Another year over, a new one just begun

New Years Eve 2009.

It began in Victor Harbor. Just after 8 a.m. history was made. The Roberts family - Bill, Graham, Russell and Lynda - hit the fairway at Victor Harbor Golf Club. It was the first time the four of us had played together in a competition, and probably the first time we had all played golf together.

Victor Harbor is the home course of Bill and Lynda, and father is well known at the club where he has been a member for over 20 years. Lynda has only commenced her membership this year.


The bird man is always popular, and attracts the magpies on a number of holes. By the time we got to the twelfth his stock of crumbs was still intact and sufficient to feed the crowd that gathered.

By the time we got to the twelfth the youngest member of the family had already set up a commanding lead with a birdie 2 on the 10th (4 stableford points) and a par on 11 for another 4 stableford points. Lynda hung on to her lead and get back to the clubhouse with 41 stableford points and a clear margin over the men. To win the day Lynda played 5 shots under her handicap and will lose a few strokes before she plays in another competition.

The octogenarian managed to finish the 18 holes in the heat (it got to 41 degrees at Encounter Bay) and performed creditably in difficult conditions with 32 points, about 4 shots over his handicap. That probably means that Lynda beat him off the stick!


After golf there was time for a quick bite and coffee before heading back to Melbourne. Until Horsham the weather was hot and storm clouds were brewing. From Horsham to Ararat the rain was torrential - good for a land in drought, but not for farmers in the middle of harvest. After hours of careful driving it was good to get back to Melbourne before the year was out.

2009 is now gone. The year of change is over and we prepare to resume work in mid-January in Tasmania.

We look forward to new opportunities, new challenges and new experiences as we settle into Hobart.

Weekly Worship 5

Victor Harbor Salvos.

Many Salvation Army Corps across the Australia Southern Territory had worship today that was a little different. January 25 had been scheduled as the day new officers were installed. At Victor Harbor they greeted their new officers and shared in a delightful lunch afterwards.


This corps is the place where my parents worship, the corps to which they belong and in which they are still active participants. We had a sense of what to expect as we joined with them today.

The corps has all that is often associated with Salvation Army worship - a band, a songster brigade, and even some who play timbrels during the singing of choruses. The worship style and music is appropriate for a congregation where many of the key personnel are life long salvationists who have chosen to retire in this environment.

The people were friendly, the welcome warm, and the worship sincere. In speaking words of welcome to the new officers mention was made of the idyllic location, and of the needs in the wider community that are often hidden below the surface. There is certainly a work for The Salvation Army here.

As is customary with 'installations' there was the opportunity to respond, and the warmth and friendliness of the congregation was matched by the words and demeanour of the officers. We pray that the next few years will fruitful as the love of God is evidenced in the shared life of this group of God's people.

For us there was opportunity to connect with some with whom we shared in days past - ironically enough with three couples who were in ministry in Corps in Tasmania some years ago. I was caused to reflect on those with whom we share our journey. Whether a brief chat, participating in some events together (e.g. "Blood of the Lamb", Launceston, circa 1980), doing life or walking through deep valleys together, our lives are enriched because we belong to this amazing body called 'the church'. That which we share we share because of Christ, and because of Him we continue to have hope for the future and help along the way.

Weekly Worship 4

Week 4 of our wandering and once more we joined with family on a Sunday morning. This time it was at Victor Harbor Baptist Church where our niece had shared in a holiday kids club during the week. Children and their families were invited to attend this Sunday's family service.

The welcome was warm and the service relaxed. Bright yellow themed T-shirts identified the participating children, and blue polo shirts the leaders and helpers. Decorations gave the church a holiday feel, songs learned by the kids were used, and a multi-media presentation of the weeks activities allowed those present to get a sense of what had happened during the week. During the service we learned that it was the eighth year of the holiday program, which had grown from 15 kids the first year to 65 in 2009. It was clear through the week that it was a well run and well planned program which offered a service to families during the holidays and an effective means of outreach for the church.

The message focused on the reliability of the Bible - a unique book that can be trusted, is living, powerful, and leads us to Jesus. Delivered in Indiana Jones attire in keeping with the theme 'Adventures to the Lost World', it was a helpful reminder to the faithful of the remarkable collection of books that are our Holy Scriptures, and an invitation to others to explore what for them might be a 'lost world'.

For a service in the middle of the holidays it was very well attended, pointed people again to the Word, and even offered an invitation for further participation in small groups later in the year.

It was good to share again with God's people - and to enjoy hospitality after.

Adventures in Paradise: Week 1

We moved into our new home on Monday morning, and out of our old home a few hours later. By 7 p.m. we were set up at our first stop - Adare Caravan Park, Victor Harbor.

The trip itself was uneventful, but had been punctated by some anxiety. After twenty minutes travel I discovered that my wallet was not where it was expected to be. Some frantic searching, attempts at mentally retracing my steps, and some phone calls to friends did not reveal its location, so our visa card was cancelled and we continued on our way. Hopefully inconvenience and my personal sense of frustration will be the only lingering effects of that loss.

The past few days have been spent organising the caravan and trying to organise our lives. After the chaos of moving everything out of a home and putting it into boxes for storage or our much-reduced

living space there are still a couple of small containers that require sorting. In the midst of this process time has been found to share with family, to play golf, to watch cricket, and to wander along the beach.

It is a tough life, but we are managing!