chiropractor that was recommended to keep my back in shape for all this travel, we walked along the shoreline and had lunch near the waterfront.

Auckland city limits, with a typical sign showing English and Maori place names

Hunua range, a little south of Auckland, famous for its volcanic geography and waterfalls

Karangahake Gorge

Further along the Gorge, near Waikino, closer to the river all churned up by the rain.

I love the fern trees on the hills

The rain drenched photo in motion doesn’t do justice to the rapids in the river and the majesty of the Karangahake Gorge.

A closer shot of New Zealand’s #1 industry: dairy farming

Tauranga Harbour in the Bay of Plenty. The floating water park was inflated by the time we finished lunch.

The rain abated the rest of the day so I was able to do a little “bushwalking” along a path in the Kawaka Reserve, near Denis and Lis’s home.

Sub-tropical rainforest look.

Part of the track is owned by a school. This section was a boardwalk with markers identifying the plants and decorated with Maori symbols. This one shows two tiki, representing Tiki, the first man in Maori myth

Love those nikau tree ferns!

Scary looking roots reaching for the stream

I ended up with two views of Denis and Lis’s garden, which show only a fraction of their lovely property.

Succulent beds

Bird of Paradise plant beds

The next day, after visiting the retired Rev. Richard Keyworth, and Gillian Keyworth who was recovering from surgery, Hugh and Jenny Keal and Denis and I ended up having lunch together and tourist shopping at a local mall, rather than getting soaked trying to get to the Maori museum from the distant carpark. It’s been almost two decades since I was at the Maori exhibits, and they had made quite an impression, especially the war dancing. Next time!!

Gillian and Richard Keyworth and their very friendly little dog, who made me nostaglic for					my friendly little dog.

After afternoon tea at Hugh and Jenny’s, I spent the late afternoon finishing my preparations for the upcoming lay-lead Sunday service in Hurstville, a southern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. My role is to lead a Discussion, at the point where the minister would normally deliver a sermon or message. More on that in a later post! After dinner, Hugh shared a photo with me that absolutely surprised me!

3+3, our church band from the Hurstville Church in the early 1970s, reunited for a performance at an Assembly in Bryn Athyn, PA in 1976. L-R: Hugh, me, Ian Keal, Wellesly Rose (Keal by then?) standing in for Anne O”Sullivan, Maret Taylor(-Genzlinger), Peter Taylor

Jenny, Hugh, and Sharon Keal

Early the next morning I left Auckland for the Australia portion of my traveling and ministry path.

Rain continues all day every day in Auckland, but it hasn’t really slowed me down or dampened my enthusiasm! On Sunday morning, I was able to help out the New Christian Church in New Zealand, a congregation with both NCIA and General Church members (and one who grew up in the Lord’s New Church) by leading a Shared Worship Service. The format is very similar to the Home Church in Bryn Athyn: everyone brings something to share during worship, and the theme was the “Water of Life.” During a visit here in 2012 I had lead a similar service based on the Home Church “worship circle” format.

The New Christian Church in New Zealand has two retired ministers who lead some worship services.

Auckland New Church, at the close of the service

The last stragglers to leave after a shared morning tea. Shared inspiration, shared goodies.

Later, the Keals had Family Dinner, which is a tradition I also have with my family in Philadelphia. It was heart-warming to feel like family with some extended family members of people who had been “brothers” to me growing up in Sydney.

A view from Denis and Lis’s front balcony

Another view from the front deck

Adorable, and of course smart, young Keal cousins

Equally adorable and smart Keal adults

This post starts with a photo of my lovely hosts in Spray, Oregon, Wes and Kris. They own the property that Chris and Robyn help manage, and where they are staying. I’m grateful to these generous folks for all they have done for my family, and for continuing to open their hearts in true “Western” style.

My flights to Auckland were uneventful, except that we were skirting a large cyclone that was developing in the Pacific. It’s a bit terrifying when the pilot tells you about the storm and probable turbulence (I wish I’d paid attention to that safety bit they did as we taxied out of Honolulu!) But no worries in the end. The airport in Honolulu has changed since I was last there back last century – much more open. I was able to grab a quick lunch while enjoying the view of one of the gardens in the terminal.

After more than a month of very hot and dry weather, Auckland is now having a week of constant rain, just in time for my visit 🙁 and just before the cyclone remnants will hit the islands. So there probably won’t be any good touristy photos of the lush green landscape, active volcanoes, fantastic beaches and other sights near Auckland. But here’s a photo of my Sydney childhood friends Denis and Hugh Keal, and their wives Lis and Jenny, who were New Zealand penfriends from childhood. This time I’m staying with Denis and Lis, and Hugh and Jenny live walking distance away. We all went out to dinner at the “Elevation Cafe and Restaurant” which is the highest elevation restaurant in Auckland.

All you can see out of the window is the clouds that were enshrouding the Waikatere ranges, but the view should have been more like this, according to their listing on Yelp:

I hope at some point in these next few days I can share some photos of my own that look more like that!

Today Robyn and I spent some time in Fossil, OR, where Chris works at “RJs Steaks, Spirits & Sports”. We went looking for…fossils! And found some fossilised plants and some sort of primitive sea creature.

Our fossil digging was followed by digging into lunch at RJ’s and visiting with Chris, who was bartending and waiting on tables.

Our errands in Fossil took us past the Fossil Museum. It was affirming to see fossils on display that looked exactly like the ones we had found!

But we had to be back in Spray by 5pm for my scheduled Skype conversation with Rev. David Moffat, president of the New Church in Australia (NCIA) and chair of the Council of Ministers (COM). He wanted updates on my planned ministry visits in Auckland, Sydney and Adelaide, and had some wisdom to share about my plans. He was surprised to hear that, despite an invitation from the minister in Hurstville to lead a lay service while he is away, the General Church policy is so conservative that women are not allowed to be lay leaders. I guess I’m used to it!

The plan in Hurstville now is for a male lay leader to open the service, for me to lead a discussion about correspondences in nature, and the male leader to close the service with prayer. After that the congregation is going for a picnic and swimming at a local riverside park, hence the focus on nature. I’m happy that the service is effectively going to be co-lead by a man and a woman, even though I still marvel at the persistence of traditional thinking about exclusively male leadership in congregations.

Tomorrow I fly out of here, headed for Auckland, NZ via a brief stop in Honolulu, Hawaii.