August 29

We are in the last week of our great adventure. On Monday friends from Deloraine drove us to the airport and we flew up to Sydney. We had arranged for a rental car so we picked it up and started driving to our hotel which is was near the Circular Quay. I was quite disconcerted as I usually have a map giving direction. This time it was different as Bruce lived in Sydney 40 years ago and seemed to know where he was going. I was doubtful but we arrived at our hotel with no problems. On Tuesday we walked down to the Circular Quay and caught the ferry across the bay to Manley Beach. On the way you go past the Sydney opera HouseThis beach is beautiful and a tourist town but not busy as it is winter nevertheless the temperature topped out at 20 degrees. We went on a long walk along the point and saw bunkers from WW II. We went back across the bay and went to a museum in the old court House. The museum was all about policing and notorious criminals. Sydney was quite corrupt for many years and was nicknamed Sin City. We decided to take the subway across the harbour bridge and go out into the suburbs. This was a full day! On Wednesday it was time to start heading south. Our plan was to drive down the coast but we changed our minds. As we started driving we realized that this was very congested and it was not an enjoyable drive so we decided to head inland. This was a good decision as we started to go through small interesting towns and could see canola as far as the eye could see. We stopped and spent the night in a community called Cootamundra. The next morning we went to a tiny community called Junee where we toured an organic licorice and chocolate factory. We were there at the same time as some grade one and two students so we had the simple tour. The licorice tasted awesome. We had thought we would go to Canberra but it was rainy weather and we didn't want to risk getting into snow so we stayed in the canola fields and headed towards Melbourne. We came to a small town called Glenroan that has taken on being everything you might want to know about Ned Kelly. Ned Kelly was a bush ranger who did a lot for poor folk and he became a folk hero. He wore armour to protect himself. One of the unusual facts about Ned was that he made a tin bucket into a helmet that covered his head and face. We spent the night in Benalla. This area has been in drought for several years but this spring has proved to be very rainy and lakes are becoming full again. Apparently some young children are seeing rain for the first time. Bruce had heard about some motorcycle races at a place called Phillips Island so we went on the bypass road around Melbourne and went to this tiny island. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that this island has four National Park Reserves and one of them is for penguins. Every night at dusk you can go and watch the Little Penguins (formally called Fairy Penguins) come to the shore. It was amazing to see the penguin parade. The penguins are easily spookeandtheslightest thing makes them return to the ocean. They travel in groups for safety as they waddle across the the beach. It really doeslook like a parade. Pictures can't be taken as the flash frightens them and distance sensing light can make them be disorientated. These penguins are a beautiful dark blue instead of black. The penguins are very noisy after they cross the beach and start to socialize with each other. Another national reserve is called Churchill Island. This is living museum of a settler farm. We had a great walk around the island. Another reserve is called The Nobbies. This is a place penguin live as well as seals. We saw a penguin in one of their burrows. The view from this location was breathtaking.
The fourth reserve is one for koalas. We got stiff necks walking through the gum trees lo0king for the koalas. We were able to find a Uniting Church today. They were a welcoming congregation and we enjoyed the service. In the afternoon we went to a private wildlife park. They had lots of Australian animals including a huge Red Kangaroo as well as many birds. We went back to the Penguin Parade tonight and I think we saw even more Little Penguins than the first time.








Tomorrow we return the rented car and prepare to head for home. The words from Psalm 121:7,8 come to mind. "Yahweh guards you from harm. God guards your lives. God guards your leaving, coming back, now and always."

August 22

It is our final night in Tasmania. It is hard to believe how fast the time has gone by. This week-end I went to a Live-In Presbytery Meeting. This was a residential learning event. The theme was Your Place or Mine: Hospitality as Mission. It was a thought provoking time as the presenter, Dr. Steve Taylor, suggested that hospitality could happen in and beyond the doors of the church. There was no formal business at this gathering and lots of opportunities to have fellowship. On Saturday night we had lots of fun using our creative sides to demonstrate hospitality in 2045. I took some pictures of the silliness. At the closing we had communion and it was part of the lunch meal. We ate lunch and then broke freshly made bread and smothered it with home made raspberry jam. It is the first communion that at the end I had to say "I am stuffed." Tasmania Presbytery friends wave hello to everyone in Canada.

This evening we had supper at friends from Deloraine. This couple has given us hospitality many times -- always with a great meal and lots of conversation. We are glad to be on our way home but sad to leave all the friends we have made here.

August 20

The last five days have been quite eventful. On Monday I did my first funeral in Deloraine. the deceased was a 38 year old woman who suffered from a degenerative muscular disease as well as being intellectually impaired. She was a very loving person and it was amazing to see the impact her life had on others. I discovered that funerals are done a bit differently here. All flowers go to the graveside and they aren't brought into the church but left outside the church until the trip to the graveyard. When we got to the graveside there wasn't the usual lowering apparatus but they laid the coffin on two bars and placed straps underneath. When it was time to lower the coffin, the pall bearers used the straps to lower it into the ground. They don't use a rough box or vault just straight into the ground. It reminded me of when my dad told me when he was a boy they used the leather straps from the horses harness. The newest harness was always used. The lunch was back at the church and it was similar any small community where everyone brought food and there was an incredible amount of it.
On Tuesday morning we went to the community of Strahan (pronounced strawn). We were a bit nervous as we had to drive through a pass and it had snowed during the night but by the time we went through the pass the road was dry and there was only a bit of snow in the ditches. This part of Tasmania has lots of mining so when you go through communities they have pictures and machinery on display. We stopped at a place called Henty Sand Dunes. I have never seen anything like them. These dunes must be at least a kilometer wide and it was hill after hill. There was a sign cautioning about getting lost and it was easy to see how that could happen. We had lots of fun in the time we spent there! We arrived in Strahan and checked into the bungalow we had rented. It was very spacious (three times bigger than where we are staying now). We then headed out to Ocean Beach. The ocean here was incredibly rough. It was like looking into a washing machine. On Wednesday we went on an all day river and bay cruise. The first part of the cruise was to go to the bay entrance. On the way we went past several fish farms-- a thriving industry here for Atlantic salmon and trout. When we got to the ocean you go though a passage called Hell's Gate. Here we were in the wild water we had see from Ocean Beach and that was quite a ride. We then headed up the river. It was 40km to the beginning of the bay. We stopped at Sarah's Island. This was a prison for convicts from 1820 to 1833. The tour guide was an actor and you felt like you were right back in the 1800's and could imagine all the things that went on. Convict history is quite amazing. On this island the convicts built ships, one very two weeks!!. They build one and several escaped all the weay to South America. It was called the ship that never was as was never registered. The convicts managed to hide its existance during the building process. We continued out trip with an awesome lunch buffet which of course included smoked salmon. Further up the Gordan River we stopped for a walk in the rain forest. We learned about the huon pine. This tree is now protected but many ships were built from it. We then returned to Strahan. The cruise covered 120 kilometers. As Wednesday was Bruce's birthday we decided to go out to the best restaurant we could find. We went to one that was right on the bay and had a meal. Bruce had wallaby and it was very tasty. I had a yummy pavlova for dessert. On Thursday we went to Queenstown. This is a copper mining community. The buildings are very old and I am sure they haven't changed much from 100 years ago. While we were here I unfortunately crushed my finger between the car door and a pole. You can see the car and pole in the picture. I can now say I have experienced Tasmania's health Ccare system.I had great treatment. I went into emergency and the nurse looked after me right away cleaning the cut and deciding it would need stitching. The doctors office are in the same building so I walked over to the clinic and waited for the doctor. There were the same complaints you here everywhere about waiting to see the doctor. The doctor I had was very kind and I received 4 stitches, a tetanus shot and antibiotics. The medication seems to be making me feel a tired but its better than travelling with an infected finger. Weheaded home and had beautiful weather. The forest is so thick it is easy to see how escaped convicts never got very far until they built a boat. We were invited out for supper and we had a great visit with Lexie and Les. To make us feel at home they had a Canadian flag on the table and tea was served in a cup with a Alberta Rose on it and Bruce's cup had a RCMP rider and horse. Today is Friday and we started to pack up. We took four bags of 'stuff' to the Op shop, a second hand store, and we will have some more on Monday. I am now getting ready to go to the Live In Presbytery meeting. The theme is hospitality and I will be able to share all the hospitality I have received in Tasmania. Blessings to IUC.

August 15

Today was my final service at Deloraine Uniting Church. The worship leader planned a meaningful service where we could say our good-byes. Each member of the congregation gave us little notes of what they appreciated about our ministry with them. Bruce and I were moved by what folks had to say to us. Church was followed by a great pot-luck lunch. We took a picture of them waving hello to everyone back at Innisfail United Church.

It was another busy week. We went to the Deloraine Primary School and showed our slides to a class of grade fives and sixes. The children were quite engaged and asked good questions such as: "What is the most dangerous animal in Canada?" "Do you speak English?" "Do you have a John Moose? (she meant John Deere)" The students were actually quite aware of Canada. We visited a couple who live in the next town and have antique racing cars and motorcycles. Bruce really enjoyed the tour. I enjoyed the passion he had for his hobby. They own a school bus line and in that garage were many murals of the town of Westbury. The murals were there when they bought the building and they have restored them and commissioned a couple more. Last week I told you about the National Park where there were lots of wombats. Friday was a beautiful day so we headed out. It was an amazing day. The park has lots of wombat and wallabies and incredible terrain. At this park you go from grassy plain, to swamp, to sand dunes, to sandy beach. It was a great day! I even managed to take some video of the wombat and wallabies. This upcoming week promises to have more places to visit and another dinner invitation. Blessings to all the folks at Innisfail United Church.

August 8

Bruce had a pleasant surprise when he saw the picture he had submitted to the local newspaper had won a prize. The prize is a mini poster of his picture and the picture published in the paper. Here's the winning picture of the nut at Stanley.
This week was the first time I started to feel a bit home sick. I think it was because I showed the slides of Innisfail to a couple of groups. The first was the local Red Cross ladies. They meet once a month and mainly do knitting and some fund raising for the Red Cross. The other was the Legacy Wives. This group of women are widows of men who served in the armed forces. The week also had me leading the two Bible study groups and preparing for Sunday. I was the worship leader and preacher so I didn't need to meet with anyone and the service was a lot like one we would have in Innisfail. I did meet with Rev. Peter Hall. Peter is working on writing a disertation on Pastoral Care in Uniting Church and one of his points of comparison is the United Church of Canada. He was visiting Tasmania and quite excited to find someone from the United Church. He would like to do some ministry in Canada similar to what I have done here. I attended a meeting of a group called Probis. This women's group is part of Rotary and all members have to be over 50 years of age. The purpose of the group is fellowship and at this meeting some Alpaca owners were the special guests. They brought some baby alpacas and gave a presentation that was informative and interesting. I learned lots about the alpaca industry in Tasmania. We had a busy week but not to busy to travel around. We decided to go to the Cherry Shack. The Cherry Shack has a display of how they grow and develop their cherries as well as tasting of their products. They had a tree made of pits in the middle of the restaurant and that is what you can see in the picture. The Cherry Shack is in Latrobe which is the platypus capital so we went looking for a platypus but all we saw was the large display that I am standing beside. We also went to Anvers chocolate factory. This is a small specialty chocolate establishment. It also has a small museum about the history of Chocolate making and a great tasting center. It was like chocolate heaven!! We even stayed for tea in the restaurant for more chocolate. We decided to go to Hawley Beach near Port Sorrel. It has a trail you can walk on to see nesting birds. It looks like some of the male penguins come back in August to build the nests. We are hoping to go one evening to see if we can see penguins. This came as a pleasant surprise that we may see penguins. We spent our Saturday afternoon travelling around and went up to a national park. It was expensive so we didn't go in. We saw lots of wombats and were able to take a couple of pictures. This park is now on our list to do in the next two weeks. We went to a beautiful spot called Green's Beach and had a nice long walk on the beach.


I focused the Sunday Service on faith and faithful being verbs not nouns. There is a special couple who truly live their faith at Deloraine and I could have used them as a sermon illustrations. This couple took us out for lunch to the Raspberry Farm Cafe--another restaurant with tasting. The best taste here was dark raspberry chocolates. I think this week had a theme of lots of good eating. This couple also took us for a drive in the country and we saw a wombat suffering from mange. It was a very sad sight as the poor creature was really suffering. We had heard about this condition but this was the first time we had seen it. A huge difference to the healthy one in the picture.
Next week will be as busy as this one and I hope all of you have a great week. Blessings to IUC.

August 1

Today was a special day. Bruce finally saw a platypus in the Meander river. Unfortunately I went to church early to open doors and turn on the heat. My quest continues to see one in the wild. This week we decided to explore more of the East Coast. We took the long way to St Helen's. We went up to George Town which is past Launceston and then followed the coast line down to St. Helen's. We stayed in a great hotel with a spa bath tub--the first bath I've had since we changed homes. (I have been taking showers!) It was very interesting as there is sandy beach after sandy beach along the coast. We went to the Bay of Fires which received its name from the first settlers seeing aboriginal fires around the Bay. It was a good day but it did rain so we didn't spend a lot of time walking the beaches. On the way home we went through a community called St. Mary and we had to drive through Elephant pass. I am not sure how it received its name but this pass is a very narrow road with hair pin turns. We would of liked to have stopped but there was no place to turn off. We did make a quick stop to clear a fallen rocks half way up. St. Mary was a small town with interesting craft stores. I purchased a very soft purple scarf. We have a routine here. On Mondays I lead a lectionary Bible study. On Tuesday I meet with the Worship Leader and lead a women'sBible Study. On Wednesday and Thursday we try and travel some place we haven't been. On Friday I finish up my preparations for Sunday and on Saturday we head out to one of the local special places we have found. I hope you all had a good week. Blessings to all the folks at IUC.

July 25

This was an incredibly busy and enjoyable week. Monday started out with the usual getting ready for the Lectionary Bible Study and then having the study. Tuesday got busier as the women asked if I would lead KYB (Know Your Bible). This study is about Hosea. Tuesday evening Bruce and I went to Fit Ball which is always lots of fun. Wednesday was a great day of going places that tourists just don't get to see. We started by going to visit a man who has two camels. He and his wife ride the camels and they also participate in the local nativity pageant. We then went to a home which, in the early 1900's, was a whole town site called Wesleydale. This couple are restoring the site to its original state. They also raise Macaw's (a type of Parrot). The aviary was huge in a beautiful garden. We returned to Chudleigh for lunch in a small restaurant that is in a corner of the local store.We then went to see a couple who were in quite ill health and live in a tiny home that is situated in the bend of a small river. It was an incredible place for a home. The final home we went to was owned by a couple whose hobby is rescuing wild animals. When we drove into their yard we were met by an emu. We never did ask how it had arrived there but it was interesting to get so close. We went into their home and you could see the sleeves of a hoody were quite puffed out and when we went closer the hoody was the home of two baby wombats. The wombats mothers had been killed by a car and the babies were taken from the pouch and still needed lots of snuggling which Bruce and I were glad to offer. In the corner of the kitchen we noticed some movement and they were also caring for a couple of pademelons (very small wallabies). On the outside of the patio door were many different kinds of ducks. As we left we went to their aviary and saw a barn owl that had been injured and was being nursed. Thursday we went to a local farmers for lunch which was delicious dinner. Bruce and the farmer went out quading which they said was to check the fences in the tree plantation but I think it was just a lot of fun. I went out with the wife to their creek looking for a platypus but we were not successful. On Friday we went for dinner in Launceston at the home of the minister of a large inner city Uniting church. It was a time of lots of conversation and good food. I learned about the Uniting Church and it seems that many of their problems can also be found in Canada. I did get some interesting ideas from our conversation. Now you may think that was a full week but on Saturday it was a beautiful sunny day so we headed out to the Western Tiers. The tiers are not far from Deloraine and we hadn't been yet. The tiers are very high hills and when we got to the top there is a huge plateau. We first came to Great Lake. The Lake is about 30 km long and to locals this is a must see . We also discovered Waddamana an old hydro station which is now a Museum. I had never seen how hydro electricity is created and I found it very interesting. Now it is Sunday and of course we had church. I brought a map and we marked all the places of family, friends, and mission projects. Then the children created a pray about all the places we marked. Innisfail United Church was one those places. Folks other than me were thinking and praying for you. It was another sunny day so we just couldn't stay home so we took a drive down to Penguin and discovered that every Sunday there is a Market. It was fun to see all the arts and crafts folks had created.

I don't know what next week will bring but if the weather keeps up it will certainly involve exploring more of Tasmania. We realize how quickly the time is going by.

Blessings to everyone at Innisfail United Church!!