On the way back to my USA home, I spent a few days in San Francisco, California. It so happened that my flight had me landing in San Francisco the day before a meeting of the Board of the Center for Swedenborgian Studies (CSS), located nearby in Berkeley, CA. The CSS is the theological school for the Swedenborgian Church of North America, and is affiliated with the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley. I had received a Certificate of Swedenborgian Studies from CSS in 2019 as the last step in my very long path to ordination as a Swedenborgian/New Church minister. But I had never set foot on the campus, as I had studied online with CSS.
The Board very graciously invited me to join them as a guest. I stayed with them at the Mercy Center Burlingame, a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, where most of the meetings were held. The gardens and buildings were serene, and contributed to the mission of helping people to become “more attentive to the Divine.” During the business meetings for Board members only, I walked the hand-laid labyrinth and soaked in the tranquility.
The CSS is physically housed in the Pacific School of Religion, one of the member schools in the GTU. Dean Rebecca Esterson gave me a tour of the CSS during one of the board’s executive sessions, and I explored the campus as well. It felt so good to have finally visited the Center for Swedenborgian Studies!
A view of the San Francisco Bay just steps away from the CSS offices and classrooms.The Holbrook Building in which the CSS is housed
A brief stay in San Francisco would not be complete without walking across the Golden Gate Bridge! So I did exactly that, on the morning before the CSS Board members started arriving at the Mercy Center. It wasn’t very crowded, as I’ve heard it can be, and the weather was a bit foggy and windy. The walk across and back was a very comfortable 3 1/2 miles, with people walking, running and riding bikes at all different speeds. From the bridge (pictured, from the south side) we could see Alcatraz (to the left in the foggy photo), the San Francisco Bridge, the city of San Francisco (bottom, left photo) and the Marina District (in the large photo) at the north end of the bridge.
The path back to the Mercy Center included a tour by my friend Jennifer through some notable parts of the Bay area, including the longest, steepest and most curvy street in San Francisco – and it’s not the famous Lombard St. Quite a challenge for someone who is prone to motion sickness! The next day, I began my path home, with a stop in Denver to see family, and then on to my USA home in Bryn Athyn, PA.
While ministering to the Swedenborgian/New Church groups in Canberra and Perth, attending events at the Swedenborg Centre in Sydney, and spending time with family and church friends in Adelaide and Melbourne, I managed to fit in time for being a tourist as well.
The Big Merino, a statue in sheep country in Goulburn, NSW, on my way to Canberra “The Travellers” art on the Sandridge Bridge in MelbourneA friendly black swan said hello on the banks of the Yarra River in MelbourneFinally I got to the famous St. Kilda beach in Victoria……while visiting with my colleague …Rev. Martin Pennington, with Melbourne in the distance.
The next sight-seeing opportunity was in Adelaide and South Australia. Henley Beach (left) and Glenelg Beach (below) are near downtown Adelaide. Some schoolboys had a fishing class at the end of this jetty when I was there. My brother Stephen and I hiked in the Waite Conservation Reserve that has views overlooking the city. Then a few days in Tintinara with family who own a small farm. You might remember the view from my favourite cafe along the way, now with the floodwaters receded back to normal.
My cousin Simon in Tintinara had converted a 100-year old wool sorting table into a unique dining room table. The shearers would have thrown the newly shorn fleece onto the sorting table for it to be graded for sale. The slats were for dirt and debris on the fleece to fall through – the sheep live outside year round. I loved seeing how the farming heritage of the family has worked its way into elegant living indoors!
Next up was seeing some sights in Perth, which I had time to do because there was not such a need for pastoral visiting this time. Kings Park is a botanical garden and bushland preserve right on the waterfront in Perth’s CBD (central business district). My friend Ros also took me to Bayview Park, on the other side of the CBD. Another highlight was fish and chips on the waterfront in Fremantle, near Perth, with my host and church group leader, Mary. And of course, a beach day a bit north of Perth’s CBD, at Scarborough beach.
Later on, when Evie had her autumn school holidays, we took a short trip to the Blue Mountains, which are west of Sydney, and stayed in an historic Victorian-era cottage. We met up with a friend of theirs who was doing an art residency in Katoomba, and of course hiked in the Blue Mountains National Park, sometimes with her and her daughter.
Artist Giulia took time off from painting to go to the Wentworth Falls with us and her daughterOne of many waterfalls in Wentworth that we walked under It claimed to be an “easy walk” but these stairs were a bit scaryLook carefully for the rarely-seen Lyre bird building a nestThe iconic Three Sisters rock formationWe replicated a photo of my kids, from 20 years ago Lunch with Giulia and Tessa, in a cafe with a spectacular mountain range view
As you can see from the photos, the first part of my visit in Australia was mainly about hanging out with my family in Woonona (pronounced Wunoona), a beach town south of Sydney, and with my friends in Hurstville, which is the suburb where the General Church congregation is located. Featured in the gallery above is a photo of a “flat white”, my favourite coffee beverage in Australia. Google says a flat white is “a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk, similar to a latte but with less milk and a thicker layer of microfoam on top”. Every day I walked on the beaches only 1 1/2 blocks away: Bulli Beach top right, and Woonona beach below it. Below that is the Bulli Beach rock pool, filled with ocean water. A feature of many beaches in the area is a human-made pool like this at the headland. A local high school was having PE class at the rock pool one day as I enjoyed my flat white at the beach-side cafe. The other photos show Evie having fun at her swimming lesson, and the llama there enjoying having a nibble on my hair! Also pictured is Evie celebrating her 7th birthday with family and friends at the river-side Audley park in the Royal National Park, and some friends from the Hurstville New Church having a memorable evening at a local Chinese restaurant.
Growing up on the south side of Sydney, I’d always heard that the “North Head” of Sydney Harbour (the headland on the north side of the ocean entrance to the harbour) was uninhabitable, wild, and difficult to access. “South-siders” typically have dismissive things to say about anything on the North shore, and likely vice-versa! I had been to the South Head several times, which had the reputation of being an interesting place to visit. So one day I decided to see for myself, and set off on an adventure to explore the allegedly disreputable North Head. In the photo, the North Head is the formidable headland on the left.
I took a ferry from Circular Quay in Sydney……past the Opera House……and looked back at the Sydney skyline.The ferrry landed at the Manly Wharf, where I spent a little time on the beach on the Harbour side. The Ocean beach at Manly is the famous one, with its award winning Manly Life Saving Club. From there I took a bus to the North Head Sanctuary. How very civilised!
What a surprise to find how easy it was to get to the North Head Sanctuary, to enjoy the bushland while walking on easily traversible paths, and catch some amazing views of the dramatic harbour! I found remnants of the North Head Quarantine Station that was established in 1833, and of the North Fort that was built during WWII. There were roads and houses in well-established neighbourhoods. So much for the urban myths I had grown up with 😀 The North Head is definitely a place I want to return to with my family.
From left to right, top row to bottom:
This scary looking spider safely up high in its web, as well as many of its relatives, greeted me as I walked through the bushland.
A path through the more open parts of the headland
Sometimes there were some steeper parts of the trail through “scrub” bushland (not tall trees)
Some beautiful flannel flowers, an Aussie native, along the path
A view to the south- east from the largest lookout, kindly taken by one of the many international and local visitors walking the trails. You can see Sydney’s Central Business District in the distance.
A view more to the south from near the lookout, showing the South Head of Sydney Harbour.
Hanging out in Sydney and Woonona included an afternoon visit to the Symbio Wildlife Park, where as you can see the kangaroos had already finished hopping around, and had been fed by many visitors already. They were only interested in being petted while they rested. We ended up giving the animal feed to the insatiable goats in the petting farm area! The gallery below includes photos from several other fun outings and activities within easy travel range of Woonona.
Evie is now taller than an Emperor penguin, measured at SymbioA crocodile at Symbio’s Reptile Show, right after an audience member held it brieflyFeeding time for the koalasCatching up with a friend from high school.Two hikes, one with Carolyn, one with Caldwells to……Curracurrong Cove, seen from the trail in the Royal National ParkThe Pacific Ocean pounding the coastlineCaldwells and me hiking on our way through the bushA little tree dragon greeted us at the Cove……where we had a picnic lunch and paddled (waded) in the water.Finally, a swim at Wattamolla Angela, Evie and I had a spa afternoon, thanks to a birthday gift from Evie’s party.We got to attend a mini concert by the Da Vinci Singers,…in which Carolyn sings and plays 5 instruments (not at once!)Breakfast in the Southern Gateway Centre……with a stunning panoramic view from our table of Dharawal country, now known as New South Wales’ South Coast. Jon, Angela, Evie (and I for 3-4 months per year) live in about the middle of the photo.
A significant purpose for my annual trips to Australia is to “give back” to the New Church in Australia (NCIA). Most of my training as a minister was through the Australian New Church College, and my family on my mother’s side goes back many generations in the NCIA and the General Conference of the New Church in the UK. Two Australian congregations do not have a minister, so I’m a visiting minister for them while I’m there. And I like to be supportive in other ways to the congregations that do have a minister.
If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll probably recognise the location and the people. This is the group in Canberra, Australia’s capital city, which gathers for worship every other Sunday here in Philip and Eleanor Richards’ sunroom. I visit there monthly when I’m in Aus, giving a spiritual growth class on Saturday and leading worship on Sunday. Not pictured here are two couples who had taken a break, but have rejoined the group quite regularly.
Above is the group in Perth, on the western coast of Western Australia. Like the Canberra group, there are people affiliated with both the New Church in Australia and the more conservative General Church of the New Jerusalem. Sometimes they gather separately, but whenever a minister is visiting from either Swedenborgian/New Church branch, they come together for a long weekend of activities. We had a discussion class about “Spiritual Judgement vs. Assesment” in the home of David and Ros Walker (seated in the centre of the photo on the left) The next day I gave a more formal presentation about “Tools for Healing the Pain of Polarisation” in a conference room at a restaurant, where we stayed for lunch afterwards (the photo on the right.)
Sunday’s worship service, including Communion/Holy Supper, was a combined event as well, at the hall where the group usually worships. They had sold their church building several years ago. Afterwards we enjoyed the fellowship of a shared (potluck) lunch, and then a few of us continued our conversations over coffee at a nearby cafe. In addition, during my five-day visit, I was able to have some individual visits with three of the members of the group.
In addition to ministering to the groups in Canberra and Perth, I made my usual tour around the country visiting relatives, and my friends and colleagues in other Swedenborgian/New Church congregations. In the south side of Sydney, I played the piano twice for a church service in the Hurstville New Church, including Easter Sunday (pictured). After attending one session of their series of spiritual growth classes about Joseph in the Hebrew scriptures, I joined the group for a fun movie night, watching the Disney film “Joseph: King of Dreams,” and snacks afterwards (pictured.) On the “north shore” I attended the Roseville New Church once, and interesting discussion sessions at their Swedenborg Centre three times. During one session I received some very helpful feedback on the presentation about “Tools for Healing the Pain of Polarisation” which I ended up giving in both the Hurstville church and in Perth.
In my rather whirlwind travels outside of Sydney, I stopped briefly in Melbourne where the Swedenborg Community Victoria is based. As I was only there during the weekdays, I was unable to attend a worship service, but I was able to Zoom in to an online Connect discussion. Rev. David Moffat, the spiritual leader of the Melbourne-based group and also the President of the NCIA, and I took a whole day to visit my friends/his parishioners Suzanne Coutanceau in Trentham (pictured), and Barrie and Edith Rabone in Majorca. We covered a lot of territory, both physically and in discussions about the Swedenborg Social Media Network that he had initiated in September 2024. We also had a wonderful “clergy gathering” with Rev. John Teed who was a good friend of my parents, and a vibrant minister in the NCIA when I was growing up. While in Melbourne, I also connected with another colleague, Rev. Martin Pennington, over lunch at the famous St Kilda Beach where we indulged in our usual far-ranging theological discussion.
Then on to Adelaide, where the congregation meets twice a month, but not on the weekend that I was there. But I managed to visit with the lay leader, June Johnson, and three other members of the small but devoted group, who had been quite disrupted recently with major repairs to the church building due to white ant damage. The Saturday evening Vespers service that I attended at my brother Stephen’s Russian Orthodox church was absolutely beautiful and serene. Stephen chants and sings in the choir, and I really enjoyed hearing him sing his solo and picking out his voice at other times.
My stated reason for traveling to China was to help Yuhong, my sister-in-law, clear out her mother’s apartment in Beijing. Su Ying is now a resident in an aged care facility, and wants to rent out her apartment. My other reason was to finally make it to the Asian continent, and to be a limited tourist in Beijing. Limited by my commitment to help Yuhong, and planning on staying only six days. Also limited by not speaking Chinese, which is why I told Yuhong I would staple myself to her side as soon as I saw her in the Beijing airport 😅 Fortunately both Shanghai and Bejing airports had plenty of English signage, so my fears about traveling through two Chinese airports without an interpreter were allayed.
I arrived the day after the New Year, and the celebration continues for 10 days. The shops, the restaurants, the streets, EVERYTHING was decked out in red and ready to have fun! After a bit of shopping, we headed to crowded, nearby Ditan Park to enjoy the celebration: dancing, singing, street food (I chose BBQ squid), all despite the chilly winter weather.
And we did settle in to the task of clearing out Su Ying’s apartment, where we were staying. We started with her many wardrobes of fabulous clothing. As a singer in the China National Symphony Orchestra Chorus, she had to maintain a professional look. We tried on two of her fur coats, and took one to her – we’re all about the same size! In the end we filled 49 huge rubbish/trash bags of clothing and linens (mostly for donation) and actual rubbish. But when I left at the end of the week, we looked around and sadly concluded that there was very little evidence that we had worked so hard. There is so much more to be done – another trip for me?
The view from Su Ying’s 4th floor apartment window
We took breaks on our clearing-out mission to visit the Temple of the Earth and other temples, the ancient Great Wall (on their busiest weekend of the year, right after the New Year!), a nearby well-known and upscale Peking Duck restaurant, and local restaurants. We also visited a Chinese medicine shop where the practitioner gave me a remedy that cured my common cold symptoms overnight (thankfully!)
Something I found a little unnerving was the almost constant presence of surveillance cameras and soldiers in public places, but Beijingers seem to take it in stride. I was shocked but not entirely surprised to find that my debit and credit cards, gmail, Google app, Facebook and Messenger apps were all shut down. The only means I had of communicating with my family was FaceTime, because they also use Apple products. Yuhong fortunately was able to cover my expenses while we traveled around and enjoyed ourselves.
From a ministry path perspective, I was surprised at the extent to which religious practice is permitted in China. There are active religious activities and practices in some of the temples we saw. We saw several Christian churches in Beijing, which are all government-sanctioned. Needless to say, I had no contact with the readers of new religious writings in China.
The different kinds of personal transportation were fascinating to me. We often walked to wherever we were going, but if not, the subway system was wonderful and taxis/ubers were plentiful and inexpensive. Many people rode e-scooters with blankets to protect them from the cold. There were also traditional and motorised rickshaws.
Finally, in the last few days of my stay, we went just outside of Beijing to visit Su Ying in her aged care facility. It was in an amazing and brand new centre for health care services, spread over many blocks like a small town. We stayed in a hotel for visitors in the complex. When we got on the elevator, R2-D2 joined us on his way to deliver something to another guest (maybe food?) Yuhong and I enjoyed our own tea ceremony, laid out for us in our elegant hotel room.
I was very grateful for the opportunity to visit with Su Ying again, as she and Yuhong’s late father had been to the USA several times to see Yuhong and her family. They had definitely become part of our extended Taylor family. On the way back, we had to show our passports and state where we were going when we crossed the border of the city of Beijing. Visibly and intimidatingly armed soldiers were posted at the border crossing. We got through without incident, and with appreciation for my Australian passport, and headed for the home of Mao Rung (not sure of the spelling!). She is Yuhong’s cousin, who is a lawyer who looks after Su Ying’s financial and legal affairs when Yuhong is not there. Several other family members were gathered there for a lovely afternoon tea.
I ended up getting an extra day in Beijing, because my seat had been canceled on my non-refundable, full flight to Sydney! Very thankfully Yuhong was with me to talk at length with the kind customer service people, and to pay for another flight to Sydney, since my bankcards were still inoperable. That flight left at 1am, so we went back to our clearing-out mission and celebrated with one final dinner out. Late that evening, I bravely took a taxi to the airport on my own, after Yuhong had instructed the driver where to take me 😊, and found my way to check in, send bags, and get on the plane for my next adventure – Australia 🇦🇺
Thank you for joining me again on my ministry and travel path! My path in 2025 started near the end of January with some exploring, and venturing into new experiences. First up, visiting in New Zealand, but adventures further afield in the north island than in the past. Previously I’ve mostly stayed in the Auckland vicinity, focusing on the NCIA/General Church Swedenborgian congregation. But they have now sold their building, as have many small congregations around the world, and are meeting virtually with an occasional in-person event. I missed the in-person church gatherings in Auckland, and going to the familiar physical building. Before I began visiting there as an adult, my father used to visit the New Church in Auckland on a regular basis when I was growing up in Australia. This was in a way a personal loss for me. It is even more of an emotionally painful and challenging process to wind-up a church organisation legally and financially for the people who have worshiped together for decades, and worked hard to keep it going. And equally challenging to sustain relationships and maintain a sense of community. But they are doing just that, though, through social media and group video meetings.
The former home of the New Christian Church in New Zealand, built and maintained by members.
Denis and Lis Keal are very active in the group, and were my wonderful hosts. I’ve known Denis since I was 6 years old. First up, a trip to the active geothermal area around Rotorua, in the central region of the north island. The area has many hot springs as well as the Lady Knox Geyser, in the photo. We soaked in some hot mineral pools, and toured the Waiotapu Scenic Reserve, where we saw and smelled many hot mud and sulphur pools. We also walked through the mainly Redwood Whakarewarewa Forest, which is also home to native species like Golden Fern Tress
Our final stop in Rotorua was the Mitai Maori Village, for a celebration of the Maori culture. The original Maoris were a Polynesian people who traveled to New Zealand centuries ago. We saw warriors paddling a war canoe, enjoyed musical entertainment and traditional haka dances, had an authentic Hangi dinner, and walked through the old village site and the forest, lit up by glow worms.
My final few days in Auckland were spent touring Hobbiton, the movie set for the Hobbit movies, and visiting with church friends. In the photo gallery above, the tiki pole was actually at the Mitai Maori Village, as we descended down to the river where the warriors demonstrated traditional war canoe chanting. The rainy-day Hobbiton photos show part of the village in the hill, the “party tree” and tent, a fully built Hobbit home that we toured inside including my demonstration that I’m almost Hobbit-sized : ) and the bridge to the Green Dragon Inn.
Once we were back in Auckland, Denis and Lis hosted an extended family gathering, and a smaller gathering of church people. Rev. John Sutton is pictured here with his wife Jenny and their fur-baby. As I mentioned earlier, lovely as it is to catch up with some of the church members, I still felt the heaviness of grieving the loss of what-had-been. Though I do support the notion that old structures might need to fade away so that a vibrant new spirituality can emerge.
We also visited Hugh and Jenny Keal in their Retirement Village on two occasions. Hugh has continued his passion for garden railways by using his 3D printer to create an entertaining steam-powered miniature railway system – pictured above.
After almost a week of venturing further afield in summer-time New Zealand, with less of my usual emphasis on the church group, I was ready to fly 13 hours back into the wintery northern hemisphere, for my first visit to a country in the Asian continent.
With all the camping trips going on while I was in Woonona, I was often reminded of an adventure that my family of origin had taken back in about 1968. As I recall, we were headed up north from Sydney to Queensland, where my Dad was to baptise a church family’s new baby. We stopped and camped for I think a few days at Hungry Head, which is near Coff’s Harbour, where another church family was living. I recalled it as the best camping spot we had ever had: surrounded by untouched bush, a very short walk to the pristine beach, white sand, beautiful blue ocean, fun family times at the campsite and with our friends in Coff’s Harbour. Fun times, except for the afternoon when my sister was pulled out in a swift current in the stream that ran from the lagoon to the ocean at nearby Valla Beach. Family members and other beach-goers on the almost deserted beach saved her from drowning and being swept out to sea.
When it came time to make plans for Evie’s fortnight on school holidays (two weeks on a fall break) we decided to spend part of it heading up to northern New South Wales on a quest to find the Hungry Head campsite I had remembered. We were going Hunting for Hungry Head! But “glamping” this time (glamourous camping), not in a cramped pop-up tent situation as my family had done back in the 1960s and 70s. Being significantly north of Woonona, the weather was warmer and more like late summer.
On the maps of the area, it looked like the original camping ground was gone, and the closest one was a fairly upscale place in Mylestom, right on the beach. We stayed a few days in this “beach tent” and explored the area. First off was Coff’s Harbour, where there were Sunday markets and a Thai New Year festival happening. The harbour did not ring any bells for me, though I had probably been there back in 1968.
Glamping dining ……and lounge room.Thai New Year dancing Coff’s Harbour’s Jetty BeachCoff’s Harbour from under the JettyMarina with breakwaterGiidany Miirlarl, a sacred indigenous site in the harbour, is now a place for tourists to hike.Fun times walking along the rocks to Giidany Miirlarl
The next day we started Hunting for Hungry Head in earnest. Starting at the nearby 1k long Urunga Boardwalk, we enjoyed watching the crabs and waterbirds all the way out to Urunga Beach. The northern NSW beaches are untouched by civilisation, just gorgeous! Hungry Head looked to be a reasonable walking distance away, but was farther away than we thought! After an hour on the beach, we headed back, with a new plan for our quest.
Our new plan was to drive to Hungry Head, explore the beach area some more, and try to find where the original campground may have been. Nothing on Hungry Head Beach looked particularly familiar to me, but we were having fun walking, and playing a “Follow the Stick Line” and other games on the beach. It was when we drove to the Urunga Surf Life Saving Club on Hungry Head that we had our great breakthrough! Apparently the land had been converted to a Preserve in 1977, and the Surf Life Club building and carpark were built in 1987. We found a beach entrance that looked very like the one I remembered, and a spot in the carpark across from it that was quite likely where we had camped all those decades ago. The Hunt for Hungry Head was finished!
Follow the Stick Line!With Hungry Head behind me, on the same beach as in 1968On top of Hungry Head, somehow so good to be backLikely the old beach entrance H H beach on the other side Probably our former campsite
The next day we shifted a bit south to stay in an airbnb yurt in Hyland Park, NSW. Not quite as glampy as the beach tent, but far more unique! The bathroom and kitchen were under separate cover next to the yurt, and we cooked dinner outside over the fire. We explored Nambucca Heads, which I’d heard about in school, especially the fabulous painted rocks in the V-Wall outdoor grassroots gallery, and the brightly coloured fish swimming near it.
After Nambucca Heads, we spent some time at nearby Valla Beach. I had a touch of PTSD seeing Evie playing in the stream that had just as strong a current as the day my sister nearly drowned. But overall it was healing to spend a safe afternoon at Valla Beach with no drama.
The stream on Valla beach was just as wide and powerful as I had remembered.
Our nostalgic investigation trip to Hungry Head was completed, so we headed back south towards home. On the way, I was dropped off in Tumbi Umbi, NSW to visit my Swedenborgian/New Church friends Mike and Kerry Lockhart, and to have lunch with another friend from teen years, Ken Horner. With only a few days left before returning to my American home, we took a final ferry trip to Manly. On the way back after dark, a flock of seagulls floated along next to us as we sat on the upper deck, as if sending me off with a graceful aerial farewell. We also celebrated the blooming of the Bird of Paradise bush in the backyard on my final day of the Path in 2024.
This year, leaving Australia was as distressing as always for me, with plenty of tears and big family hugs, but also somehow a “new normal”: knowing that my ministry continues in both Australia and the United States, and that my family is under Divine care no matter where they are living and how often I am able to be with them. Thanks for joining me for this part of Walking the Path – and blessings for whatever path you are walking!
The “Mountain Top” part of this post refers to a hike that the Caldwell clan, which includes me, took up the Broker’s Nose track to one of the best lookout spots in the Wollongong NSW region. You can see Wollongong Harbour and city behind Evie in the upper right corner of the middle photo. Jon is likely pointing to their place, which is about a quarter of the way in on the left of the larger photo, down about halfway, and wonderfully close to the beach!
The ministry part of this post includes the Council of Ministers’ meeting, and my final trip to visit the group in Canberra. I was invited as a guest to attend the arrival evening (pictured) and the first full day of the meeting. Being a visiting Swedenborgian Church of North America minister, and the only female minister present, could have been a bit intimidating, but these men are all friends of mine and I felt fully welcome while I was there. We were staying and meeting in a grand old house with fabulous views of mountains and beaches.
There was a retired minister (Ian Arnold) and a woman ordained to Logopraxis ministry (Sarah Walker) on Zoom for the meeting as well. There was quite lively discussion during my (by now well-worn) “Why Worry?: We Were Told This Would Happen” abridged presentation, especially because most of the Australian ministers have felt the reality of shrinking congregations, and the benefits of online ministry of some kind, mostly on YouTube. Visioning the future of the New Church in Australia is vital work right now, as several of the congregations are quite fragile.
We had time for a walk after lunch……and saw a paraglider launching near the stunning Stanwell Park Beach
During my final trip to Canberra we finished up the “Climbing Out of the Basement” spiritual growth programme, held our hybrid worship service, and went out for a celebratory farewell lunch after church. I really treasure the relationships that I’ve been blessed to have developed with this devoted group of Swedenborgian/New Church people, some of whom I’ve known since childhood and some I have just met for the first time this year. I also visited my friends Roger and Christine Gifford, on whose semi-rural property I feasted my eyes on the many kangaroos that feed there and gracefully hop around, even right in front of my car as I headed down the long driveway! On the way back to Sydney I noticed that the floodwaters in Lake George, that had been transformed into an actual lake last year instead of the grassy plain I had remembered, had now receded enough for cattle to be grazing again on the grassy edges.
And speaking of flooding, the “flooding rains” also came to Woonona in April, bringing flotsam and jetsam and other debris onto the beaches in the area. It was heartwarming to see the townsfolk cleaning up the devastation to the sea-level community garden and the beaches: true community at its best! We spent a few hours ourselves, picking up lots of plastic items and toys and household goods that had washed up or been swept onto the beach. The photos are from a few days later.
Lots of fun things happened in March, starting with Evie’s 6th birthday party, held outdoors at Stuart Park in nearby Wollongong, NSW. She had helped decorate her cake, with its Summer and Winter theme. The games included a variant of the ancient Irish Bobbing for Apples, the ever popular Spanish Pinata, and the Aussie/British Pass The Parcel. Evie’s maternal grandparents were also able to attend – so good to be sharing a granddaughter with my dear friends Margaret and Owen!
The next fun adventure ticked a huge item on my bucket list: going to the Red Centre of Australia and seeing Uluru, the massive rock known previously to European Australians as Ayre’s Rock. There is a train from Adelaide to Alice Springs, the town in the middle of Australia, but I flew. Maybe another time I’ll take the famous Ghan through the centre. In Alice Springs, I stayed with my friends Tim and Chris Kendrick. I’ve known Chris for several years through her involvement with the NCIA Board, and NCIA family camps/retreats. Tim was a fabulous tour guide within Alice and in the surrounding region. For seeing Uluru and Kata Tjuta (another rock formation, previously known as the Olgas) I took an all-day bus tour, from 6am till 1am the next day. Certainly an experience of a lifetime!
Aussie school children all learn a verse from Dorothea Mackellar’s poem “My Country,” or at least did so during my school years. The line about Australia being a country of “ragged mountain ranges, of droughts and flooding rains” kept on coming back to me. There had been “flooding rains” for many days before I got there, and all night before my bus tour. The Todd River through Alice is normally dry, but was overflowing when I was there. The MacDonnell Ranges, East and West, are the ragged backdrop to Alice Springs, visible everywhere.
Flooding prevented us from going in to a sacred “women’s cave” with its rock art, but allowed kids to swim near the rock where a small post-rain waterfall was mistaken long ago for a spring – hence the name Alice Springs. Below you can see the Todd River flowing through Alice in a spot which is normally dry for the annual boat race on foot, and also another view from Anzac Hill in the centre of town. Highlights of my tour around Alice were the Flying Doctor Service (I got to sit in a cockpit), the School of the Air, Alice Springs’ birthplace the Telegraph Station that connected Adelaide to Darwin and allowed communication with England, the original Ghan locomotive, and some wildlife at the Alice Springs Desert Park. Flies are everywhere, hence the obligatory fly masks!
Because of all the rain, the “Red Centre” was more like the “Green Centre,” which was actually a bit disappointing for me. I had been looking forward to seeing the red soil for which the Centre is famous, and I did see some of it, some with emu tracks on it (see below.) But I also witnessed the unusual blooming of the desert, and waterfalls on Uluru, which about 1% of tourists ever see. But I was not disappointed with the overpowering spiritual aspects of both Uluru and Kata Tjutu. Both are sacred to the indigenous population, and have been for around 30,000 years, or more. The creation stories associated with both of them are embedded in the majesty of the 500-million year old rock formations, such as the snake in one of the photos below. Art is a prominent feature of many sites in Uluru, both the rock art that is thousands of years old, and original art by indigenous people. The artist who painted the one I bought is pictured signing the back of it.
It was amazing to me how the wildflowers that bloom after rain can survive the arid times, and come back to life when there is enough water. A perfect image of resiliency of all kinds! I appreciated their greeting us in their simple beauty.
My final fun trip in Marvelous March was a day on Sydney Harbour, taking a ferry to Manly Beach and returning in the sunset.
Leaving Circular Quay, looking back at Sydney CBDOpera House when leaving Circular QuaySydney Harbour Bridge with a traditional ferryFormer prison Fort Denison, now a weather stationI’ve always loved the wake of the Sydney FerriesManly Beach on Easter SaturdayThe iconic Norfolk Pines along Manly beachBecause of the currents……the Surf Life Saving Club is famousOpera House at sunset
Easter Sunday was the last day in March. Easter is a much bigger deal in Australia than in the USA. All the little schoolkids decorate their Easter hats, get four days off school, real Hot Cross Buns without icing are in stores for weeks ahead of time, and everyone seems to celebrate regardless of religious identity, if any. I went to the Roseville New Church on Sunday, and celebrated with Angela’s family on Easter Monday.
From Perth, I flew to Adelaide, South Australia (refer if needed to the map in the “Wonderful Woonona” post) to engage with the Adelaide Christian New Church. As I’ve mentioned before, my maternal grandfather was the minister there for many years, and my father came into the Swedenborgian/New Church faith community in Adelaide after meeting my mother there. In the surrounding area, I have many relatives as well as church friends.
The small congregation in Adelaide is served by a lay leader, June Johnson. I was able to attend church and a morning tea afterwards with some of the congregation members. Other members I visited at other times during my stay in South Australia. In the circles below, you can see Michael and me at the River Torrens in Adelaide, where we spent some time at the Vietnamese Boat People Monument.
Rev. David and Mandy Millar were my gracious hosts in Adelaide. Somehow I neglected to take an “ussie” with them, so I’ve lifted one from social media. David was experimenting with making home-baked sourdough bread, for which I was happy to be a taste-tester! Their home overlooks the Southern Ocean, with spectacular sunsets, and is also near the Hallett Cove Conservation Park. I love walking the boardwalk there through the amazing glacial rock formations, down to the rocky beach.
David’s ministry involves supervising Logopraxis activities around the world, as part of his work as Director of Spiritual Training at the Australian New Church College. I had studied online with the ANCC for my ministry credentials. We talked about how I use a Logopraxis approach in my work with the Home Church in Bryn Athyn, and how I might get involved with some Logopraxis leadership in the USA.
While in South Australia, I drove almost over to the border with Victoria to have lunch with my cousin Neville on my Dad’s side of the family. He has been touring Australia for years now in his campervan and happened to be in the area. Afterwards I traveled back to towards Adelaide to Tintinara, where many of my Brock relatives, on my Mum’s side, were gathering for the wedding of my cousin’s daughter, Emma. The wedding and reception were both held outside on the Brock family’s farm property, on a 41 C/105 F degree day. The groom ended up being taken to hospital (45 minutes away) with heatstroke during the reception! Fortunately Brad was able to return in time for the wedding brunch the next morning. And of course I spent some time with my brother Stephen and sister-in-law Soula, my friend Suzi, two cousins who weren’t at the wedding, and time at an Adelaide beach as well.
Lunch with NevilleDinner with Brock relliesThe Huntsman spider that joined us for dinner…and was humanely captured by my cousin ChristineEmma and Brad’s ceremony……and evening receptionThe track into cousin Gary’s off-grid propertyGary fixed up vintage race cars during the Covid pandemicThe Tintinara lake is still quite full, due to adequate rainfallGary built all the structures on his property, including the large one on the left where he and Brooke live. Usually the huge doors are open but they were closed due to the heat.Some guests camped at the farm for the weddingBrock family ready for the weddingSurf and Life Club activity at Seacliff BeachBlack swans at the River Torrens in AdelaideThe brown look of summer in South Australia
My ministry to the Canberra group continued on a monthly basis, so I returned at the end of March. In addition to the Spiritual Growth programme we had been doing in a total of 4 sessions, and Sunday worship, I squeezed in a shorter version of the “Why Worry?: We Were Told This Would Happen” presentation. It was beginning to feel like a national tour with the presentation, which asks and provides suggestions for the questions that are on many people’s minds. Afterwards I hiked up a large hill with a member of the group. The photo to the left shows Parliament House in the distance. It’s the white triangular structure about one third of the way from the top. We also saw Telstra Tower, an iconic Canberra landmark for which the construction architect was my late cousin, Jeff Brock. I say hello to him every time I see the tower.
Hike with Barrie. He called it a “walk!”Telstra/Black Mountain Tower
