No. 41 TWENTY EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 11 OCTOBER 2020

Mary Mother of the Church Catholic Parish St Bernadette’s Church

89 Bond St, Ivanhoe

Mother of God Church

56 Wilfred Rd, Ivanhoe East

Mary Immaculate Church

4 Waverley Ave, Ivanhoe

St Bernadette’s Primary School Principal: Kathryn Lowe 53 Stanley St, Ivanhoe West 3079 Phone: 9499 3914

I V A N H O E P A R I S H P R I M A R Y S C H O O L S

Mary Immaculate Primary School Principal: Veronica Antrim 9 Rockbeare Grove, Ivanhoe 3079 Phone: 9497 1827

A Deficit of Vision Our Government has spent years demonizing debt and politicising budget deficits and I can’t help but feel the irony of the political spin that is cascading out of Canberra now that the boot is on the other political foot.

Of course, those of us who live in the real world know there is good debt and bad debt. My parents, while living on a single working class wage, went into what was for them massive debt to buy a family home in which they raised six boys. It took them a life time to pay off the debt. It was mortgaged at various times to try to keep dad’s small family electrical business going and eventually it all went down the toilet - the plight of many small sub-contractors who fall victim to unscrupulous large companies who play the system and are happy to destroy those at the bottom of the food chain to save themselves.

So, was the life long debt my parents incurred in buying a home good debt or bad debt? Certainly for us boys it was good debt. It gave us the security and dignity of a home in which we were fed, nurtured and educated to tertiary level either at trade school or university (thanks to the vision for education of the Whitlam Gov-ernment - now decimated by the bean counters).

So, is the trillion dollar deficit just announced by the Government good debt or bad debt? My concern is that the deficit it too heavi-ly focused on the top end of town in a visionless and futile attempt to return to a pre Covid business as usual. We are never going to return to the old normal and in this budget we have lost a golden opportunity to create a post Covid new normal. Yes, we do need new investment and support for business but if this is to be ‘good debt’ we need massive investment in intergenerational so-cial capital which develops the common good.

(Continued next page)

As a Catholic Community we respect the Wurrundjeri people, traditional custodians of the land upon which our parish resides, and commit ourselves to reconciliation and justice for all in our community and nation.

Inclusiveness Hospitality Service Mission

Covid-19 Restrictions! All Churches ARE CLOSED. See Weekly Calen-

dar on page 2 for outdoor Mass times The PARISH OFFICE IS CLOSED all communi-

cation should be via phone 0427 879 733 or email Ivanhoe@cam.org.au

Stay up to date with our Parish News. On the homepage of our PARISH WEBSITE you will find a Weekly Update and all the links you have become used to: our Online Mass, Newsletter, Homily, Family Prayer etc.. Go to: www.ivanhoecatholics.com

Our ONLINE SUNDAY PARISH MASS is up-loaded to the website at noon each Saturday.

Prayer to St. Joseph St. Joseph, you were receptive to God working in your life. Help us by your prayers at this time of trial. You kept Jesus and Mary under your watchful care: may your prayers assist our local Church to respond to those in need. You taught the Christ Child your trade and pray-ers: help us to follow his example of love. You were part of God’s plan for all humanity: assist us to be vigilant and responsible this day. You spent your life in service: may we be mind-ful of others, particularly the elderly and vul-nerable, caring for them in these difficult days. You trusted in the clear primacy of God over all history and every situation: help us to grow in faith and pray to the Father, Thy will be done. Amen.

Please note that during the redevelopment of our new Parish Centre on the Mary Immaculate site Mary Immaculate Church is temporarily closed and our Parish Office is operating out of Mother of God Church.

Parish Office: 56 Wilfred Rd, Ivanhoe East (PO Box 319, Ivanhoe 3079) Phone: 9926 2310 Email: Ivanhoe@cam.org.au Website: www.ivanhoecatholics.com

Parish Priest: Fr. Bill Edebohls Residence: 63 Wilfred Rd, Ivanhoe East Phone: 9926 2308 Email: Bill.Edebohls@cam.org.au Mobile: 0427 879 733

Priest in Residence: Fr. Ki Seun (Joseph) Youn, Korean Catholic Community Residence: 89 Bond St, Ivanhoe Phone: 9440 9515 Email: kccmel@gmail.com

Parish Secretary: Teana McIntosh Office Hours: Tuesday - Friday 9.30am - 2.30pm. [CLOSED TILL FURTHER NOTICE]

Bookings: Please contact Parish Office: 9499 1515 for Sacramental enrolments or appointments for Marriage We are a Child Safe Parish committed to the safety, wellbeing & dignity of all children. If you have any concerns or wish to report any issues contact our Child Safety Officers: Clare Bellio (0417 369 264); Lucy Dal Pozzo (0402 192 889)

PARISH WEEKLY CALENDAR Please note that if you wish to attend Mass you must first

book into a Mass by phoning the Parish Office Currently all Masses must be held outdoors.

Please read guidelines on back page of the Homily ———————————

Masses at Mary Immaculate School are in the outdoor amphitheatre entry via Rocke St. school gate

Masses at St. Bernadette’s are in the area in front of the community centre - between the church and presbytery

Saturday 10 October (Feria) 6.00pm Mass at St. Bernadette’s Church

Sunday 11 October (Ordinary Sunday 28) 9.00am Mass at Mary Immaculate School 10.30am Mass at Mary Immaculate School

Monday 12 October (Feria)

Tuesday 13 October (Feria) 9.30am Mass at St. Bernadette’s Church 10.30am Angelus & Coffee group meets via Zoom 4.15pm Meditation Group meets via Zoom. For

more information contact Kathy on 0438 530 324

6.00pm Mass at Mary Immaculate School

Wednesday 14 October (Feria) 9.30am Mass at St. Bernadette’s Church 6.00pm Mass at Mary Immaculate School

Thursday 15 October (St. Teresa of Avila) 9.30am Mass at St. Bernadette’s Church 6.00pm Mass at Mary Immaculate School

Friday 16 October (Feria) 9.30am Mass at St. Bernadette’s Church 6.00pm Mass at Mary Immaculate School

Saturday 17 October (St. Ignatius of Antioch) 6.00pm Mass at St. Bernadette’s Church

Sunday 18 October (Ordinary Sunday 29) 9.00am Mass at Mary Immaculate School 10.30am Mass at Mary Immaculate School

Sacrament of Reconciliation Because of the current restrictions you must phone Fr. Bill (0427 879 733) for an appointment and the ar-rangement of a venue.

Sacrament of Baptism We are now permitted to celebrate Baptisms (Outdoors) please contact Fr. Bill (0427 879 733) for arrangements.

Last Weekend’s Collections [please note: During the COVID-19 Shutdown you are encouraged to use direct debit or credit card - contact the parish office for details - or hoard your collection at home till we return to normal]

PARISH Collection Envelopes: $1,900 PRESBYTERY Collection Envelopes: $602

Loose: $0 Loose $0

Direct Debit & Credit Cards: $901 Direct Debit & Credit Cards: $348 CDF Web Portal: $265 CDF Web Portal: $375

Total (Parish Account) $3,066 Total (Presbytery Account) $1,325

A Deficit of Vision - continued from front page Despite the massive size of the budget deficit there is nothing for social housing. Hasn’t the pandemic taught us anything about the urgency of affordable housing? Educa-tion (universities in particular) and research and develop-ment have been forgotten. Even investment in health care and medical research has been lost in the rush to restart the old world pre Covid way of doing things. I won’t ever bother to mention the lost opportunity for investing in new technologies in transport and energy that protect both climate and the environment. I’ll leave that to our Climate Action Group.

Aided and abetted by the ideology of deregulation we are on a journey into a black hole of bad debt and the delu-sion that things can return to what they once were. Surely the deregulation of aged care and a casualized work force must have taught us something over these past months?

I have no objection to a trillion dollar deficit - but let it be good debt. Not squandered on recreating the past but invested in a future that builds social capital for humanity and new hope for our planet. We once liked to call our-selves the ‘clever country’. We run the risk of being known as the ‘dumb country’.

(Fr. Bill) Change of Phone Numbers While our Parish Office is closed the best contact number is Fr. Bill’s mobile 0427 879 733. But the Parish is now on a new phone system so please be aware of our new num-bers for the office and presbytery listed on the front page.

Assistance During Shutdown If you need support during the shutdown, eg. shopping, transport to doctors, a regular phone call, a meal, pasto-ral care etc., please contact Fr. Bill 0427 879 733.

Financial Support Many thanks to those who continue to support the parish financially through their regular giving. Like Only by pa-rishioners continuing their support can we as a parish continue to pay the bills. You can continue to drop off your offering envelopes to the letterbox at Mary Immacu-late, or use our credit card or direct debit facilities, or the new CDF portal on our website. For more info contact the Parish Office.

PRAYERS OF THE COMMUNITY Sick & In Need: Maria Basilone, John O’Brien, Peter But-ler, Rebecca Bolden, Martin Stenhouse, Maree Nunan, Silvana De Iulio, Carmel Garonzi Deaths: Jillian Champness RIP Anniversaries: Fr. John Rogan, Vera Rahme, Eileen Duffy, Bronwyn Stuart, Win Overton Names on sick list remain for nine weeks (a Novena) un-less otherwise advised. For privacy reasons people must give their permission before their names can be included.

Mass from the Cathedral Coming to you live at 11.00am each Sunday on Channel 31 (which is channel 44 on most digital TVs.

WEEKEND PRAYER @ HOME

each week fr. bill is streaming our weekend parish mass

online go to our Parish Website www.ivanhoecatholics.com

Introductory Reflection Come to the banquet! Our God invites all people to the banquet of the kingdom, a banquet character-ised by joy, integrity, and true peace.

Introductory Rites + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today’s Gospel parable of the wed-ding feast tells us of a ruler who throws open his wedding hall to un-expected guests. At the same time it warns us about what is expected in response. For the times we have not responded to God’s invitation or have refused to wear our baptismal robe of compassion, kindness, hu-mility, gentleness and patience, we ask mercy and forgiveness, as we prepare to celebrate the festival banquet of life.

Lord Jesus, you invite us to a ban-quet of truth and life: Lord, have mercy.

Christ Jesus, you invite us to a ban-quet of holiness and grace: Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you invite us to a ban-quet of justice, love and peace: Lord, have mercy.

May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you, we give you thanks for your great glo-ry, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. Lord Jesus Christ, Only Begotten Son, Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Fa-ther, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; you take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer; you are seated at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Prayer for this Week God of goodness and kindness, you invite all peoples to the ban-quet and offer them a feast be-yond compare. Give us your saving grace to keep unstained the robe of our baptism until that day when you welcome us to heaven’s joyful table. We ask this through Christ the Lord. Amen.

1st Reading Isaiah 25:6-10 A reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with mar-row, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swal-low up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salva-tion. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm R. I shall live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful wa-ters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. R.

He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name, If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me com-fort. R.

You have prepared a banquet for

me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. R.

Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord's own house shall I dwell for ever and ever. R.

2nd Reading Philippians 4:12-14,19-20

A reading from the letter of Paul to the Philippians

I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plen-ty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strength-ens me. In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress. My God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation Alleluia, alleluia! May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ enlighten the eyes of our heart that we might see how great is the hope to which we are called. Alleluia!

The Gospel Matthew 22:1-14 A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew. + Glory to you, O Lord.

Once more Jesus spoke to the chief priests and Pharisees in parables: "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding ban-quet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, 'Tell those who have been invited: "Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding ban-quet."' But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, anoth-er to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was en-raged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. "Then he said to his slaves, 'The

wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite every-one you find to the wedding ban-quet.' Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wed-ding robe, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?' And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.' For many are called, but few are cho-sen."

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection Spend some time in silent reflection and/or read the homily attached this newsletter.

Prayers of the Faithful Jesus invites us daily to the ban-quet God gives us. Let us pray for all to share fully in the feast of life.

For our children still waiting to re-ceive their first Holy Communion and for all who long to share again in the Banquet of the Lord. Lord hear us: R/

For all who are hungry and mal-nourished. May this week’s World Food Day prompt the well-fed to come to their aid. Lord hear us: R/

For children returning to school this week and for all teachers and school staff who have made great sacrifices to ensure the ongoing education of their students. Lord hear us: R/

For our St. Vincent de Paul group and all welfare and support organ-isations facing increased demand as income supplements diminish. May the whole community give them generous support. Lord hear us: R/

For or all who care for people made dependent by age, illness or disability. May they fulfil their role

with patience and compassion. Lord hear us: R/

For healing mercies for the sick and those in need especially, Maria Basilone, John O’Brien, Peter But-ler, Rebecca Bolden, Martin Sten-house, Maree Nunan, Silvana De Iulio, Carmel Garonziil. For all doc-tors, nurses and health care work-ers and those working on vaccines and treatments for Covid 19. Lord hear us: R/

For all who have died recently, all whose anniversary occurs at this time and departed family and friends, especially Jillian Champ-ness, Fr. John Rogan, Vera Rahme, Eileen Duffy, Bronwyn Stuart, and Win Overton: May they take their place at the heavenly wedding feast of the Lamb. Lord hear us: R/

In union with the prayers of Mary, Mother of the Church, and all the Saints, we offer the prayers and intentions that rest upon our own hearts ….. Lord hear us: R/

God of boundless love, you sent your Son to summon us to the banquet of life. Give us the wis-dom to always accept his invita-tion. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Father…..

Spiritual Communion My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacra-ment. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my life today. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramental-ly at Mass, come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and remain with me forever. Amen.

Concluding Prayers Almighty and eternal God, our ref-uge in every danger, to whom we turn in our distress; in faith we pray look with compassion on the afflicted, grant eternal rest to the dead, comfort to mourners, heal-ing to the sick, peace to the dying, strength to healthcare workers, wisdom to our leaders and the courage to reach out to all in love, so that together we may give glory to your holy name. We ask this through Christ the Lord. Amen.

May the Lord be with us to protect us. May he guide us and give us strength. May he watch over us, keep us in his care, and + bless us with his peace. Amen.

The Angelus The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary; And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, etc...

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to your word.

Hail Mary, etc...

And the Word was made flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary, etc...

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God: That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, your Son, was made known by the message of an an-gel, may by his passion and + cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection, through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Conclude with the Prayer to St. Joseph (see front page) ____________________________ 2021 Columban Calendars Support the St. Columban Mission Society by buying a 2021 Columban Art Calendar. $10 each.

How do I buy one while the Parish Office is shut?

Option 1: I will have them available at all of our outdoor Masses begin-ning this Tuesday.

Option 2: Place an envelope re-questing a calendar with your name, address and $10 into the letterbox at Mary Immaculate and I will deliver a calendar to your letterbox.

11 October 2020 Homily for 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time Fr. Bill Edebohls

In today’s Gospel we have two parables from Matthew: the parable of the wedding feast and the parable of the wedding garment. Both are such symbolic stories – allegories – that they only make sense when we un-pack some of the symbolism that lies behind them.

A king invites guests to the wedding feast of his son. The king is the figure of God; the great feast a popular Jewish image for the joy of the eternal life to come – as we heard from today’s first reading, “On this mountain, the Lord of hosts will prepare for all people a banquet of rich food, a banquet of fine wines.” My kind of heaven - the image of God in both our Jewish and Christian tradition (and in the parable) speaks of a generous host who knows how to throw a good party.

When the wedding feast is prepared, the king sends his servants to inform those already invited that the feast is now ready. The servants stand for the prophets of Israel; the invited guests who refuse to come stand for the cho-sen people of Israel. The king sends out a second group of servants to plead with his guests to honour the invitation: these servants represent the first apostles and their mission to Israel. The original invitation speaks of God’s gracious call to his chosen people; the second invitation underlines the patience of God – even when “everything is ready” he still hopes there will be a change of heart.

As Matthew saw it, the consequences of the refusal were terrible. The armies sent by the king are a figure of the Roman armies which besieged and captured Jerusalem in AD 70, demolishing the Temple and burning the city to the ground.

Finally, the extension of the invitation to the highways and byways represents the carrying of the Gospel to the Gentiles, foreigners and outsiders, after Christ has been rejected by his own people.

Matthew’s story is so overlaid with symbols that it is easy to forget the central image of God as a gracious host who hopes that everyone will come to his banquet. That central image is at the heart of Matthew’s sto-ry, but it could easily be lost amid the contrary symbols, where roast oxen prepared for the banquet gets cold while a military expedition burns the town of the recalcitrant guests to the ground. And after that, when the king sees that among the bad and good picked up from the streets there is one without proper attire for a wedding, he has him bound hand and foot and thrown into outer darkness. All this makes it diffi-cult to hold on to the original image of a generous host who knows how to throw a party!

The conclusion to Matthew’s parable of the wedding feast is another parable, the story of the wedding gar-ment. It is similar to a parable of another Rabbi, Rabban Johanan ben Zakkai, who was teaching about the same time as Matthew was writing.

In this parable a king invited his servants to a feast, without saying what time it would take place. The wise prepared themselves at once and waited at the palace gates, for they believed that a palace could prepare a feast very quickly. The foolish went off to their work, for they believed the preparations would leave them plenty of time. Suddenly the king announced that everything was ready. The wise ones came into the royal presence as they were, dressed in clean clothes – the acceptable wedding garment. The foolish ones arrived as they were, in their dirty work clothes. The king welcomed those who were properly dressed, and com-manded the others to stand and look on at the joy they had lost.

The wedding garment, the condition for entering the feast, is readiness, that is, conversion. At the final judgement, for the good and the bad, only those who are clothed in goodness will be invited to the banquet of life.

For ourselves, we hold precious the image of God who calls the good and the bad to the banquet of life. The expectation is that we will prepare ourselves now by being dressed appropriately for the occasion. Perhaps the best description of the proper wardrobe for a Christian is given to us by the apostle Paul. If we wear the clothes he describes we will never be thrown out of any banquet.

“You are God’s chosen race, his saints; he loves you, and you should be clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience... Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:12-15)

That is the robe, the wedding garment, we symbolically put on in baptism. That symbolism is often repeated by the wearing of our sacramental stoles for 1st Reconciliation, 1st Communion and Confirmation. If we are to live our baptism – and if we are to be a welcome guest at the party – our daily task as a disciple of Christ is to turn the symbol into reality – turn the symbol into a way of living.

Clothed in sincere compassion, in kindness and humility, gentleness and patience... Over all these clothes, to keep them together and complete them, put on love. And may the peace of Christ reign in your hearts.

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Opening Up For Mass - Where, When and How! Under the revised COVID 19 restrictions we are per-mitted to celebrate Mass OUTDOORS with only FIVE people present.

Where & When? There will be TWO OUTDOOR MASS LOCATIONS in the Parish.

The 1st location is outside ST. BERNADETTE’S CHURCH in the area between the church, the presbytery garage and the community centre. Masses at St. Bernadette’s will be Tuesday to Friday inclusive at 9.30am and Satur-day at 6pm.

The 2nd location is at MARY IMMACULATE SCHOOL in the outdoor amphitheatre. Masses at MI school will be Tuesday to Friday inclusive at 6.00pm and on Sundays at 9.00am and 10.30am.

How? Those wishing to attend any Mass must ring Fr. Bill (0427 879 733) to book in and register their contact de-tails. If you have your phone set to “No Caller ID” it would help if you turn it off. Anonymous phone calls are as bad as unsolicited junk mail. Being able to see your phone number helps in returning calls when either texts or audio messages are unclear. Your call will be followed up to confirm your booking.

Those attending Mass must wear their masks at all times except when receiving communion or if assisting with the readings, use the sanitiser provided, and have their temperature checked.

The Weather: Masses will be cancelled if it is raining or the weather is extreme. If in doubt ring my mobile. At both locations we can tolerate a little drizzle as there is an area under cover.

Clothing: Dress for the weather. Mornings and eve-nings can still be chilly and we don’t need people getting cold symptoms for obvious reasons. Wear a hat to pro-tect your head from the sun.

Arrival: All participants must arrive no latter then 5 minutes before Mass starts so that the required entry protocols can be completed before Mass starts.

Entry to Mary Immaculate School Grounds: You must enter via the school gate in Rocke St. Look for the sign.

Departure: Government regulations require that there is minimal socializing after Mass and 1.5 metre physical distancing must be observed at all times.

Climate Action Group “Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sus-tainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life” Laudato Si’ Pope Francis quoting Earth Charter.

Spend for Australia but also for our wonderful world.

We’ve seen the budget now, and have been told that the way out of this Covid-induced massive financial debt is to spend to stimulate the economy. So how do I spend in a way that shows reverence for life, sustaina-bility and careful regard for justice, peace and real joy? I don’t want to be lashing out on more “stuff”, more short-lived plastic rubbish. I still need to buy only what I need and thoughtfully. These are the questions going through my head: is it time to think about a new car – even an electric one or a hybrid? What needs to be done around the house and garden that I could employ someone to do? What would really add to my vegetable patch? Can I give some money to the organizations that are feeding those who have been left behind – the refu-gees, the international students without any income, the arts sector that have been left out? Believe me, I don’t find it easy to give money away and hate it when my letter-box and in-box is inundated with requests. These are hard questions for me. I wish I could still ask myself if it is time to put solar on the roof, but I have done that. Is it time for you to do this now?

Tip for the week, and this is much easier: watch Craig Reucassel’s latest series: ‘Big Weather (and how to sur-vive it)’, starting on ABC TV Tuesday 13 October 8.30pm.