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Canberra Quakers Newsle�er— September 2015

Canberra Quakers The newsletter of the Religious Society of Friends, Canberra Region September 2015

Advertising at Canberra Airport by Arms Manufacturers

At the August Meeting for Worship for Business, it

was decided to support the group of concerned citi-

zens, the ‘No Airport Arms Ad Group’, which is devel-

oping a campaign against prominent arms advertising

at Canberra airport.

The group’s coordinator is Sue Wareham of the Medi-

cal Association for the Prevention of War (Australia).

Activity has greatly increased in August, with the de-

velopment of an online petition and planning of the

launch of the campaign on Saturday 29 August. (See

page 5 for details).

Friends are encouraged to go to the launch of the

campaign in Civic Square to show support. Susan

Rockliff is the Quaker contact person, and is pictured

making the banner for the launch. �

Speaking of the Editor,

WANTED—EDITOR FOR CRM NEWSLETTER

I began edi5ng the CRM newsle6er late in 2012 –

November I think – and will lay down this responsi-

bility with the December 2015 edi5on.

I was helped by the previous editor John Symond,

who had assembled useful files of essen5al items,

such as children’s birthdays, an Advices & Queries

schedule (long since expired) and various items “for

spare spaces”. I have gradually developed confi-

dence in my “editorial style”, such as it is, and have

received lots of posi5ve and encouraging feedback

from Canberra F/friends. I have also relied on the

proof reading of Erica Fisher, who claims to “love it”,

and any mistakes which occasionally make it

through are my own. The distribu5on has been un-

dertaken by others: (CONTINUED page 8)

2 Canberra Quakers Newsle�er— September 2015

The QSA newsle6er, Issue No. 5 July 2015, contains a

report on the recent study tour to India. “Four

Friends, Katherine, Bee, Acey and Wies from New

South Wales joined Jackie Perkins on a regular moni-

toring visit to projects in Tamil Nadu. They were able

to learn about the work of QSA for themselves, to

meet the project partners and par5cipants, and also

to see something of the environment where the pro-

jects are being run.”

We visited a number of groups working collec5vely to

generate an income, benefiFng from peer support

and the bargaining power of increased numbers.

Acey reported feeling ‘moved and humbled’ by the

Keseva Nayakkau Palayam Village self-help group

who were producing spirulina but thought first of

suppor5ng the ’undernourished students at the local

school, before making calcula5ons about their loan

repayments and profits to the group of investors’.

The final paragraph of the report reads:

The Impact of this project

At a mee�ng with about 25 women leaders, Wies

asked what the husbands think of their wives becom-

ing educated, understanding the finances of their

business, having an income all year round and at

�mes earning more money than their husbands. This

ques�on caused much animated discussion between

them in Tamil and the answer that came back to us

was, that the husbands now understand that the

women do not use the money for themselves, they

use the money for health care for the family, educa-

�on for the children and to build a new house for the

family. We were shown evidence of this. Having three

cows that are in good health provides enough income

for a family to keep their children in school and, a,er

their educa�on has been paid for, to save up to re-

place the thatched house with a dirt floor with a brick

house.

If you would like to be part of future study tours to

Tamil Nadu, Cambodia or Uganda, for a mix of seeing

WAGGA WAGGA RECOGNIZED MEETING

CORRESPONDENT’S REPORT

Dear Friends, Following are the notes for the mee5ng held in

Wagga on 16th August.

Present: Robin Lindsay, Michael Bayles, Stephen

Hodgkin, Kay

de Vogel, Geraldine Mar5n, Janet Wild, Tessa

Bremner, Hamideh

Mahssolbaiki and Andrew Gradon.

Apologies: Mark Macleod and Dianne Heath.

We were pleased to welcome such a big gathering

including Kay and Stephen

from Canberra and Janet and Hamideh to their

first Quaker mee5ng. Tessa

brought Hamideh, a lovely young mother from

Iran to whom she is teaching

English.

We tabled correspondence about the planned visit

of Zelie Gross to Canberra

in September and the preregistra5ons for the No-

vember Residen5al Weekend

at Silver Wa6le.

Kay brought a range of booklets and pamphlets

from Canberra for which we are very grateful. She

also informed us of the new books at Canberra

Mee5ng library which we may borrow.

Tessa spoke about her experience of talking about

Quakers and the first

World War.

We had a discussion on Advices and Queries 6.11

from "this we can say"

page 300. Next month we will discuss Advices

and Queries 6.12 and 6.13

from "this we can say" page 300 and 301.

We then adjourned to a local eatery for some deli-

cious winter fare.

Andrew Gradon

QUAKER SERVICE AUSTRALIA


the projects for yourself, meeting project partner

staff and participants, and having some fun, please

let Jackie Perkins know via the QSA office.

How Canberra Meeting has recently helped

Money raised by the midwinter musical afternoon

went towards deepening the well shaft to supply wa-

ter to two QSA projects in Tamil Nadu, South India:

watering of thousands of indigenous tree seedlings

that are being planted by the project partner Ver-

sandham Environmental Resource Centre, to extend

the indigenous tropical dry evergreen forest; and

growing vegetables, grain and herbs to make a

healthy drink for undernourished school children and

elderly people. Mardi Naulty

Thousands of young trees grown from locally har-

vested seeds have been planted with financial help

from Australian Quakers. Photo taken with permis-

sion by QSA.

Right: Spirulina is grown by the group at Keseva

Nayakkau Palayam Village. Photo: QSA

Below: School children receiving their healthy

drink which is made up of locally grown vegeta-

bles and grains, and spirulina, a spiral shaped al-

gae rich in vitamins and minerals. Photo taken

with permission by QSA.

For more informa5on about QSA and its work, and how you might be able to assist , go to h6p://qsa.org.au


The following extract is from Philip Harnden (2003)

Journeys of simplicity: traveling light with Thomas

Merton, Basho, Edward Abbey, Annie Dillard & others

(Vermont, Skylight Paths Publishing), pp.34-35

Father Terence

Irish Catholic priest and Cistercian hermit on the

coast of Australia, in Bruce Chatwin’s book The Song-

lines

About author Bruce Chatwin (1942-1989) it has been

said,

“He travelled light, and there was nothing—except

friendship—he wasn’t prepared to leave behind.”

Chatwin describes Father Terence:

“He was a short man with reddish hair, what was leQ

of it, and not too many flaky brown teeth. He

wrapped the teeth in a hesitant smile …

“He was working on a book of his own. It would be a

‘manual of poverty.’ He hadn’t yet decided on a 5tle.

“Today, he said, more than ever before, men had to

learn to live without things. Things filled men with

fear: the more things they had, the more they had to

fear. Things had a way of rive5ng themselves on to

the soul and then telling the soul what to do.

“He poured the tea into two red enamel mugs. It was

dark and scalding. We sat a minute or two un5l he

suddenly broke the silence: “Isn’t it wonderful? To

live in this wonderful twen5eth century? For the first

5me in history, you don’t need to own a thing.”

Where Father Terence Lived

On the shores of the Timor Sea

on a dune of floury white sand

in a hermitage

cobbled from corrugated sheet

whitewashed

walls guyed with cables against the wind

above the roof, a cross

made from broken oar lashed together

black rubber flippers, snorkel, mask

swimming for hours along the reef

with the shark

every evening at the typewriter

letters to friends all over the world

a long correspondence

with a Zen Buddhist monk

in Japan

then, the lamp

reading into the night

seven years.

Joan Kelle6 and Wilma Davidson Roberta Turner and Tim Johnstone

At ANZAC CONVERSATIONS 2, June 2015


AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL QUAKER PEACE AND LEGISLATION

COMMITTEE

ANZAC CONVERSATIONS: VOICES OF

THOSE WHO GAVE MILITARY SERVICE

The third in a series of conversa�ons to mark the anniver-

sary of World War I and the lessons learned. The series is

supported by a grant from the Department of Veterans

Affairs.

GUY HANSEN, director of exhibi5ons at the Na5on-

al Library of Australia, will explore the way in which

the voices of those who served in WW1 have been

represented through le6ers, diaries, mementos and

photos in the exhibi5on Keepsakes at the Library

this year. The exhibi5on showed how the personal

experiences of soldiers, nurses, poli5cians, ar5sts,

writers and families at home became our collec5ve

memory.

GRAHAM WALKER AM, a veteran of the Vietnam

war, was this year awarded the AM for his many

years spent as a researcher and author on war vet-

eran’s issues, and for his advocacy for disabled vet-

erans and their families. His focus has been on help-

ing veterans rebuild their lives, and on reminding

everyone (especially governments) that the cost of

war does not end with the warriors’ homecoming.

GARY OAKLEY, na5onal president of the Aboriginal

and Torres Strait Islander Veterans and Service Asso-

cia5on, will share something of the unique perspec-

5ve of Indigenous people who have par5cipated in

war, and the impact of the experience on them and

their communi5es.

SUNDAY 30 AUGUST 2015

2.00—5.00 pm

FRIENDS MEETING HOUSE Corner of Condamine and Bent Streets, Turner.

Refreshments provided

Enquiries to: [email protected]


CRM DISCUSSION FOLLOWING ALL AGE

MEETING FOR WORSHIP HELD ON

28 JUNE 15

The following notes were taken and compiled by Jen-

ny Turton, Children and JYF Coordinator for Australia

Yearly Mee5ng

Worship sharing

The Mee5ng for Worship felt like a strong life

force and wonderful poten5al, like the acorn I

chose

CRM has the giQ of a large community and a large

number of children and families. It was won-

derful to be here worshipping together

I felt really nourished by all the contribu5ons. It

was a feast for the spirit

I feel very grateful, as I have never been in a situa-

5on before where the crea5ve symbolism was

unleashed. I felt less lonely in sharing this. I

have felt lonely psychologically and spiritually

in the past in Mee5ng for Worship

Some of the hardest 5mes in my life have been

helped by having children around. It was love-

ly having the li6le children

The thought of being involved with children gives

me a sense of purpose and joy. At 70 years of

age I had thought that life was going downhill

from here on. I would like to be involved and

make a contribu5on

I felt really blessed this morning. I have only par-

5cipated in all age worship at YM and Edin-

burgh. It gave me a sense of comfort. The chil-

dren seemed so at home. Many children have

more experience of Quaker worship than us.

They shared their wisdom with us

I am enormously grateful to the people whose

careful love and planning gave me such a spe-

cial experience. I am aware that not all had

the same response and may not be here now,

and I want to keep them in my heart

At the age of 83 I do charity work for the children

of the future. Thank you for this experience

Children have such clarity that we lose touch with

as we get older. We have so much to learn

from them

It is healthy for us to open up a tradi5onal form of

worship. There are many different needs.

There is no right way. We need to try some-

thing, and to be open and honest. There were

moments that were incredibly gathered, and

others that were less so. With these sorts of

mee5ngs you never know if they are going to

work, and that is OK

I like to listen to the voices of the children. An

hour is a long 5me to stay in a controlled envi-

ronment. We probably can’t have all age wor-

ship too oQen because of the burden on the

children and those who have difficulty with

this form of worship

Feedback from the children

A couple of the adults spoke to the children over

morning tea. Most feedback came from the younger

children aged from 4 up to 13. They indicated that

they:

Liked being there

Liked being able to go in and out

Liked to draw

One worried that it was a bit long for the younger

children

They would like to have all age Mee5ng for Wor-

ship again

Discussion from the adults

Wilma will write an agenda item for RM for Busi-

ness on behalf of the Children’s Commi6ee

that there be an All Age Mee5ng for Worship

every 2 months, which would mean 6 Chil-

dren’s Mee5ngs and 6 All Age Mee5ngs a year

Tracy thinks that 6 All Age Mee5ngs a year is too

frequent. It is hard work for the kids. They like

being with their peers. (Con5nued page 10)


Children’s Birthdays

No child currently associated with

our meeting celebrates a birthday

in September.

However, we wish Aaron Toyne

(23.09.2001) many happy returns!

Aaron now lives in Melbourne with

his mother Molly Harriss Olson and

older brother

Atticus.

NEWS OF FRIENDS

Susan Clarke, of Queensland RM, Is living at 174

Widgiewa Road, Carwoola NSW 2620.

Jan Febey, of Tasmania RM, lives at 2 / 37 Printers

Way, Kingston ACT 2604, 6239 5651, 0419 374

290, [email protected].

We con5nue to hold Rosie Fleming in the Light.

Several Friends are helping her in this difficult 5me.

Cards are very welcome.

Carol Thornton's address in Bungendore is 74 Gi-

braltar Street, not Road.

Susan Rockliff and John Hawkins have been enjoy-

ing the company of their daughters Alexina (who is

currently living in Berlin) and Rosina, who has re-

cently returned safely from a month in Russia.

Our Friend asks, “What’s so special about fig trees?”

In St. Mark's Gospel (Chap.11; vs 12-14, v 20) there is

an interes5ng incident reported, which occurred as

Jesus and his disciples leQ Bethany to go to Jerusa-

lem. Jesus felt hungry, and seeing in the distance a fig

tree in leaf he went to see if he could find something

on it. But when he reached it, he found nothing but

leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to

the tree 'May no one ever again eat fruit from you!'

When they passed the tree again, on the way back to

Bethany, they saw the fig tree had withered from the

roots up.

The same incident is reported in St. Ma6hew's Gos-

pel (Chap. 21; vs 18-22). Jesus felt hungry, and seeing

a fig tree at the roadside, he went up to it, but found

nothing on it but leaves. He said to the tree 'May you

never bear fruit again!' and at once the tree withered

away.

St. Ma6hew also reports that the disciples were

amazed and asked 'How is it that the tree has with-

ered so suddenly?'. Jesus answered that 'if only you

have faith and have no doubts, you will do what has

been done to the fig tree'. According to St. Mark,

when the disciples saw the withered fig tree on their

way back, Peter recalled what had happened the pre-

vious day and said 'Rabbi, look, the fig tree which you

cursed has withered.' Jesus answered them 'Have

faith in God'. He went on to say 'I tell you, then,

whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have

received it and it will be yours.'

In St. Luke's Gospel (Chap. 13; vs 6-9) there is another

reference to a fig tree without fruit. Jesus told a para-

ble, in which a man had a fig tree growing in his vine-

yard; and he came looking for fruit on it, but found

none. So he said to the vine-dresser, 'For the past

three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig

tree without finding any. Cut it down. Why should it

go on taking goodness from the soil?'

But he replied 'Leave it, sir, for this one year, while I

dig around it and manure it. And if it bears next sea-

son, well and good; if not you shall have it down.'

So what was special about fig trees? And why did

Jesus destroy a living tree?

(Biblical texts from the Revised English Bible)

Erica Fisher


W h a t ’s h a p p e n i n g a t

S I LV E R WAT T L E Q UA K E R

C E N T R E ?

SILVER WATTLE QUAKER CENTRE LTD

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Silver Wa6le Quaker Centre Ltd invites ex-

pressions of interest in serving on the Board

of Directors of the Company Silver Wa6le

Quaker Centre Ltd.. Formed in 2010, the Com-

pany is a private, not-for-profit Company Lim-

ited by Guarantee under the Corpora5ons Act

2001.

An object of the Company is to develop Silver

Wa6le Quaker Centre as a place to promote

social and religious educa5on, witness and

service. SWQC is a small conference centre

established on a former sheep grazing proper-

ty 12 km from Bungendore, NSW, on the

western shores of Weereewa (Lake George).

The business of the Company is managed by a

three to five member voluntary Board of Di-

rectors, each of whom will normally serve a

three year term. A lesser period may be nego-

5ated.

An an5cipated re5rement from the Board will

create a vacancy from 28/09/15

We would be pleased to hear from anyone

with enthusiasm for the ideals of Silver Wa6le

Quaker Centre and a commitment to foster

the on-going development of the Centre as a

place of spiritual nourishment, learning and

engagement.

Please contact Judy Henderson, Chair,

Silver Wa6le Advisory Commi6ee

Mobile phone: 0414 754 237

Email: [email protected]

(continued from page 1) WANTED: NEWSLETTER EDITOR

Stephen Hodgkin previously and now Michael Searle

emails the pdf file to F/friends, and Frank Watson pre-

viously and now Malcolm Whyte folds, labels, tapes

and stamps the hard copies which are posted to F/

friends after Meeting on the Sunday of distribution.

So, although I have put the newsletter together myself,

it has not been a solitary task. As editor of the newslet-

ter it is helpful if one either attends Quaker events

such as Friends Fridays, or makes sure that someone

else will take photos or write a “minute of record” suit-

able for the newsletter. For those who receive the dig-

ital version, it is in glorious colour. I recently investigat-

ed the cost of colour photocopying for the relatively

small number of hard copies. However, the cost is tru-

ly prohibitive: $5.60 per copy! Even a colour outside

leaf would be an additional $50 per month.

Stephen Hodgkin counselled me to try to keep the edi-

tion to 1MB, but was very understanding and accepting

when it often exceeded this size. This was largely due

to the inclusion of photos taken by me and others of

Canberra F/friends and events. The newsletter is also

distributed electronically to 175 different addresses,

and I think that photos may help to familiarise new-

comers with members of the mee5ng, or remind oth-

ers of Friends they may not have seen for a long 5me.

There was one patch – 2013 - when every front page

for several months, carried the photo of a Friend who

had died, and this too is an important memorial service

to our community.

I was quite keen to take up this role, as I had had previ-

ous experience edi5ng a newsle6er for a community

organisa5on, and was familiar with the MicrosoQ appli-

ca5on “Publisher”. Even so, every month I am chal-

lenged by some nuance in the program, but am geFng

more able to work it out. I am not a digital na5ve, so

take heart, if you are a poten5al editor with limited

experience of desktop publishing.

I can’t imagine doing this task with someone else, but


I’m sure it would be possible. I have to fit it into a

busy life, and it would be hard to find one or two

evenings in the last week before publica5on, to col-

laborate in person. So I have adjusted to doing it

myself. However, if someone were willing to assem-

ble the material, and another person to put it to-

gether, it might be possible.

I have found it to be a good way of geFng to know

F/friends, and to help advance the interests of the

Society in Canberra. As editor, I have been respon-

sive to the Mee5ng’s wish to give regular space to

Quaker Service Australia, and Peace & Earthcare tes-

5monies, and Silver Wa6le Quaker Centre. The fact

that we have had only one recipe – and that was

Peter Singer’s recipe for dhal – shows that there are

not many months when there are “spare spaces”.

It’s always good to have contribu5ons from individu-

al F/friends, in the form of book reviews, poetry,

travel logs, and the correspondents’ reports such as

from Wagga Wagga Recognized Mee5ng.

Nomina5ons Commi6ee has the task of finding an

editor for 2016 (star5ng with the February edi5on).

If you have the interest and skills, please think about

volunteering for this rewarding task.

Susan Rockliff

Report

LISTENING SPACE: SHARING STORIES

On Sunday aQernoon 16 August, around 40 people

a6ended the first of these events, set up by the Com-

mi6ee on Racial Equality (CORE) which is connected

with Canberra Mee5ng. The occasional series is intend-

ed to allow Aboriginal people to speak about their lives

and concerns. George Villaflor, an Aboriginal lawyer

based in Canberra, told us of his journey from a child-

hood living with the Wagiman people in Darwin, via

establishing the North Queensland Land Council, to

working on the care and protec5on of children in the

ACT. His theme was ‘The Des5ny of Aboriginal Peoples

Lies in the Life of the Na5on’. His approach has always

been to look for the signs of hope in every situa5on.

He first met Quakers through a couple (Brian and Jill

Robinson) who lived on Magne5c Island near

Townsville. In his view, there are 5mes in history when

the circumstances create opportuni5es for movement,

and the Mabo decision on Aboriginal land rights was

one such example. He showed a video from 1993 that

described the lifestyle of the Meriam people in Torres

Strait, and their excitement as a result of the High

Court ac5on. However, the Na5ve Title Act, by impo-

sing ar5ficial tests for achieving indigenous land rights,

has proved to be a distrac5on from true progress in

recognising that Aboriginal rights were never ex5nguis-

hed in common law. As a lawyer he feels that the law

needs refreshing in each genera5on if it is to serve its

true purpose for jus5ce. Careful strategy is vital for

change to occur, and it is best to prepare well for any

‘campaign’ so as to find the areas of law where modifi-

ca5ons are more likely. For example, the idea of co-

existence was used by advocates in Queensland to

affirm Aboriginal land rights in the face of a6empts to

ex5nguish them, and this led to judicial acknowledge-

ment that pastoral leases and Aboriginal rights could

exist together. On the ma6er of cons5tu5onal recogni-

5on, George feels that the country is not ready to

make the appropriate changes, as Australians need to

have a much greater depth of understanding about

how to include Aboriginal people in our society. This

requires more listening and learning across the cultural

divide.

David Purnell

Editor’s Acknowledgements

Thank you to all those F/friends who have con-tributed articles and information to this edition of the newsletter. Erica Fisher assisted with articles, and proof-read the copy. Michael Searle ar-ranged the mailing labels and electronic distribu-tion. Malcolm Whyte folds and mails the copies which are posted. All this assistance is much ap-preciated.

As a general rule, articles of up to 500 words are welcome. Unless otherwise acknowledged, the photos were taken by me. I welcome contribu-

tions at any time, but would prefer to receive

them by the last Sunday of the month. Thank

you!

[email protected]


Library Thing:

The CRM library catalog is online at

http://www.librarything.com/

catalog/CanberraFriends

NEW ACQUISITIONS IN THE LIBRARY

1. Anonymous, (2008) Quaker quotes: chosen by English

present-day Quakers. Tag: Introducing Quakers.

2. Robert Bolton, (1986) People Skills: How to assert your-

self, listen to others and resolve conflicts. Tag; Rela5onships.

3. Frank Brennan, (2015) No small change; the road to

recogni�on for Indigenous Australia. Tag: Indigenous Con-

cerns.

4. John W. Burton, (1996) Conflict Resolu�on: its language

and processes.

Tag: Copy 1: Pacifism Copy 2: Personal Growth.

5. Ben Pink Dandelion, (2014) Open for transforma�ons: be-

ing Quaker. Tag; 2014 Swarthmore Lecture.

6. Ben Pink Dandelion (2013) Making our connec�ons: a

spirituality of travel. Tag; Spiritual Paths.

7. Susanna de Vries. (2000/09). Blue Ribbons Bi�er Bread:

Joyce Loch, Australia’s most heroic woman. Tag: Quakers in

Australia.

8. Ted Egan. (2008) Due Inheritance; reviving the cultural

and economic well-being of First Australi-

ans. Tag: Indigenous Concerns.

9. Ted Egan, (1996) Jus�ce all their own: the Caledon Bay

and Woodah Island killings 1932-1933. Tag: Indigenous

Concerns.

10. Diana Francis. (2015) Faith, Power and Peace. Tag;

2015 Swarthmore Lecture.

11. Erich Fromm. (1973) The Anatomy of human destruc�ve-

ness. Tag: Personal Growth.

12. Jennifer Kavanagh. (2014) A Li�le Book of Unknow-

ing. Tag; Spiritual Paths.

13. Sian Rees. (2010) Sweet water and bi�er: the ships that

stopped the Slave Trade. Tag: Society.

14. Claude Anshin Thomas. (2004). At Hell’s Gate: a soldier’s

journey from war to peace. Tag: Reconcilia5on.

Thank you to the library workers, and to Kay de Vogel for

purchasing assistance.

June Garfit, Librarian

(con5nued from page 6) Maybe

once every 3 months would be suit-

able. That would keep it special.

We don’t want to overlay our ex-

pecta5ons on the children. Get the

children to guide the worship, as

this is powerful for them

The adults shared things vocally during

the Mee5ng for Worship, but not

the children. Why is this? I think it

is about permission, so it is im-

portant that the children are in-

volved in the planning

Adults can be quite abstract. Children

under 7 would have different things

to share

Tracy indicated that the Mee5ng for

Worship structure was modelled on

something children have done at

YM and Silver Wa6le, and they are

very good with metaphors and

symbols

The 4th

Sunday could be a planning

mee5ng if the All Age Mee5ng was

held on the 5th

Sunday

We don’t know what is going into kids.

They stop and listen when people

talk. We can plant seeds in them

Would like an outcome as to how we

increase input for single parents to

come again

How do we address the dual needs for

silence and ac5vity?

There is always another mee5ng at the

same 5me, that Friends can go to if

they don’t like All Age Mee5ngs

An 85 year old Friend walked home

aQer we went outside to gather

things, presumably because he

didn’t want to par5cipate in an All Age

semi-programmed Mee5ng


Perhaps this individual could be followed up by

the elders. We need to hear nega5ve feedback

as well as posi5ve feedback

The greeter can tell people as they arrive that

there is an All Age Mee5ng, and that there is

also a separate mee5ng if they prefer. Those

that are gree5ng need to be briefed about

what they can say

One person stayed away today knowing that All

Age Mee5ng was scheduled

Some Friends told Joan that they didn’t like the All

Age Mee5ng for Worship today. They said it

was noisy, there was too much ac5vity, and it

wasn’t quiet and contempla5ve

Would like the children to sing in mee5ng

We can remind Friends who are resistant to All

Age Mee5ngs about the queries about chil-

dren

Previously liked a na5vity ac5vity at Christmas

It may be good to remind people that it is s5ll

worship outside, and not a 5me for talking

It is OK to have some noise, as we are doing it

differently. We don’t want to be bossy. People

can hold the mee5ng

We need to model quiet contempla5ve worship. It

is OK if it goes back and forth between this

and the kids talking

Each child is different. When they are outside they

will release energy. When they came back in-

side they were in silence

Can we have something for the children to drink

at morning tea such as juice or hot chocolate?

We can give people a choice about where they

want to go, and have a note on the door

45 minutes may be long enough for All Age wor-

ship rather than 1 hour

Maybe the elder could take this on board and fin-

ish earlier if necessary

However, people like to know ahead of 5me how

long mee5ng will be

An elder and a young person could close the

mee5ng

Liked how Tracy repeated what Miles had said so

the rest of the mee5ng could hear, but told

him he had said it well

Does the mee5ng feel comfortable stepping in

when needed to support the parents? (eg.

when young children were playing with water)

Jenny Turton

DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER FOR …

Zelie Gross workshop on Thursday 3 September,

to learn the basic skills needed to facilitate any

Quaker learning ac5vity.

Zelie Gross workshop on Saturday 5 September

on an apprecia5ve enquiry explora5on focussed

on our own Quaker community.

Please register now for the full day workshops

(registra5on fee $10 per workshop) Contact David

Liversidge ([email protected]) or Lor-

raine Thomson (0405468154)

([email protected]) to register or for

further informa5on.

CANBERRA AND SOUTHERN NSW RESIDENTIAL

WEEKEND 27 – 29TH

NOVEMBER

AT SILVER WATTLE QUAKER CENTRE – ‘HOW DO

WE LET OUR LIVES SPEAK?’

We are planning to have a really interes5ng pro-

gram for all ages. So Children, JYFs and their fami-

lies are par5cularly welcome. There are struc-

tured, par5cipa5ve sessions, to make the most of

the theme, and more relaxed ac5vi5es, such as a

Labyrinth walk and a Silver Wa6le quiz, as well as

free 5me on Saturday aQernoon.

We ask that you commit to the whole weekend,

arriving by 5.00pm if possible on Friday, and we’ll

leave aQer the mid-day meal and clean-up by

2.00pm on Sunday.

Please direct your re-registraIons to ChrisIne

Larkin by Sunday 6th

September at

[email protected], or 02 – 6259 5078


HOSTING ROSTER FOR SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER 2015

September 2015 Pastoral Care co-ordinator Carol Thornton

6 Marie and Brian Harlech-Jones, Karin Schulz

13 Mary Rizk, David Liversidge, Pam Houstein

20 Chris Larkin, David Purnell, Alex Nicolson

27 Marka Selmes with Children’s MeeIng

28

October 2015 Pastoral Care co-ordinator Stewart BeLs

4 Margaret Moreton, Frank Watson, Arthur Davies

11 Gedda Fortey, Jeane Bicket, Cameron Gordon

18 Margaret Bearlin, Bluey Haig, Lorraine Thomson

25 Margaret Clark, Bob Douglas, Evan Gallagher

If a date won’t work for you, swap if you can with someone else

on the list already, and tell Heather Herbert that you have done it.

HosIng DuIes

These are described near the roster on the foyer no5ce

board. If you cannot come on the day, please arrange a

swap with someone else ASAP. Ideally, approach someone

rostered on another week.

Contact the others in your hos5ng team, before Sunday, to

arrange who will bring the flowers and the milk (usually 2

litres).

By custom, volunteers have paid for these items when it is

their turn on the roster. Other hos5ng expenses can be re-

imbursed from Mee5ng funds. Receipts should accompany

any claim to the Finance Commi6ee.

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)

PO Box 6063, O’Connor, ACT, 2602

Your Newsle6er Submissions

can be sent to the editor, Susan Rockliff

Email [email protected]

The publishing deadline is:

The first Sunday of each month.

MeeIngs for Worship Canberra Northside: cnr Condamine & Bent Streets Turner

9:15-9:45 Early Mee5ng for Worship

9:55 for 10:00-11:00 Main Mee5ng for Worship

Children’s Mee5ng on 4th

Sunday

MeeIng for Healing: last Sunday 9.00—10.00 am

Midweek MeeIng: Wednesday morning, 8.00—8.30 am

Canberra Southside: 2

nd & 3

rd Sunday, 8:30-9:10am, followed by a cuppa.

Seniors Centre, Tuggeranong Town Park. For direc5ons contact

Adie Price on 6161 0742

Young Friends An ac5ve group of Young Friends (16-30yo), including some with

children, gather regularly for meals and welcome newcomers.

Please contact: Stewart Be6s, 0409 674 791

Wagga Wagga Recognized MeeIng: 3rd Sunday at

10:30am, at Riverina Gums, 44 Dalman Parkway, Glenfield Park,

Wagga Wagga. Contact Michael Bayles on 0408 291 999

Bateman’s Bay: Contact Lesley on 4472 2768

Goulburn: At 10 Cole Street, 3rd Sunday of the month 4.00pm

Mee5ng for Worship. Contact, Raina Emerson on 4821 9434

Bega Valley Recognized MeeIng: Bega Valley Friends meet on the second Sunday (loca5on varies)

and last Sunday of the month at Mumbulla School, cnr Parker and

Bega Streets, Bega at 10.30am. Also meets on the second

Wednesday at 10am in the home of Jeanie Gough - please call

ahead 6494 7530 Contact person: Peggy Storch (02) 6492 6379

[email protected]

Silver WaLle Quaker Centre: Mee5ngs for Worship are on the 2

nd Sunday of the month.

Enquiries: Tracy Bourne (6238 0588).

september 2015 proof - actquakers.org.au · who were producing spirulina but thought ﬁrst of...

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