Walking the Path with Ros

The path home started with an evening in Sydney, taking in the amazing annual Vivid festival. The city is all lit up for 3 weeks. My friend Cliff and I walked over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which neither of us had done for decades, after a bit of wandering the streets in the historic Rocks district. Then on to the Swedenborg Centre for a pizza/discussion/farewell event.

Near the end of that long flight from Sydney to LA, the captain announced our flight path had been altered due to a rocket being launched. The people on the other side of the plane could see it. Never heard of that before! When he started talking about a rocket, I’ll admit I had a flash of fear that it was coming towards us. But all was well!

My last stop was Denver, Colorado where I visited my brother Jon, sister-in-law Lucie, nephew Brock whose high school graduation I had just missed, niece Ava who will one day be President of the USA, and canine nephew Moose. The snow-capped Rockies are an ever present and majestic backdrop.

As usual, I had the joy of going on a run/walk with Moose on the bluff near their home, until he got too hot, lay down in the shade and refused to get up until Jon came to rescue us. The next day I twisted my knee while playing too energetically with him, so that was the end of run/walking. I suspect he deliberately tripped me up to prevent any further heat exhaustion! We also enjoyed a family dinner with Lucie’s parents who are always a joy to be around. Then onwards to home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for a joyful reunion with my family.

Historically there’s a long-standing rivalry between cultured Melbourne, Victoria and fun-loving, beautiful Sydney, New South Wales. Can you tell I grew up in Sydney? But both sides of my family have roots in Melbourne and rural Victoria, so my ministry and travel in Victoria straight after my month in Sydney was in a sense a familial homecoming.

Within a week of my arrival in Melbourne to be a temporary spiritual leader for a month, the sale of the church building was finalised. I had attended services in the building a number of times when visiting family and friends in Melbourne since my early teen years.

For now, the congregation is meeting in two rooms in a community centre, while carefully looking around for a new permanent home. A full-time minister will be starting early in 2020, after a hiatus of a few years since the congregation had a minister.

During the month I was there, the programme included weekly Bible study, two Saturday seminars, Sunday worship, some pastoral visiting, helping put out the monthly newsletter, and a presentation for the Melbourne Swedenborg Association. We also had a BBQ at a park, and dinner at a Thai restaurant. For all of these events, I worked closely with Neville Jarvis, who has very ably lead the congregation since their pastor passed on.

Neville was able to show me some of the congregation’s record books, which included entries from my mother’s side of the family. My maternal grandmother’s baptism is recorded on the top line.

The New Church in Victoria also includes a group in Ballarat, a Gold Rush era town, about 1.5 hours drive from Melbourne. After participating in a Sunday afternoon service lead by Judy Robinson, another capable leader, I joined in the potluck evening meal. I had visited this group before, so it was great to see everyone again, and meet some new people.

During all of this ministry work, which kept me plenty busy, I was also going through the last throes of preparing for my July ordination in the USA. I submitted two written assignments, started writing my mini-sermon for the Ordination ceremony, and was involved in multiple planning emails about the service, travel and other details. My month in Melbourne was definitely my busiest ministry month, and it was good to feel like a “real” pastor. It was a fitting conclusion to my ministry path in Australia, and one for which I am very appreciative.

Just have to include some photos of classic Aussie activities! Two Aussie barbecues in Melbourne – but no shrimp on these barbies! Backyard family cricket at my cousin’s home (he’s the bowler, with his grandkids at bat.) Making tea from loose leaves in a teapot with a knitted tea cosy to keep it warm.

Below you can see some of my meanderings in Victoria. There was one road trip that started with lunch with Rev. John and Mary Teed and Pam Teed north of Melbourne, whom I’ve known since age 6 and whose family goes back three generations with mine. From there to Ballarat for the church group , then to Trentham overnight at my friend Suzanne’s place. From there it was up to Majorca to visit Barrie and Edith, including a jaunt over narrow country roads in his Mini Minor that he has been nurturing along since 1967. The other road trip was to Terang to visit Susan Heldon and her son Justin, who took me down to see the popular 12 Apostles. I drove back to Melbourne from there along the Great Ocean Road, renowned for spectacular views of the coastline and tortuous hairpin curves with sheer drop-offs down to rocky beaches. Very fun but challenging driving, especially for someone who is more accustomed to driving on the right.

This gallery shows some touristy meanderings around Melbourne. L-R, top-bottom: Melbourne lit up, with the famous “South Bank” on the left, pseudo Eiffel Tower to add to the Seine south bank feel, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra concert, the Queen sat in this chair in 1950s when opening Victoria State Parliament, inside a State Parliament chamber, Melbourne CBD from the Shrine of Remembrance, Shrine of Remembrance in which I saw records of my grandfather and great uncle’s service in WWI, two displays at a native plants nursery in the Dandenong ranges, four sculptures which Helmut and Toni took me to see in the William Ricketts Sanctuary which protects his famed indigenous rock sculptures, and finally 3 views of the South Bank of the Yarra by day with my friend Martin.

Victoria has some stunning bushland and wildlife which I enjoyed in my meanderings. In the Dandenong ranges where I stayed my last week, the gum trees are exceptionally tall and straight. I love the stringy bark gums especially. At least daily I could hear kookaburras laughing, but only managed to photograph cockatoos and a king parrot that visited my deck railing.

This ministry trip I’ve been struggling to find time for blogging and the other projects I thought I’d get caught up on while in Australia for three months. Story of my life! Between ministry activities, and traveling to visit friends, and dropping everything to go and have fun here and there, I’ve come to almost the end of my trip with not much of a blog to show for it. But I do have a great sense of satisfaction about the work I’ve done, the relationships I’ve enjoyed both new and old, and reconnecting again with my “sunburnt country.”

I’ll start with spirituality in Sydney, which includes ministry of course. Palm Sunday and Easter involved many lovely events and traditions. In the Hurstville New Church, in the southern suburbs, I was able to give the regular piano player (my friend Margaret Heldon) a break on Palm Sunday and the week after Easter. Very fun for me to revive memories of playing the piano for Sunday School in the same church, when my father was the minister there decades ago. The tradition in Hurstville is real Hot Cross Buns – not the sad, sticky version that is available in the USA! – after Holy Supper on Good Friday evening. After celebrating “He is Risen” at the Roseville New Church, on the “north shore” of Sydney Harbour, my dear Baringa (church guest house and church hall) roomie Margaret Ward and I made a rainbow of roast veggies for Easter Dinner with the two ministers’ families i.e. Todd/Jenn/Zach Beiswenger from Hurstville and Howard/Debra/Lance Thompson from Roseville. We dined in the house where I grew up, on the property I still consider “the centre of the (my) Universe.” Just wonderful to celebrate with such dear people in a place so dear to my heart.

Two of the photos in the gallery above show examples of some spirituality/ministry activities in Sydney. One shows some volunteers at the Swedenborg Centre in Roseville, putting together a newsletter. I spent two days a week there, working with the director Joe Vandermeer on a couple of projects. The Swedenborg Association of Australia is based in the Centre, and I had the pleasure of being the “international speaker” for the April meeting. The other photo is of an evening dinner and talk in Hursy, where I was rehearsing and getting much appreciated feedback for my Swedenborg Association talk. I ended up giving two evening talks in Hursy and a testimonial during a church service.

To get to the Swedenborg Centre, I took a train over the Sydney Harbour Bridge which offered views of the Bridge I hadn’t often seen before, and fantastic views of the beautiful Sydney Harbour, especially on sunny days. Sadly a video I took of riding across the Bridge on the train was unable to load here. One day I left early to visit my favourite sites on Circular Quay (on Sydney Harbour) and take a nostalgic ferry ride to Manly beach and back, even though it was a cloudy afternoon.

Some of my favourite Sydney sights are the beaches! I was fortunate to get to a few before the weather got too cold. This is Cronulla beach, the closest beach when I was growing up in Sydney.

Sydney has a beautiful harbour, and up and down the coast there are other magnificent bodies of water that soothe the soul. In my travels in Sydney and up the coast to Tumbi Umbi in New South Wales, and down south to Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory, I was able to relish a few, though almost always on cloudy or rain-spattered days.

Clockwise starting from top left: Sydney Harbour, “Miriam’s Manly” as we affectionately call this little beach on Sydney Harbour (ask me or Miriam for details!), Hawkesbury River up the coast, Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra, George’s River in southern Sydney, Lake Ginninderra in Canberra, and Tuggerah Lake near Tumbi Umbi.

Aussie wildlife and plants and trees also get my attention as sights that renew my spirit. I was blessed with several opportunities to enjoy them on the many different trails I was able to walk/run on – still healing my foot so not running distances yet. Tuggerah Lake has a large flock of these majestic pelicans. You can see more of them in the gallery above. I wish I had moved quickly enough to video one of them flying down onto the lake and making a spectacular water landing with outstretched skidding legs. Below are more nature sights I was able to photograph along the way.

Visiting with friends in NSW and ACT was a high priority for me. Relationships with families I’ve known since I was a little girl, and with friends from school is precious too me. I have few opportunities for those sorts of long-term relationships when I’m in the USA.

Donna and Jason’s cutie twins Anna and Eric; al fresco dining with Kerry L in Tumbi Umbi; lunch with school friend Helen and hubby Greg; Kerry L made a perfect Devonshire tea for her visitors; dear friends Ken, Babette and Kerry Horner; Kerry L and adorable granddaughters; lunch with “girls” from high school; official annual reunion of St George Girls’ High School for which I offered the blessing before lunch; two senior citizens trying a selfie (Barrie) in Canberra; al fresco dining again with Owen, Margaret, Rachel and the little cousins visiting/being babysat by their grandparents.

To finish off, a few more touristy sights around Sydney and Canberra. To the left is Parliament House in Canberra, where the Parliament of Australia meets. Below are two views of Circular Quay in Sydney: my favourite cafe near the Opera House, and the Central Business District towering above the quay and the ferry wharves. The scary dungeon is Fort Denison on Pinchgut Island near Circular Quay, where intransigent convicts were sent back in the day.

The path in South Australia (SA as Aussies say) also included fun and family and friends, and a funeral.

Since it was the final days of summer, I packed in as many trips to the beach as possible! The church, where I was staying, was a quick train ride away from Brighton Beach, so I spent a few afternoons there. These photos show the lovely shops at Brighton where I bought a much-needed hat, a very comfy Adelaide train, elevating my surgical foot on the rock wall at Brighton, new and traditional architecture for homes overlooking the beach, north view with a life-saver hut to keep us all safe, Brighton Beach looking south, and view from a beachfront cafe where my sister-in-law Soula and I had lunch, with the landmark Brighton jetty behind me.

I was also able to get to the famous, more touristy Glenelg Beach and enjoy an icecream with my friend Michael from the Adelaide Christian New Church.

Sadly, within a few days of arriving in Adelaide I learned that my uncle Frank Brock had passed on. I knew he was failing but hadn’t been able to get down to the southeastern part of SA where he lived. The blessing, besides that he was no longer physically and spiritually suffering, was that the family was able to get together and enjoy some good times and good memories of Frank.

I stayed overnight with my cousin Christine at her place in “the hills” which encircle Adelaide, enjoying her abundant garden and serene verandah. On the way to Tintinara we stopped to see (and massage) her brother David who was hospitalised with back pain. From the hospital we could catch a glimpse of Lake Albert, a far better view than from the hospital where I work in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania! David was released for a few hours the next day to attend his father’s service and life celebration.

Growing up in Sydney, we had learned in school about Coober Pedy, an opal mining town in the outback of South Australia, famous for its underground buildings. Early 20th century miners had dug into the hills to construct homes where they could escape the extreme heat in the summer, and enjoy consistently comfortable temperatures inside year round. I had always wanted to see Coober Pedy, so I made a “bucket list” trip via Greyhound bus, a few days after returning from Tintinara with my brother Stephen and his wife Soula.

It was an 11 hour overnight journey from Adelaide up north to Coober Pedy, transitioning from elegant urban Adelaide to scrub gum country to huge red-earthed sheep stations to sunset over flat countryside with sparse trees. I wasn’t able to get photos of the sheep and kangaroos crossing the road during the night via walking or hopping. But I got one of a phone booth, lit up in the middle of nowhere after midnight at a petrol station, where we were so remote that there was no mobile phone service.

Finally we got there and I was able to check into my underground motel room at the Radeka Backpackers’ Inn and Motel. The rooms had been excavated out of the claystone hill – sandstone with red clay streaked throughout. After a quick nap I was heading out to explore!

A German couple and I were the only tourists on our very personalised tour for the afternoon. Our excellent guide was Dimitri AKA Jimmy, who had been an opal miner for many years, an active citizen in Coober Pedy, extra in some movies filmed there, and now tour guide extraordinaire. We learned a lot, and ended up having wine and cheese on the Breakaways where a Mad Max movie was filmed, followed by a drink at an underground pub in the underground mall.

L-R, top -bottom: 80% of residents live in dugout homes like this; an impressive underground Orthodox Christian church; our tour group above the plain that was the floor of an inland sea millennia ago which contributed to forming opal; I came across a friendly old-time miner in this opal mine that Dimitri had once worked in; the Dog Fence, which is the longest fence in the world and keeps dingoes away from sheep stations in Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia; cocktail hour at the Breakaways with Dimitri; one of many warning signs in the mining areas; a hole AKA mine shaft that Dimitri had dug years ago; relaxing in the underground pub before dinner.

You can turn around 360 degrees at The Breakaways and see nothing but flat, red, outback desert. And your shadow taking the panorama shot.

The next morning I spent above ground, shopping for opal jewellery in town and climbing a hill to get a wider view of Coober Pedy. The name is derived from “kupa piti” which allegedly means “white man’s quarry” or “burrow” in a local indigenous language.

I had dinner with a friendly Aussie couple who had been stuck at Radeka’s for 3 weeks, waiting to get their broken caravan/camper fixed so they could finish touring around Australia. Before leaving for another actually restful overnight journey back to Adelaide, I stopped for a peaceful moment in the only underground Catholic church in Australia, which happened to be next door to the motel. I prayed for travelling mercies on the Greyhound bus through the outback, and for my Radeka friends’ journey onward.