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!!

July 18

This was another week I spent not going far from Deloraine. Bruce was in Fiji until Thursday and he had a great time with his brother and sister-in-law. Bruce spent most of his time fishing, snorkeling and even went scuba diving. You can see in the picture Bruce had a special post to man. He arrived home very happy with all sorts of stories of the small community he had visited forty years ago.

I was invited to share pictures of Canada in two senior residences. On Monday I went to a residence that was similar to Autumn Glen in Innisfail. On Tuesday I went to another residence that is similar to Rosefield. All the seniors had lots of questions. I had not anticipated our pictures being the entertainment they were. I shouldn't have been surprised as I find everything here so interesting.
I was contacted by the minister in Launceston about a Uniting Church Mission and Service project that was happening in Deloraine. From my reading it appears The Uniting Church has two kinds of M&S projects. One is Uniting World and these are ones that happen outside of Australia. The owners of the home we are currently in are in Tonga working for Uniting World. The other projects are called Uniting Care and usually involve seniors but there is a very interesting project in Deloraine. This is project involves providing support for young women who are pregnant or have young children. The Uniting Care worker comes from Launceston one day a week. She did not realize that there was a Uniting Church here and the the Deloriane church did not realize the project was a Uniting one. I will try and make a few connections so these young women will have support from members of the congregation. At this time they are working on building a play ground and are raising funds for it. It will be built mainly from grants and donations from the government, business and organizations but these young women are also working hard. This coming Friday there will be a Sausage Sizzle at the local grocery store which I think is similar to our hot dog and hamburger sales we have in Canada.
The weather has been very rainy and when it rains here it really pours. On Friday it was a beautiful sunny day so we went to our favorite spot Port Sorrel and Bruce went fishing and I walked along the beach. Bruce did release that little fellow so it will have a chance to grow up!! It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

I hope all is well with everyone at Innisfail United Church. Blessings to you all!!

July 11

It has been another week of experiencing Tasmania. There hasn't been travelling on my part as Bruce went to Fiji to visit his brother and sister-in-law on Tuesday and will not be back until this coming Thursday. I haven't learned to drive standard and that is the only vehicle we have access to. I was willing to try but Bruce didn't think he could teach me with all the hills in Deloraine. That means this week I walked everywhere. I don't mind as this is a very pretty town. Each day I go for a walk along the river looking for the platypus that lives there. I have finally seen the bubbles that they make but he just wouldn't cooperate by coming to the surface. After I walk along the Meander river I cruise down main street. I have never seen a community with so many second hand stores. There are seven!! I wonder if anyone buys new clothes or furniture in town or do they just recycle amongst themselves. The people are very friendly and I usually have a chat with someone.

I received a e-mail from Doug Edgar about the progress of the Labyrinth. It looks great and I am sure we will get our regulars and some new ones taking advantage of it. I put in a couple of pictures of a maze in town made with hedges. You can see that they made one look like a tea pot and in the summer it is a fountain with water flowing from the spout. I thought it would be an interesting way to make a labyrinth but I don't think Innisfail has the climate for it.

I had three invitations for meals from members of the congregation this week so it is good that I have to walk as I can feel the pounds coming on my waistline. Uniting Church folks are just as good cooks as United!!

I have discovered that Tasmanians are very good neighbors. The wallabies are not great as neighbors. They come up to the house at night and eat almost everything green. When you go outside in the morning you have to be careful you don't step in the little gifts they leave behind.

Blessings to all those at Innisfail United Church!!

July 4

This has been a busy week for travelling. I have this weekend off so we decided travel down the east coast to Hobart. Thank you to all the folks a IUC as we were able to use your gift to spend four nights on the road. We left on Thursday and went down the center of the island and then headed to the coast to a small town called Swansea. There were many swans in the area and I don't know if that has anything to do with the name. It was a very friendly town as I met several people on the street who wanted to have long conversations and of course made recommendations of where to eat. The town has a general store that had anything you could think of for sale. It was fun to walk through the store. Across the bay from Swansea is sandy beach called Nine Mile Beach. We walked along the beach and Bruce noticed something out in the water. We think it was a whale as it was so large and in the picture you can see what we think is its tail (sorry it is sideways but I can't post it any other way). We both saw it but the picture really doesn't show how big it was. We spent the night at Swansea and our hotel was right on the ocean front. It was very warm sitting in the sun. Two children from the room next to us kept running into the water which really was very cold but they didn't seem to mind. The next day we headed down the coast to Port Arthur. It was a beautiful drive with lots of sun and little villages on the coast. Port Arthur is a restoration of the site of one of the most notorious penitentiaries in Australia. It is so large we spent the night and our motel was so close to Port Arthur that you could see the buildings from our balcony. Convicts sent to Port Arthur were repeat offenders. It is also the site of the first prison for boys. This prison was on an island, Point Puer, just in the harbour next to Port Arthur. The youngest boy to serve time there was only 9 and his crime was stealing toys. The boys were taught trades but it was a very harsh life for them. The slogan for the penitentiary was "a machine for grinding rogues honest". It was quite a disturbing place to visit especially the separate prison. Prisoners sentenced to this part of the prison were not allowed to talk or see other prisoners. They did not have a name only a number and when they left their cell they were required to wear a hood over their face. They were only allowed out of their cells for one hour a day and on Sunday to church and each pew had partions between the seats. The penitentiary was put in this place because of its location. It is almost like an island with only a small section of land attaching it to the rest of Tasmania. This is called Eagle Hawk Neck and was easy to guard by soldiers and dogs. We saw the quarters the guards lived. There is a statue of one of the dogs and it looks quite viscous. On Saturday we drove leisurely to Hobart. Hobart is a large city and half the people in Tasmania live here. We are staying in a very old hotel on the waterfront. The hotel was first built in 1846 and in the restaurant and pub they have kept some of the ambiance and the rooms are very comfortable. This morning we went to Wesley Hobart Uniting church. It was a great service as on the first Sunday of the month is a special family service. It felt like home as the first hymn was Part of the Family. This church was established in 1820. A beautiful sanctuary. The plaque on the corner stone says it was placed there by John Franklin, arctic explorer and Governor of Tasmania. In the afternoon we went to the top of Mount Wellington which is on the edge of Hobart. It was a very narrow twisty road and when we go to the top it was very cold and windy but the view was awesome. To finish our Sunday we went on a Harbour Supper Cruise. It was a very nice meal and the cruise was very relaxing as we were told stories of the past and saw all the city lights from the water.