Templer Record

Preparations for Christmas are in full swing and our Adventsfeiern are coming up. The following reflection comes from an evening Advent celebration in Bayswater some years ago, organised by the Ba-Bo ladies.

A long queue stretched up towards the makeshift tent. You couldn’t see the baby – not until you went right in. The people waited, moving slowly up the hill.

Old Mrs Crichton was there, hobbling with her walking stick. ‘I’m too young for a walking frame’, she insists. She’s been coming every year. She remembers what he said back then by the Samaritan well – or, better, what he did: how he met her as a woman; how her race and culture were no barrier; how he offered that real ‘living’ water that quenched her inner thirst.

Zacch is there, too, briefcase in hand. He doesn’t climb trees any more, but he still sees a long way. He sees Gaza. He sees Africa. His generosity goes beyond the horizon. ‘Did you know that $10 there goes as far as $100, sometimes $1000, here?’ he asks. Zacch has a heart for all humanity. He is good news for the poor since Jesus came to his house.

His friend still refuses to join him. He’s still wanting eternal life and he’s still sad. He’s still good, but does not do much good. He now owns the land here and the makeshift tent – rented for the occasion. Next year he is planning an entry fee. He has filled his emptiness with great wealth. His tree has its roots stretching to every continent, impoverishing every soil. And all the time he keeps meeting Zacch, who keeps planting new trees and developing new resources and sharing new wealth.

And she is there – the one they wanted to stone as an adulteress. And the woman with the jar of massage oil, the one who anointed Jesus’ feet. They stick together because they know they are embarrassing. They know he will welcome them, but they also know that many who claim him as their hero will not. So they try to be unobtrusive and walk with the people who are different in their ways, their culture, their gender, their origins.

Pilate is not in the queue. He’s doing a TV interview, explaining about collateral damage and the importance of homeland security – and, yes, acknowledging that sometimes innocent people get killed, but that he is part of a system that brought peace and stability to the Middle East – and not many succeed in that. A baby is, after all, only a baby.

Peter looks very awkward. He’s all dressed up in robe and mitre, carrying a shepherd’s staff made of gold; he looks like a mediaeval painting come to life. Underneath he’s itching to go fishing again. But he wants to be here. The crowing rooster sets him going and he remembers the eyes that spoke truth – and reconciliation. On stage he wants the company to perform and celebrate life and hope.

Children are there, with their parents but also running in circles, playing and chatting to one another as the long queue inches forward. Most no longer remember the time he welcomed them into his arms and refused to believe that children were unimportant and didn’t matter. Some have known joy, some pain and abuse. There will be a place for them in the tent – always.

John the Baptist is there, complaining, carrying a quiver full of warning signs: ‘Stop hating Jews in Jesus’ name! Stop turning the good news into a promise of more luxury for the rich! Stop imagining ecstasy is love! Stop perverting the gospel into selfish consumerism and a promise of real estate in another world! Stop living richly at the expense of others! Stop pretending you can waste the world’s resources and not destroy it! Stop your wars, your greed, your racism, your sexism, your making yourself great by making others small!’ He looks like a prophet of old, but his message is just as much for today.

Are you in the queue? Are you with somebody? What do you hope to see? What do you remember? Bring? Hope for? How can you – how can we all – contribute to life, light and hope for ourselves, our neighbours and the world?

Adapted by H.U. from a story by the Rev. Prof. Bill Loader from W.A., who spoke in Canterbury in 2007 before the first AGM of the Progressive Christian Network of Victoria.

The essence of all religions is love, compassion and tolerance. Kindness is my true religion. No matter whether you are learned or not, whether you believe in the next life or not, whether you believe in God or Buddha or some other religion or not, in day-to-day life you must be a kind person. When you are motivated by kindness, it doesn’t matter whether you are a practitioner, a lawyer, a politician, an administrator, a worker, or an engineer, whatever your profession or field, deep down you are a kind person.

Love, compassion and tolerance are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. If you have a particular faith or religion, that is good. But you can survive if you have love, compassion and tolerance. The clear proof of a person’s love of God is if that person genuinely shows love to fellow human beings.

Wolfgang Blaich, Regional Head of the TGD, was a visitor at the Regional Council meeting.

The TGD gratefully received a $2,000 donation from TTHA to acknowledge its help with the selection of ‘Zivildienst’ work experience candidates. Dr Martin Schreiber will be asked to assist the TGD Office with this in future.

Mark Herrmann has sent Karin Klingbeil a summary of the discussion that took place on the Jerusalem cemetery issues at the TSA AGM.

Harald Ruff and family will go on the next Israel cemetery trip in 2009 and report back to the RC as Deputy Regional Head.
Peter Lange has been editor of Die Warte for 25 years and would like a replacement to be found by October 2009.

Brief reports were given on leadership changes in the Focus Groups following elections at the TSA AGM.

Melissa English was selected and approved as our next Australian-German Templer Exchange candidate.

The Property Management FG reported that the Bentleigh Hall was freshly painted.

He updated information on the Jerusalem cemetery including plans for routine maintenance, additional work such as repair of walls and general clean up. After the meeting, Wolfgang provided an excellent computer slide show of the detailed works required at the Jerusalem site and comparisons with the well-maintained Haifa Templer cemetery.

He emphasised the importance of exchange of youth and of other key personnel between TSA and TGD and welcomed formal and informal contact between the two regions. He suggested friendly e-mail exchange between confirmation groups and youth across the German and Australian communities

He reported extensively on an initial proposal from the private owner to renovate the old founding Templer building at Kirschenhardthof (now a private aged care home), keep the original façade and set up a small Templer heritage room and memorial plaque inside, if possible.

Wolfgang indicated that the year 2011 will mark the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the TS, and it would be very suitable if the proposed Kirschenhardthof renovation coincided with that.

He sought an update on written projects including several translations of Templer literature in progress.

He recounted how he attended the Bayswater and Boronia Templer German Schools as a young boy, before returning to Germany 50 years ago.

TSA Aged Care – An RC/TTHA forum will be held in November for the new TTHA CEO to meet and greet the RC members and CF Directors.

An informal meeting between RC members and AGWS office bearers was to take place in November, but has been postponed.

The meeting closed and was followed by extensive discussion with the visiting Regional Head from the TGD.

The TSA Office will not be fully attended during the Christmas and summer holiday period. We will close on Friday 19^th December and re-open on Thursday 22^nd January 2009. Messages can be left on the answering machine, but please be aware that they may not be responded to immediately. The bereavement line will continue to function during this period.

In emergency situations or matters of need, please contact one of the following:

THANK YOU

Although trying to wind down the year’s activities in preparation for Christmas, New Year and summer fun, we often find this time of year particularly stressful. The month of January is therefore very necessary for recovery, recharging and reflection.

I take this opportunity to thank all TSA volunteers – Members and friends alike – who work extremely hard and give a great deal of their time to provide so much richness for our Templer Community during the course of the year.

Thank you also to all the contributors to the TR who sent their articles in regularly, and to the proofreaders, Emma Polacsek, Peter Hornung and Hermann Uhlherr.

FROM THE ELDERS – CONFIRMATION

The next Confirmation classes in the Temple Society Australia are scheduled for terms 2 and 3 in 2009.

What does this mean? What are confirmation classes about? Who should get confirmed? Why should anyone get confirmed? How old are you meant to be to get confirmed? Why do we need classes?

If you have any questions about Confirmation, or just want to learn more, come along to the Confirmation Information and Discussion evening on Friday 13^th February 2009 at 7:00pm in the Bayswater Chapel. Anyone is welcome, whether you have a son or daughter or grandchild at ‘confirmation’ age, or are just interested. You may be a teenager at confirmation age yourself and want to know more before committing yourself to the classes, or were confirmed many years ago and are just interested in refreshing your memory.

Please let Renate Beilharz know by e-mail beilharztr@ozemail.com.au if you are considering coming, so we can make sure we have enough supper available. If you can’t make it, but have some questions, please feel free to ring Renate, or Mark Herrmann at the Office.

TEXTS FROM THE BIBLE

The Elders are compiling a list of additional Bible texts to supplement the Table of Lessons used for services. If you have any favourite texts, quotes or verses of the Bible, from either the New or the Old Testament, which you would like to contribute to the list, we would love to hear from you.

SOCIAL CARE

I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. I firmly believe in the saying ‘Time flies when you’re having fun’! Recently I had the pleasure of meeting our Sydney Care Worker, Ingrid Turner, when we attended a conference in Brisbane. This conference was excellent and focussed on a range of counselling issues and methods. I learnt a lot while I was there.

A gold star goes to all the wonderful people who have returned their surveys to me so far! I appreciate your responses and look forward to reading them more thoroughly and undertaking some new initiatives, while maintaining the services you need and want. A reminder to all who have not sent in their responses – there is still time! Surveys are due back on 10^th December and the more responses I receive, the more I can help you! The answers will remain anonymous. If you require another copy, please let me know and I will send you one.

Something that has come up frequently in the survey responses is that the Care Worker (me) is to look after members as they get older, with filling in forms, assisting with entry to TTHA, etc. This is correct, however, my job includes not only looking after older Templers but younger members also. You do not have to be over 65 for me to help you. I strongly encourage you to make contact with me for any reason (even if it is just for a chat to introduce yourself). I have worked with people very young (pre-school and earlier), school age, teenage (I have a certificate of Adolescent Counselling) and older. So if you think that you have to be older to have contact with me, think again – I am here to help you all!

Free public transport on Sundays

If you are receiving Carer Payment, Disability Support Pension or you are over 60 years old, have a Seniors Card and are not working 30 hours per week or more, you can access free Sunday public transport by applying for a Sunday Pass Metcard – valid on trains, trams and buses travelling within zones 1 and 2 in metropolitan Melbourne and also on town bus services in Ballarat, Bendigo and Geelong.

Sunday Pass Metcard holders will also receive two free off-peak travel vouchers to use on the metropolitan and V-Line transport network. You can apply for a Sunday Pass on the spot at railway stations or mail in a form to receive your Sunday Pass in 14 days. You will need to show identification and evidence that you receive a Disability Pension or Carer Payment or have a Seniors Card. Application forms are available at premium train stations, staffed V-Line stations, the MetShop and Metcard agents, or can be downloaded and printed off from the Metlink website at www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au For further information, customers can contact Metlink on 131638. A TTY facility is available for customers with hearing difficulties. Call (03) 9619 2727.

Resilience

Resilience is the ability to ‘bounce back’ after a tragedy, trauma, difficult experiences, and even after significant stressors such as family or relationship difficulties, financial or health problems. Since meeting members of the Temple Society, I have learnt that Templers are very resilient people! Many of the older Templers have learnt (yes, resilience can be learned) to become very resilient due to a number of reasons (for example during internment in Tatura) and have passed on this knowledge and skill to their children and grandchildren.

During the Brisbane conference, Alison Nipperess from the International Resilience Institute of Sydney (IRIS) spoke about 10 steps in learning to become resilient. The information below is taken from her workshop and is the work of Shane Warren and Alison Nipperess from IRIS.

Strength 2: See crisis events as what they are – stop seeing crises as overwhelming problems.

Strength 3: Accept change – it is a part of life and sometimes it is inevitable.

Strength 5: Be decisive – don’t avoid facing issues, tackle them head-on
and take decisive action to improve the situation.

Strength 6: Self improve – actively find ways to improve yourself
and don’t be scared to get to know yourself better.

Strength 7: Develop trust in yourself and your instincts
and take the time to find reasons why you are important.

Strength 8:   Keep things in perspective – don’t make mountains out of molehills and,
                   if you are facing a mountain, keep it in perspective.
                   Even Mt Everest looks small from the moon!

Strength 9: Be hopeful – learn to look for the optimistic outlook for even the worst event.
Learn to see what you want rather than what you fear.

Strength 10: Take care of yourself! The most important one, I believe.
Pay attention to your own needs and feelings but avoid being totally self-centred.
Keep yourself fit and healthy and maintain a positive frame of mind.

COUNTRY VIC – Tynong 2^nd November

A group of 28 Templers met at Edenderry, the Bulach farm, for the annual Gippsland Country Templers meeting. We had a very important guest in our midst: Wolfgang Blaich, Regional Head of the TGD, paid us a visit. The service was held by Mark Herrmann and he talked about our personal relationship with God; he also told us about the meetings of Templers and other faith groups. There was a second speaker, Dr Irene Bouzo. Hers was a talk that went deep into our hearts. It was the story about her Faith Journey through all the troubles and tribulations with the illness of her daughter, the loss of their home and business and the fight to keep the family together. It showed the amazing strength of a woman and mother who, like Job, never lost her faith. Thank you very much, Irene. I spoke about the time when Esther and I left Bayswater and moved to Phillip Island and how we settled down in our new community, made new friends and joined the Uniting Church in Cowes. But we are still Templers!

After a few words from Wolfgang Blaich, who brought greetings from the German Templers, a thought-provoking prayer and a new hymn, it was time to have lunch. As usual the table was richly laden with the goodies the people had brought along. The weather was fine and conversation flowed until it was time to go home.

Thank you to all the people who came along, to our speakers, to Winnie who drove Rosa and a very great thank you to Heinz for having us in his lovely home with the stunning view!

und wünschen auch allen hier nicht angeführten Geburtstagskindern alles Gute und Schöne zum neuen Lebensjahr.

GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES

Lamoon, Robert and Ingrid are delighted to announce the arrival of Anton Mongkon Asenstorfer.
A grandson for Uli and Rose Asenstorfer.

NEW MEMBER

BEREAVEMENTS

Vera Bieg née Schmidt died on 8.11.2008, aged 76, after a long illness. Her suffering is now over. She is survived by sons Ralph and Erick.

Im Gedenken an Vera Bieg geb. Schmidt.
Vera, unsere Schulkameradin von den Jahrgängen 1931/32, hat für immer von uns scheiden müssen. 1938 wurden wir in unserer wunderschönen Schule in Sarona miteinander eingeschult, noch kann ich mich daran erinnern.

Schwere Jahre folgten, als unsere Väter uns genommen und ans Ende der Welt interniert wurden. Dann kam ein weiterer Schicksalsschlag für Vera und ihre Schwester Gisela, als ihre liebe Mutter sterben musste – da waren wir in Wilhelma und die ganze Kolonie fühlte den Schlag.

Ende 1947 durften die Schwestern zu ihrem Vater in Melbourne reisen. Vera hatte viele schwere Jahre: sie verlor ihre Tochter Marion und ihren Mann Siegfried und war selbst lange krank.

Grete Bacher née Heinlein died in TTHA on 8.11.2008, aged 96. She is survived by her son Gunter.

In Germany, Jakob Ertel died suddenly on 5.9.2008, aged only 57. He and his family came from Russia 13 years ago and immediately joined the Stuttgart Templer Community.

CARING FOR THE CARER SEMINAR
As part of Carers Week 2008 the Welfare & Distant Focus Group organised a Caring for the Carer Seminar.

This Seminar was supported and funded by Carers Vic. An excellent guest speaker, Joyce, provided a safe forum for participants to talk about issues related to being a carer. With Joyce leading the discussion, we looked at the satisfactions gained by being a Carer, the difficulties, the losses experienced by the carers and the feelings and the beliefs associated with caring.

We have expectations about being a carer, about how we should behave and that we should cope. All societies expect people to care for those in need, but the carer and society need to modify their expectations. Help needs to be offered and accepted. Family, friends and acquaintances need to be aware that for the carer, the caring may be a long-term task. Simple things can be helpful. Don’t forget to ask carers how they are. All too often we ask how is the ill or injured person, but neglect to ask about the carer.

‘In care-giving there are often few if any rituals that provide carers and those they care for with a meaningful opportunity to acknowledge the changes and losses that they have experienced’ (Carers Vic). Rituals can help with meaning-making or dealing with the loss and grief experienced in life. We have been provided with an extensive, but by no means total list of rituals that we can use, such as journal writing, candle lighting, a permission-to-move-on ceremony, special church service, prayer or meditation, etc.

For carers seeking help, guidance or support, Carers Vic is available to provide this. They can be contacted on freecall 1800 242 636. We are hoping that some Carers Vic packs will be sent to our Care Worker Martina in the near future.

Over the past years a few seminars have been held and filmed. These are available to be borrowed by contacting Dot Ware.

4) Management of End-Stage Dementia, presented by Dr Irene Wagner May 2008 (DVD)

WHO CARES FOR THE CARER?

Carers Victoria conducted a workshop with approximately 20 people attending. This workshop was interactive with participants discussing problems arising from caring for others.

Anyone at any time can be a carer and carers will usually put their own needs last. Caring for a loved one who is ill or incapacitated can be very isolating and the carer may not know where to turn when they need support. The workshop provided a forum to discuss common problems within a friendly environment.

It is important that carers look after themselves so that they can continue to care for others. A friendly word and a sympathetic ear can go a long way to relieving stress and anxiety.

Thankyou to the Welfare & Distant Focus Group for organising this workshop; it provided an opportunity to gather important information and to feel the support of others in similar circumstances.

OUTING TO WERRIBEE PARK OPEN RANGE ZOO – 23^rd October

Due to insufficient bookings, the original itinerary had to be cancelled. We decided to use the Rosa bus which was adequate for the reduced numbers. Christine Ruff kindly offered to be our driver.

A cheerful group of 21 set off on a crisp, cold, spring morning. We arrived at the zoo promptly at 11:00am and, after the admission formalities were completed, we boarded the safari bus for an informative tour through the enclosures. The safari bus allowed us to view the animals at close range from the safety of the vehicle.

After the tour we enjoyed lunch at the Meerkat Bistro while watching the antics of the cute little meerkats through the window. By now the sky had cleared and it was warm in the sun.

After lunch there was time to explore the zoo on foot. It is a long time since I last visited this zoo and I was amazed at the changes and improvements. The drought is noticeable here, too. The Werribee River was lazily meandering past the ‘wetlands’, sadly they were dry. The reeds and grasses were like straw, no birds, and the only frog we saw was the bronze figure attached to the bridge.

We all enjoyed a lovely day and all too soon it was time to board the bus and battle through the peak hour traffic. We returned tired and happy and thank Christine sincerely for bringing us back safely.

IMPROVEMENTS FOR ROSA?

Last month I had the pleasure of accompanying a group of our seniors on Rosa to the Werribee Zoo. I had never been to this zoo and was unsure of what to expect. Whilst the animal habitats, wetlands walk, volcanic plains area, water-saving garden, gift shop and excellent tour guide were all fantastic, the highlight was something else.

It wasn’t Tony the giraffe who could clean his nostrils with his own tongue (and took great pleasure in showing us how for several minutes). And it wasn’t Harry the mysterious hippo who was allegedly residing in his pool, but failed to make an appearance while we were there. And it wasn’t even the endearing meerkats or the stunning zebras.

The highlight of the day came when we boarded the safari bus which was to take us around the ‘open range’. There was not just one door near the front of the bus. No! Like something out of a a Star Trek space movie, the whole side of the bus opened up. First the window part was lifted up, then the side parts were lowered to horizontal, to form steps to climb and board the bus. Brilliant! Fast, efficient and easy. (I must add that the sides were put back into place before we departed for our tour. Although the meerkats look innocent, I believe they are not to be trusted.)

I clearly was not the only one impressed with this bus and its capabilities. When it came time to board our Rosa to go home, one of our seniors was heard to ask if the sides could not be lowered and raised like the Werribee wonder bus. Sadly, no. But what a wonderful idea!

So we would like to ask the members of the Bus Operations Group to put this on the list of possible improvements to Rosa.

In the meantime, thank you to Helga Anderson for organising a wonderful day and to Jim for navigating us home again. I had a really nice day and felt privileged to be part of the group.

ISTANBULLETIN # 8

In mid-October we had another visitor from Australia, Al(fred) Bernhard (son of Inge and the late Otto Wurst) for dinner. A disaster. First, Annie missed her service bus, so had to find her way back on public transport in peak-hour traffic on a Friday evening. Poor Al waited almost an hour at Atakoy metro station until she got there. Further irony – I went on a quick shopping trip on the other side of the bridge around the time Al arrived, but never having met him before, most likely walked right past him as he waited. I hurried home, thinking that he and Annie must be ahead of me, but they were about 45 minutes behind.

Once we were all at the apartment, we decided to have home-delivered Turkish, and sat down to choose our meals. The place we chose wasn't answering their phone, so we did it all again with another place who did answer the phone and cheerfully took our order. Most of an hour later, we called again to be assured it was on its way. Then the phone started ringing – just once – about every two minutes, and we tracked it down to being the same eatery, who again assured us the food was coming. The nuisance calls continued until we simply turned the phone off. We assume they were all drunk or on some Turkish happy-drug; the alleged meals never arrived. Finally Annie raked together what little we had and got together something for us to eat. Al had brought along a delicious selection of Turkish desserts which we partly ate while we waited. The situation was saved by Al himself: he is absolutely delightful company and we warmed to him instantly. He didn't mind all the stuff-ups and saw the funny side. At least we could share some excellent Turkish red wine and very stimulating conversation. He wended his way back to Sultanahmet around 10:30pm.

Gardening and Guzel – If you are used to living on the land, or on a suburban house block,, then it’s probably second-nature to have at least a few things growing, a vegie patch and perhaps a compost heap. Apartment living here has stopped that. So, to compensate we revived the various greens with roots still attached (bought from markets) in water, then potted them in soil. Hardiest of these was (what else?) the mint – which sat completely covered in snow for a considerable time in January, then just cheerfully got on with growing as soon as the snow had melted. Late in the school year (spring), I brought home a lovely little shrub which looked threateningly like it might become a tree.

We left for holidays not too long after. The house plants were carted downstairs and left in a shady-but-not-hidden part of the garden and, with help from Professor of Linguistics Crispin, a note in Turkish was stuck to the wall asking anyone who read it to give the plants a drink when needed and generally look after them. We don’t know what happened while we toured Europe getting suntans, but nothing remained when we looked in afterwards, and so we like to think that at least some of our green friends found a good home.

This year has seen a slower but more organised start to the balcony garden project. Rejecting temptations to do late-night raids on the apartment block’s gardens and pot plants, I went out one Saturday with a plan. Two suburbs later, almost ready to admit defeat and commence on a life of crime, I stumbled across a tiny shop selling household goods – among them plant pots. It was a start, even though I had to almost beat the young guy guarding the shop into selling his merchandise. Wandering home semi-depressed, I stubbed my toe on – a large pot plant, and rapidly back-tracked to a little place selling cut flowers, plants and potting mix. I let the smooth-talking shopkeeper talk me into buying a rather lovely flowering plant for a (no doubt) exorbitant price, all the while being told it was guzel, chok guzel (beautiful, very beautiful). Henceforth known by the name Guzel, she takes pride of place on the balcony alongside some refugees from downstairs in the apartment’s extensive gardens: an unknown shrub neglected and almost about to die, a healthy young rosemary and, of course, more mint. The gardeners here plant vegies and herbs among the flowers downstairs, and it is expected that tenants will use them as they wish. We do.

October has seen us out and about, trying to see as much as we can before winter slows everything down.

We visited the tomb of Eyup, the fourth most important site in Islam after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Eyup was a confidant of the prophet, an early leader and a martyr. I guess it's the equivalent of visiting the resting place of Peter or Paul, for Christians. The tomb was magnificent and very atmospheric, the Muslim visitors were profoundly moved, and in awe. The tradition is that you exit the place backwards so as not to turn your back on Eyup; we did a fair job of it, it's how the boys prefer to walk sometimes anyway! There appeared to be lots of international visitors from Arab countries – really full-on fundamentalist pilgrims.

We returned via the ferry, which zigzags its way from one shore of the Golden Horn to the other as it does drop-offs and pick-ups until it reaches the Bosphorus at Eminonu. A leisurely way to take in the sights of that part of the 'bul. The rain has kept up since then, and the weather forecast is clouds and rain for pretty much the whole of Turkey for a few days; the place sure can use it.

Annie’s Balmoral CFA training is being put to good use: she was (unintentionally) recruited to the staff fire-fighting team after commenting on the school’s fire management plan. Mostly we are succeeding in trying to fit all of our school commitments into the weekdays, and keeping the weekends free for resting, playing, sightseeing and family time.

Another good reason to look forward to weekends is the return of the roast! After a year of cooking on just two gas rings, we have in our new apartment a very tired but still functioning oven. So, roast meals with all the trimmings are becoming a regular event – mostly chicken, which is quite cheap here (red meat is not only very expensive but often of dodgy quality). We don’t usually get home till around 6pm on weekdays (Perry and Crispin around 4:30), so there’s only time to cook something quickly – or heat up something prepared before – and eat it before chasing the boys to bed and their regular book-reading instalment prior to sleeping. They have asked me to start that old classic The Scarlet Pimpernel next.

Our youth Saal had our little church hall rocking and jiving with Chris Hoffmann’s great music. The theme Free to be yourself allowed those present to explore a number of issues, using a children’s book and a short film: by trying to be like someone else you can become muddled and miss your own special talents; greed and relentless pursuit of a goal can destroy your chances of achieving that goal.

I interviewed some young experts (Dylan and Kirrily Simmer, Jemma Lewis and Dieter Hoffmann) and compared kids’ lives today with those of 50 and 200 years ago, as well as with the life of a child slave in the third world today. We concluded that we are much wealthier and freer than most kids, past and present. We learnt and sang the new rock hymn-songs (music written by Chris Hoffmann), and heard the beautiful voices of Anja Leszinsky and Anneliese Hoffmann.

Freedom means that we can make choices, so we discussed in groups some good and poor decisions in our lives to try and work out strategies for making decisions that worked for us. I observed some really thoughtful sharing between members who would normally not necessarily speak with each other, using the message stick format that Herta (Uhlherr) showed us at the Marysville retreat. We meditated and relaxed, feeling our bodies and rejoicing in the wonderful beings that we are. We finished with our new ‘Sydney’ hymn-song That Special Day. Chris’s music made us get up, dancing and clapping and smiling. The service proved a great hit for many there; some said they felt the one and a half hour Saal could have gone on for longer.

Afterwards we ordered pizzas and planted some of the natives that Rolf Beck had cultivated for us. Our little native area is coming on very nicely thanks to Rolf.

I attended the Australian Counselling Association Conference with Martina Eaton, our new Care Worker in Melbourne. It was a fascinating and rewarding conference for a number of reasons. I learnt much about the reasons and best practice treatment for people who self-harm. I heard about the worthwhile work of many groups, inspirational stories of people who had battled with self-harming and found treatments and strategies that worked. We saw innovative treatments and case studies which used art therapy, music, poetry and yoga as successful ways for self-harmers to deal with the emotional pain that was largely the result of unresolved abuse or neglect during their childhood. Sadly, I learnt about the common, poor response of our hospitals in the treatment of these people and the sad stories of the carers of self-harmers battling to understand and best support their kids’ illness.

Whilst much of what I learnt and saw with Martina was extreme, I also saw solutions for the ‘normal’ amongst us. We all sometimes mistreat our bodies, and our psychological well-being a little. I know I do. When I get anxious, I eat and eat, or I pick at my fingers or lips, I stay up too late (boy, am I making myself look like a basket case). I learnt that if I can put off this impulse for one minute and then ten minutes, the urge should go; if I can distract myself, relax or go for a walk, I may replace my self-harmful actions with helpful ones. I wonder if you have little harmful habits that you use in times of stress and anxiety? Can you replace them, challenge them, or avoid them?

It was an absolute pleasure to meet Martina. We got on really well and shared plans and worked on strategies for the community. Her cousins Carolyn and Lyn, who put us up, were just delightful, especially as I struggled with a rather severe headache throughout the weekend.

We had our last official function of the year at the Log Cabin in Penrith. As we ate the lovely pub food from the bistro, our group, consisting of around 18 people, enjoyed beautiful views over the Nepean River. It was nice to see a few new faces and hear the laughter and teasing that is characteristic of this group. After lunch we moved in out of the heat for some coffee. Plans are afoot for new adventures next year. We will sneak another unofficial gathering in at Wenty Leagues Club, Wentworthville, on 12^th December, meeting at the bistro – if you find you can take a break from Christmas preparations.

Our usual special Christmas Saal. Let me know if your kids or grandkids want to be in this year’s play.

Bournda Family Camp – 26^th December 2008 to 2^nd January 2009, at the beautiful Bournda National Park – how could you get through a year without it? Book now! See below.

Summer Camp – 5^th to 11^th January 2009 at Cape Otway, for 11 to 15-year-olds. I am taking a group down and will be a camp leader. See below.

Youth Camp from 17^th to 24^th January 2009 on Sydney Harbour at Chowder Bay. It is aimed at older kids from Melbourne and Sydney. See below.

Invite all the family to this day to explore Templer heritage – your family heritage – from a youth perspective. Who are you related to, what was Palestine all about? What is the story today? Youth campers from Sydney and Melbourne will be there. We plan to have a traditional sausage sizzle. Put it in your diaries.

Am Sonntag, den 12. Oktober, trafen sich die 12 Mitglieder unserer Gruppe in Tanunda. Wir hörten einen Vortrag von Hulda Wagner über den Text in Matthäus, Kapitel 16, Verse 1-4, in dem die Pharisäer von Jesu einen Beweis verlangten, dass er der Messias sei. Braucht es ein Wunder, dass man glaubt? Oder ist es der Glaube, der das Wunder herbeiführt? Wie oft sagte Jesus: ‘Dein Glaube hat dir geholfen’ nachdem er einen Menschen heilte! Umrahmt war der Vortrag mit dem Lied Mir nach, spricht Jesus unser Held.

Die Frauengruppe traf sich bei Edith Hatswell, wo wir handarbeiteten und uns am Nachmittagskaffee gütlich taten. Ende November machen wir einen Ausflug in den botanischen Garten, worüber ich später berichten werde.

Wir Süd-Australier wünschen Euch allen frohe Weihnachten und ein gutes Neues Jahr!

We would love your help on the day, either assisting with the set-up from 9:00am on the Sunday, helping to sell raffle tickets or at the bazaar during the afternoon and we always need helpers to serve coffee and clean up afterwards. You never know, you may even win one of the raffle prizes.

Summer Camp will be held at Cape Otway again and as well as the ‘old faithfuls’ there will be some great things to do on this camp including surfing and the ‘Otway Fly’ walk!

Summer camp is open to all kids aged between 11 and 15 years (and not yet confirmed) and friends are always welcome to come along, too.

Although the booking date was 17^th November there are still some available places.

If anyone still wishes to book, you need to call Susi ASAP and a ‘Late Booking Fee’ of $30 will apply. Please contact the TSA Office or Susi Blackwell on e-mail susi@templesociety.org.au

Sydney Youth Camp will be held at Chowder Bay with activities including surfing, sightseeing and visiting the Blue Mountains.

Youth camp is open to all young people aged 15 years (or confirmed) and over, as well as any friends. Although the booking date was 27^th October, there are still some available places.

If anyone still wishes to book you need to call Susi ASAP and a ‘Late Booking Fee’ of $30 will apply. Please contact the TSA Office or Susi Blackwell on e-mail susi@templesociety.org.au

Planning for the 2009 Youth Group Activity calendar is now taking place and will be sent out to all YG participants early next year. If you have some suggestions for activities, please let Kylie know.

Likewise if you would like to be kept updated about YG activities give Kylie your contact details, especially your mobile number so we can send you SMS messages.

The Teenage Group 2009 Activity Calendar will again be mailed out to all participants of TG early next year. If you have some suggestions for activities, please let Moni know.

Please contact Moni if you would like to be part of the group or would like to be on the TG mailing list.
Moni’s e-mail: gmnski@optusnet.com.au

Wow! Can it really be that another year has almost gone by? That it’s getting close to Christmas time again? I wonder if you are feeling stressed about Christmas? I wonder if you have so much that you still want to do before Christmas and the end of the year? Or are you really looking forward to Christmas and all the things it brings, full of excitement and anticipation?

I love Christmas because it is usually a time when people and families come together to celebrate in their own special way (there is no right or wrong way to celebrate Christmas, is there?) For most people Christmas is a time to reach out to other people and to be with people you love. Christmas and the end of the year are often times to reflect on the past year and to share what has happened with those closest to us.

I love the fact that people reach out to each other at Christmas, and not always only to those closest to us. If you’ve ever been mad enough to go shopping on Christmas Eve, you even hear strangers in the shops wishing each other a merry Christmas. It may not be much, but it’s a way of connecting with each other.

Last month we had a Family Service followed by a Community Picnic, both on the green lawn outside the Bayswater Chapel. The theme for the service was reaching out to each other, and being forced to knock down the fences we sometimes build around and between ourselves, and change our way of thinking and living. We also talked about people chains, and how they can keep on growing if we let more people in. It was absolutely perfect and lovely to have Wolfgang Blaich from Germany there with us. Wolfgang himself noted that the Temple Society and its members have often been forced to reach out to others, to knock down fences and to change the way they lived. In the people chain Templers have established between Australia and Germany, Wolfgang was the link and there are, of course, many others as well.

The children at the service helped act out a story about a lady called Amelia Ellicot (Brodie Verhagen did a beautiful job as an old lady wearing a skirt – well done, Brodie!) After the service we reached out some more with food, fun and conversation. The communal BBQ picnic was lovely and the grandparents and parents relaxed, while the children ran around creating more little metaphorical people chains with each other. Thank you to Fred, Susi, Diana, Beate and Phuong for making it happen. It’s what we should do more of.

Tim – It was fun because we had water fights. Tessa also brought her dog. It was hot at the service. My rubbish bin was used in Amelia Ellicott’s garden. Amelia Ellicott’s garden got blown away. She had neighbours in a block of flats. They didn’t talk to each other. There was a big fence between them; it got blown down. When the neighbour said ‘how about we try without a fence’ she said yes. They helped clean up the garden again, then they all had one garden to share together. Then they were all happy.

Anja – Today we had a picnic. We threw water at each other in water bombs. We had an egg-and-spoon-race and played croquet and lawn bowls. We ate sausages that were BBQd by Onkel Mumpi. I had fun. Thank you to Diana and Beate and Phuong.

So as we head into the festive season, holidays and a new year, I hope everyone finds someone else to reach out to, someone to have fun with and some way of making it all meaningful. Let’s continue to share what we have. Let’s continue to learn from and give to each other. Let’s keep our people chains strong and always make sure we expand the chains to let others in.

COMING SERVICES

Come with a friend for carols, readings, coffee and Gutsle and catch up with your friends.

Everyone welcome! Readings largely in English, carols in English and German. Come, bring a friend and some Gutsle, relax and enjoy the spirit of Advent by candlelight. Also a bazaar table with goodies, so bring some money. Donations to the Borromeo Sisters in Jerusalem. Help to set up in the morning and to clean up afterwards appreciated. See also November TR, page 37.

Everyone is invited to the Community Christmas Celebration in Bayswater. This is a communal and family event for youngest to oldest, with children participating and a lot of communal carol singing. There will be some light refreshments at the end of the evening.

Children are welcome to join in on the night; attendance at practices is not a requirement.

Children able to attend the sessions below are encouraged to come along to practice the songs, dance and play.

● Saturday 13^th December 11:00am – 1:00pm, just before the Kids’ Club Christmas craft afternoon

Please bring a gift to put under our Christmas tree for the Giving Tree Appeal. Record on the gift for which gender and age the gift is best suited. All children aged 10 and under, or participating in the play, will receive a small gift from Father Christmas, whom we have invited to attend our celebration.

As always with an event such as this, many hands make light work. If you can find the time to assist with tasks such as decorating the Christmas tree, helping with the supper preparations and serving, setting up the hall, contacting Father Christmas, assisting with children’s practices etc. that would be wonderful.

Please contact Phuong Breisch if you know your children would like to participate in the celebration, and Renate on beilharztr@ozemail.com.au if you can help out in any way.

Mark Herrmann will conduct the service at 6:30pm in the Community Chapel in Bayswater. Rosa will leave Bentleigh at 5:45pm.

Community members and friends are invited to share refreshments and champagne in the Community Room immediately after the service. The bus will leave at 9:00pm to return to Bentleigh. Those wishing to travel on Rosa, please book with the TSA Office on 9557 6713 or e-mail nanne@templesociety.org.au before the Office closes on 19^th December.

Members and friends – of any age – are also invited to bring drinks and supper to share and join others in the Community Room to see in the New Year.

We are now accepting enrolments for next year. Children should be at least 6 years of age or in Year 1 at school. Classes will be on Tuesdays from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Bayswater Community Hall and will commence on 10^th February 2009.

Enrolments for 2009 are now being accepted. Students must have completed at least Prep but preferably also Year 1 at their day school in 2008. Please be advised that there is a waiting list for students who wish to attend our Muttersprachler classes.

Classes for 2009 will commence on Monday 9^th February for Muttersprachler students and Wednesday 11^th February for German as a second language students. Classes are conducted from 5:00 – 7:00pm.

Our German School year for 2008 will conclude with Adventsfeiern on Monday 8^th and Wednesday 10^th December commencing at 6:00pm. Community members and friends are invited to attend.

In Bentleigh, German classes for adult beginners will commence again in 2009 through Language Matters. Please contact Sigrid Schweiger for more information.

My first year as Playgroup Coordinator has been a great experience with you all.

Enrolments for 2009 are now being taken, please also let your friends know. Sessions are on Thursdays from 9:30am to 12:00 noon, for 2 to 4-year-olds. Call me by mid-December to book your place.

Working Bee at Bayswater – Thursday 29^th January, between 9:30am and 12:00 noon.

We are now finalising bookings for the camp at Bournda National Park. Please contact one of us to book so that final arrangements can be completed. Accommodation will be BYO tent, caravan or swag. We will provide the rest.

How time has flown. It only seems like yesterday. To mark this memorable occasion we hope to organise an informal get-together for Saturday 23^rd May 2009. The location is still to be decided, but will probably be either the Bentleigh or Bayswater Hall.

Shay Farkash from the Israeli Preservation Team reports that the headstone of Friedrich Bulach was found, restored and transferred to the Templer Cemetery in Jerusalem by the Israel restoration team: David Kaidis – headstone builder; Ory Sofer – historian art student; Meir Aharoni – tour guide; Itzik Shveky – head of the Preservation Council in Jerusalem; Shay Farkash – Conservator. Shay said, ‘we were happy to put part of the history in its right place.’

Peter Lange from Stuttgart wrote to Shay in Israel: ‘Through your mail to Martin Higgins I heard of your discovery in Tel-Aviv of the headstone of Friedrich Bulach. I can inform you that Friedrich Bulach was my great-grandfather (grandfather of my mother) and that I am in a position to tell you more about this important and well-known supporter and follower of the Temple Society in its early days.

‘Friedrich Bulach (born 9.7.1832 in Undingen) died in 1885 in the Jaffa colony and was buried there. In later years, the dead of the Jaffa Templers were transported to the newly established cemetery in Sarona. In 1952, after the Sarona colony’s forced sale to Tel-Aviv through the British mandate authorities, all graves of the Sarona cemetery were transferred to the Templer cemetery in Refaim/Jerusalem, but apparently not all of the headstones were included in this transfer, as the cases of Heinrich Breisch and Friedrich Bulach now demonstrate.

‘When Friedrich Bulach died in 1885, his wife Margarethe née Rehm (born 2.12.1844 in Dapfen, died 30.4.1923 in Jaffa) married Paul Friedrich Tietz. Therefore, her name on the headstone is ‘Margarethe Tietz verw. (widowed) Bulach geb. (née) Rehm’. The fact that her name is engraved in the headstone on top and her husband, who had died earlier, below indicates that the headstone was not manufactured until after her death.

‘Friedrich Bulach was a member of the Temple Society right from its start in 1861. He was one of Hoffmann’s acting Elders, conducting religious services and confirmation classes. For five years he was editor of the weekly periodical Warte des Tempels. When the Templer leaders migrated from Württemberg to Palestine (Christoph Hoffmann and Georg David Hardegg in 1868, Christoph Paulus in 1873), Friedrich Bulach took over responsibility as the head of the remaining Templers in Germany. But as the founding of the first four Templer settlements in the Holy Land made it necessary that more people of good religious reputation should come into the country, Friedrich decided to join his fellow-countrymen and migrated to Jaffa with his wife and his numerous children. It was a great shock to his family and all the Templers when, as a result of the harsh change of climate, he developed a heart disease and died at the age of only 53. He was greatly mourned by all Templers.

‘We are extremely grateful to you for letting us know of your discovery and for inquiring about biographical data of Friedrich Bulach. It is good to know that we have such good friends like you who are history-minded and who are willing to undergo trouble and difficulties in solving problems of a spiritual nature. Thanks again for your friendliness.’

Over the last few months, comments worth repeating have been made: ‘Whenever the Templer Record arrives at my home, the very first pages I look at are the Heritage Pages. Good on you, Horst, please keep it up.’ – from a regular reader in Stuttgart, Germany.

‘Dear Horst, whenever I visit the TTHA I really enjoy walking through the lovely new exhibition on Nazareth lace and the Wagners that you have hung in there, and on behalf of the Heritage & Culture Focus Group I would like to thank you very much for all your efforts in setting up this exhibition. Coincidentally, it was hung soon after my mother, Isolde Ruff, moved into the new Warrina Wing, and she has told me how pleased she is to see photos of her family and to be able to explain the photos to others. I think this helped a little to ease her transition to the Home. So a double thankyou from me! Kind regards.’ – from Karin Ruff, Melbourne.

‘I always like to look at the photographs in the Heritage Pages.’ – a TR reader from Bayswater.

‘We enjoyed reading that most interesting Templer Record supplement issue number one (November 2006) The Case of the German Templers in Eretz-Israel by Yossi Ben-Artzi, University of Haifa. When can we expect another supplement?’ – a reader from Bayswater.

In answer to the above comment, the next Templer Record supplement is under preparation and we hope to send it out together with the February 2009 TR. The topic will be a review of the Jugendgruppe in the early 1950s. Other topics under preparation are: ‘The Haifa Colony with the Struve Soap factory’ and ‘The Betlehem Colony near Nazareth’.

In Israel, planning is under way to restore Café Lorenz to its original condition. The planning team (in particular Shay Farkash) has few or no photos of the inside and they are desperate for any photos that anyone may have of any function or otherwise taken inside. If you have any, could you let us know, or contact Shay directly.

Shay is also seeking the whereabouts of any descendents of Franz Nothbaum, who managed Café Lorenz in the late 1930s. If anyone has any information, could they please help.

The second part of our northern Tanzanian journey was to follow much of the route of Karl Knoll’s exploratory tour of 1907: visit some of the areas where the Blaich family started new farms after World War l and retrace the route that our grandparents, Gottlieb and Paula Glenk with their son Ewald, our father who was nine months old at the time, took from Tanga (the main port in what was northern German East Africa) to the Arusha region. We did the trip in reverse – from the inland to the coast.

For this part of our journey we hired a four-wheel-drive and an English and Swahili-speaking driver. We were the guides indicating where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see.

Our first destination was Ol Donyo Sambu to the north-west of Arusha. In this region towards the foothills of Mt Meru, the Blaich family started a farm. At Ol Donyo Sambu we visited a Lutheran Mission still operating today. At the mission there were several old buildings from the turn of the 20^th century built by the early German missionaries who ventured into this region. A large memorial to commemorate the Boer Trek of 1904 has also been erected in the mission grounds. The Kaiser gave refuge to the Boers in German East Africa (and similarly also in German South West Africa) after they were driven from their lands in southern Africa by the British.

From Oldonyo Sambu we headed west across the Northern Massai Steppe towards Ngare Nanyika. There are no defined roads in this region and we had to take with us and rely on a Massai who knew the area and could tell our driver which track to follow. We came across a few ruins of former European-built buildings. The country is Massai territory and we saw several cattle and goat herds accompanied by young Massai shepherds. The countryside on the northern side of Mt Meru is flat and very arid, bordering on to desert country – dry grass interspersed with low scrubby bushes, a few acacia trees and clusters of cacti.

This dry area really brought home to us how scarce and precious water is. Wherever there was any water, women and children from the Massai villages would gather to collect it in all types of containers, and then carry it for kilometres, usually on their heads, back to their mud huts in the village. In some places, donkeys with water containers tied to their backs were used to carry the water.

We reached the village of Ngare Nanyika and, after making inquires, were given directions to an old European-built farmhouse a few kilometres away. There were no defined roads, so we drove along tracks until we came to it. In its day it must have been a substantial farmhouse with several outbuildings including a water tank, all built out of natural stone. A native family was living in an adjoining house and they allowed us to explore the old farm site.

Onwards we travelled in a south-easterly direction through the sweeping valley between Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru towards Sanya Juu. It was through this valley that the British forces advanced during WW l when they captured Arusha and Moshi to drive the German forces south. On the outskirts of Sanya Juu, the greenery of agricultural fields was a pleasant change from the dry, parched country we had traversed. Sanya Juu with its rich fertile soil and abundant water was the site of another Blaich Farm.

A little further on we reached Moshi – a large town. Today Moshi is the starting point for trekking in the Kilimanjaro National Park or climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. By 1914, just before WW l, the Germans had built a railway line from Tanga to Moshi. Karl Knoll was in Moshi in September 1907 and spoke with the District Commissioner there about settlement in this region before venturing further inland.

We continued on a good bitumen road in a south-easterly direction towards Same, parallel with the Pare Mountains on one side and the now unused railway on the other. We knew our grandparents, Carl Kuebler and several others travelled by train as far as it reached, which was approximately 25km north of Same. We asked our driver to stop at the nearest village about 25km from Same and ask where the railway was. A local native hopped on to the running board and directed us across country until we reached the rail line. He and our driver couldn’t understand our excitement as we stood on the disused railway line and took photos – nothing like this had ever happened in that village before! We believe the countryside has not changed at all, and our thoughts went back over 100 years to when this small group of settlers, together with ten porters, set off on foot through the African wilderness towards Mt Kilimanjaro and Arusha – what an adventurous undertaking!

A little further on at Mombo, we turned north into the lush and beautiful Usambara Mountains. Knoll wrote in glowing terms about this region and what the Germans were achieving there. We wanted to see Lushoto (the former town of Wilhelmstal) high up in the mountains. A good winding road with spectacular scenery over several old, solid, stone bridges (built by the Germans over 100 years ago) took us to Lushoto. On the way there we observed waterfalls, steep gullies, some native villages with the women in brightly-coloured dresses often carrying heavy loads on their heads, and much agriculture in the rich volcanic soil. In Lushoto the German influence is very evident – solid stone and brick buildings with tiled roofs, like those seen in the Black Forest in southern Germany. In the adjoining area many former German farms can be seen. We were amazed to see large eucalypt trees lining the road for several kilometres. We were told they had been planted by the German authorities to clearly mark the roads and boundaries. Evidently the climate at Lushoto, at 1500m altitude, is very much to the Europeans’ liking – no wonder the Germans were thinking of making it their capital in German East Africa. It is a real retreat from the heat and humidity of the coastal and lower regions.

On our way to Tanga we stopped at Hale – a small, squalid African town. Again with the help of locals we viewed the remains of a large structural steel bridge over the Pangani River that was built by Friedrich Assmus (who married Paula Blaich). The bridge was quite an engineering feat in its day. Our visit caused tremendous interest and excitement in the town and virtually the whole population came to see ‘these strangers’ who had come to look at a derelict bridge. In the town, we noticed many verandah posts made of steel beams which once supported the bridge.

On leaving the mountains we travelled on through miles of sisal plantations to Tanga. In colonial days Tanga was a thriving port in German East Africa. It was the centre of administration and a stronghold of the Schutztruppe for the northern region of the colony. This was the port where the Templers from Palestine landed to start their journey into the interior of the colony. Today Tanga is a rather dirty, run-down town with many dilapidated buildings, as most of the trade and commerce and government administration for Tanzania has been moved to Dar es Salaam and the sisal industry has declined. We walked along the foreshore on the Bay of Tanga and the wide Independence Avenue (formerly Kaiserstrasse) where many of the grand old German colonial buildings still stand – some have been restored whilst others have been neglected. We took a local guide to show us around – visiting the former Boma and administration offices, the old school where Christoph Reinhard taught and became Principal, the old railway station (below) and the German War Memorial to commemorate the Battle of Tanga where a handful of Schutztruppe officers and a few hundred askaris (native soldiers) defeated an overwhelming number of British troops (taking over 6000 prisoners) in November 1914.

It was a most rewarding experience for us to have seen first-hand this part of Africa where our forefathers went. The vastness of the land and the hardships they endured to get to their destination and start farms in the wilderness is very difficult to fully comprehend. Their courage and commitment to achieve this is not to be underestimated.

The full story, a historical account of these determined and adventurous Templer settlers, is set out in full in my book Shattered Dreams at Kilimanjaro. It is a little-known chapter of the overall Templer history – but nevertheless an important chapter.

The book is available from the Office of the Temple Society in Bentleigh; from Horst Blaich and from Helmut Glenk, e-mail hglenk1@optusnet.com.au It would make a great Christmas present!

REFLECTIONS

If the Earth

were only a few feet

in diameter floating a few

feet above a field somewhere,

people would come from everywhere

to marvel at it. People would walk around it,

marvelling at its big pools of water, its little pools,

and the water flowing between the pools. People

would marvel at the bumps on it, and the holes in it,

and they would marvel at the ever so thin layer of gas

surrounding it and the water suspended in the gas. The

people would marvel at the creatures moving around the

surface of the globe, and the creatures in the water. People

would declare it precious because it was the only one, and

they would protect it so that it would not be hurt. The ball

would be the greatest wonder known, and people

would come to behold, to be healed and gain

knowledge, to know beauty and to wonder

how it could be. People would love it and

defend it with their lives, because they

would somehow sense that their lives,

their own roundness, would be as

nothing without it. If the world

were only a few feet

in diameter…

Author is unknown.

Remembering is an act of resurrection, each repetition a vital layer of mourning, in memory of those we are sure to meet again. – Nancy Cobb, in In Lieu of Flowers.

November is traditionally a month to remember those who have died. There is Remembrance Day – can you remember school days when at 11 o’clock on the 11^th of the 11^th you stood or sat for a minute’s silence? Then there are All Saints or All Hallows Day on 1.11. (with Halloween on 31.10.), and All Souls Day on 2.11. and also Volkstrauertag (Tatura).

When you lose a loved one in your life you need to decide, often quite quickly, what to do for that person. Mostly we don’t talk about death to one another or as family, because many people don’t like to think about their own mortality – that we will all die one day! It is a good idea to let the people close to you know your wishes while you are still able to express your thoughts.

In Germany in November there is Friedhofs day – a Sunday when people traditionally visit their loved one’s last resting place. At that time the weather is cold, dark and foggy as winter approaches, and soon snow may cover the ground. Many shops sell Grabschmuck, beautiful flower arrangements using evergreen cypress or conifer branches, highlighted with some dried flowers. Often a votive light is included. Cemeteries in Germany are really beautiful – be it a little graveyard tucked in behind a country church, or a huge ‘garden’ cemetery where one can sit quietly, read a paper and reflect on life in general. I remember my mother coming back from her first trip to Germany and telling me how beautiful German cemeteries are, and now I have seen them myself. They are truly well-kept memorial gardens with each grave competing with its neighbour to see which one can be the most beautifully or creatively planted. Cemeteries or memorial gardens in Victoria are usually also quite beautiful surroundings in which to place the remains of your loved ones. Often the family buys a few sites next to one another so the other family members can be reunited in death, at their last resting place.

Flowers have special significance as well. The traditional wreath is a circle with no beginning and no end. Poppies have been used as symbols for remembrance since ancient Egyptian times. Rosemary is also a herb of remembrance, as are ivy and evergreen branches. Daffodils and narcissus in springtime also signify rebirth or life after death.

I like remembering special people in my life in nature. [My late husband] Winfried’s ashes are scattered in the sea opposite Kilcunda between Phillip Island and the mainland. As a family we go to the beach to visit and remember him. Lunch at the ‘Killy’ Pub follows. Both his grandchildren have also played and splashed in the sea where we go to throw in a few flowers a couple of times a year. When we visit on a balmy day we enjoy the sun’s warm rays, while on a dull, windy day we put our arms around each other and gain comfort from each other’s body warmth. We watch the flowers ride the waves, be brought back in to the shore and finally, when they catch a strong current, be taken out to sea. It reminds me of coping with death. At first we don’t want to let go, we keep bringing our loved one back, but then as time passes we realise that they and we have moved on and nature takes its course.

I also have flowers in my garden from people who have since passed away. Edith Neef gave me an unusual plant which flowers pink every year and, when it does, I send her my love. My Grandmother Rickele Imberger loved forget-me-nots and fleißige Liesele. Else Huebner gave me cuttings from her Sydney rock orchids. They give me so much pleasure every spring and, yes, they were in flower this year just as she died. Traude Uhlherr is represented by one of her white camellias, which has survived the drought and flowers prolifically each spring. My Mum loved and grew roses. Peace was one of her favourites and I always bring her the first rose out of my garden, grown from her cuttings. I see these as very positive reminders of people I know and have known.

We all remember people who are no longer with us physically on earth and I think it is good to acknowledge their memory when we are moved to remember them, be it at Christmas, when their favourite song is played on the radio, on their birthday or any other ‘special’ day. It is in the memory of our loved ones that we live on and what better way to remember someone precious than with flowers – for them and for us.

Life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon; and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight. – Rossiter W. Raymond

Those who hear my words and do them are like a wise man who built his house on rock…

Son of a carpenter and probably a carpenter himself, Jesus chooses an everyday image to make his point at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. His focus is not so much on shonky builders, constructors of bricks and wood, as on the construction of our ‘life house’, for which his teaching provides a solid foundation that will withstand the storms of life. To him, hearing and doing are as one, since words without action remain theory, nothing but good intentions.

Does Jesus expect us to take literally the whole Sermon on the Mount with its radical challenges? Like: don’t worry about tomorrow, when one cheek is slapped turn the other one, when your jacket is stolen, give your coat to the thief as well, and love your enemies. Who can fulfil all these expectations? No wonder the listeners were astonished, even horrified!

The Sermon on the Mount certainly makes us aware of how far we fall behind what Jesus expects of people who want to be part of the kingdom of God. But there is no reason to despair. The message that God’s love is unconditional can encourage us, too. His message can free us from the fear of failing, for if those who by human standards are losers, are winners with God, then we can’t really lose. It can free us from making idols of personal achievements and possessions, for if those, who are and own nothing, gain the kingdom of God, then there is really no room for fearing that we are inadequate or that we might lose our material wealth.

An effective motto for living a fulfilled, successful life is the Golden Rule in Jesus’ teaching on the Mount: Behave towards others as you would like them to behave towards you. With the parable about building on a rock-solid foundation, Jesus holds up a mirror to us: what is our life based on? Do we not frequently concern ourselves more with the externals, about what others might think of us and our lifestyle, than with the purpose and meaning of our lives?

He offers a workable alternative: we are accepted by God just as we are, therefore we can also accept ourselves and others. There is no better foundation for our lives than this.

As I write, the global financial markets continue to shed trillions of dollars, just like that. Our oh-so-sophisticated Western consumer societies are in the grip of panic, and the fear and uncertainty, hyped up even further by the media, are making things worse.

The (admittedly mixed) metaphor that comes to mind is a house of cards built on sand – remember the parable above about the foolish man who built his house upon the sand? When the rains came – perhaps, as in so many drought-affected parts of Australia, the people had forgotten what real rain was like – the house was washed away because it had no solid foundation. Perhaps the ‘foolish’ man was ‘just’ inexperienced, or listened to inexperienced ‘experts’ also motivated by making (or ‘saving’) a quick buck, with no thought of the consequences that, sooner or later, inevitably follow.

The wise man who built his house on rock, on a solid foundation that withstood the storms and the rain, was called wise because he heard and did what Jesus taught. I am not about to play financial adviser but, as an Elder, I can’t help wondering whether the current crisis is not a wake-up call to change our ways, ein Wink mit dem Zaunpfahl to hear and do what benefits our world and our neighbours as well as ourselves and relegate the ‘me first’ and ‘greed is good’ mentality to the bin. Relearn and practise moderation, neighbourliness, respect for diversity in our fellow human beings and the environment and ‘even’ for the creative Power behind our precious globe floating in space. Listen to our inner wisdom, particularly when making decisions that also affect others, as Mark said at the AGM.

We could start by slowing down a bit and paying attention to what is around us. From the Christian perspective, the better we can pay attention, the more the Divine meets us at every turn, asking only to be seen, tasted, touched, smelled, heard and loved. These moments of real attention are like prayers, anytime, anywhere, and often lead to joy, gratitude and a more balanced view of things. Stopping to ‘smell the roses’ opens the heart and calms us down. At the Marysville retreat, our ‘lacuna moments’ – spaces to recall the Divine in and with us – had that effect.

The season of Advent, which this year begins at the end of November, is about waiting and watching for something new to be born. Imagine a highly pregnant Mary waiting to be delivered of this baby, reflecting on how this new being might unfold and affect their lives. Advent is a time for space to open up in expectant hearts – new, empty space, a lacuna, ready to be filled. In making room for the new light and for deeper insight and wisdom, we help to create it. Remember that we are often told in the Bible: fear not! Don’t be afraid! So let us look ahead with courage, confidence and love, and act from faith, not fear.

Some questions follow. Take a ‘waiting’ approach – read one, allow one or two minutes of silence, then write down a few words that come to mind during your silent waiting. Then reflect or discuss more fully.

Take a walk at your favourite park or the bush or the beach. When you feel full of the beauty of nature, refreshed and ready to go home, stop. Wait… until you’re bored. Wait through the boredom into something new… until an empty space opens up inside. Wait for new eyes to see, new light, if, by grace, it comes into your life.

Second half based partly on Sacred Attention, A Spiritual Practice for Finding God in the Moment, Margaret D. McGee, Skylight Paths, 2007.

This Regional Council meeting’s primary focus was on preparation for the TSA AGM on 19^th October.

From the TGD in Germany we heard that at their annual members’ meeting in early October, Jörg Klingbeil was re-elected as Community Head for another 4 years. The pamphlet Spuren des Tempels, produced for visitors to Israel who are interested in visiting the former Templer settlements, is being translated into English. The TGD has been putting a lot of thought into how best to maintain the Templer cemeteries in Israel in the future; details were presented at the TSA AGM.

The issues regarding the sale to TTHA of the land on which it stands, the future of the Templer Village units and the TSA financial reports were discussed to ensure clear communication to Members before and at the AGM.

The details for this year’s Remembrance Day at Tatura were clarified after a meeting with the new German Consul. In the future, it is likely that this commemoration service will alternate between Tatura and a venue in Melbourne bi-annually (perhaps in our Chapel).

Activities of the Focus Groups have been reported in recent issues of the Templer Record in preparation for the AGM.

Special efforts are being made to maintain constructive dialogue between RC and the Templer representatives on the TTHA Board (COM) and to ensure that the channels of communication between the TSA and the AGWS, and between the TSA and Mr Achilles (TTHA CEO), remain open.

As I have now retired from the Regional Council, I end on a personal note: I thank the Regional Heads and all the RC members I have had the privilege to work with over the past 20 years. All of them have represented, and continue to represent, the TSA membership to the best of their ability and in good faith. I pray that they continue to receive the support of the whole Templer community in their quest to guide the TSA into the future.

I thank the Templer community for its faith in me and for supporting me in my role as their representative. The TSA has given me the opportunity to develop my leadership skills and, by occasionally pushing me outside my comfort zone, to develop personally. Without my time in the Regional Council, I would not be the person I am today.

In acknowledgement of her 20 years of service on RC, Renate was presented with a lovely bouquet of flowers at the AGM, to much acclaim.

The Welfare & Distant Focus Group has met regularly in Bayswater. The activities most obvious to the community are our seminars. In October 2007 we held a very successful one on Palliative Care in Bayswater which, in a slightly different format, was repeated at Bentleigh in May 2008. Dr Geoff McCallum and Dr Irene Bouzo were instrumental in organising speakers for these events. Dr Irene Wagner, our main speaker, was very informative. The planning and advertising of the seminar in Bentleigh gave us an opportunity to introduce ourselves, and thus the Temple Society, to a variety of organisations in the south-eastern suburbs.

Currently we are working with the Elders to develop a set of guidelines and procedures for funerals, as well as a liaison person to ensure that all funerals run smoothly. Hopefully this will help ease the stress for families and for the officiating Elder.

Members of the Welfare & Distant FG have also been involved in Telelink, Partners without Partners and with developing the Policy and Procedures document for the Care Worker.

In June 2008 we regretfully accepted Dr Irene Bouzo’s resignation as Care Worker and worked with the Care Worker Support Group to find a new Care Worker for the TSA. Martina Eaton began work in the role in September 2008.

Gippsland – A well-attended service was held on 17^th February at Phillip Island by Dr Rolf Beilharz. A walk at the beach after a shared lunch is becoming quite a tradition. Kaffee und Kuchen before the trip home is always welcome. Donations taken at this service are given to the Uniting Church in Cowes. This is a small way we can thank them for the use of their facilities.

Central Western services were held at Kennington on 20^th April at the home of Karin Williamson who, along with her two daughters Hannah and Emma, made us all welcome. The Elder was Theo Richter. Again, lunch was followed by a walk. Afternoon tea rounded off the day wonderfully.

Ballarat on 5^th October. These services have been held in the open at Eureka Park. So far the weather has been kind, if a bit chilly. Christa Lingham conducted the service. This was followed by a shared lunch, a walk and afternoon tea. We are looking for an indoor venue.

Our thanks as always go to the Elders for their sometimes experimental, but always thought-provoking services, which often lead to much discussion, making our after-lunch walks even more interesting. We also thank the bus drivers (Erika Anderson and Mark Herrmann) for their input to the day and often the extra driving they do so that we can view something special.

These country services are for the whole community, but were initiated to give those living further afield the opportunity to enjoy a service in their own area. Thoughts and ideas from country members are always welcome so that these services will best cater for their needs.

Overall we have had an interesting year. My thanks to all members of the Welfare & Distant Focus Group for their efforts.

As always, religious services in our Gemeindehaus (community centre) in Degerloch are central to our community life. Numbers may be declining, but the community afternoons remain the focal points where we come together. Coffee, cake and conversation after the services keep members in touch. There are also morning services, which alternate between our community centre and the Home for the Aged in Hoffeld. Besides these traditional services, special services were held, too.

The Youth Service last November deserves a mention. Past confirmands conceived and carried out this service together. Their theme was How do I use media? The theme’s relevance was demonstrated by several people’s participating via video, as they could not be there in person. A large part of the service was on how do we go about using the ‘medium, ‘Bible’.

On Maundy Thursday another Agape was celebrated; this is popular, like the Easter service.

The evening devotion on the last Sunday before the summer break has just about become a tradition. The biblical messages portrayed in Marc Chagall’s stained glass windows were explained, with much music.

Celebratory services like Founding Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas continue to be highlights in our year, with choir projects led by Erika Krügler and Rumi Hornung respectively. Children participated in the Christmas service with a play. No Confirmation was held this year.

To keep in touch with distant members, a meeting was held in Munich. We should probably do this more often, but our small number of Elders already spend a fair amount of their time in preparing and holding services and funerals.

This year’s Weekend Seminar stands out for two reasons: Rolf and Vyrna Beilharz took part, Rolf presenting a paper and both joining in the discussions; secondly, the past 15 confirmation years were represented by a number of young people. During the seminar, there were common and parallel sessions – the young people want to join in all the discussions with the older ones next time, a heartening indication for us to continue organising these seminars. The theme was Science, Religion and Ethics – the relationship between science and faith.

Three concerts were held by Rumi and Irina Hornung, by musical friends of Karin Klingbeil and by Henriette Auracher née Blaich.

Camps were organised for families (in October 2007) and for children (at the start of the summer holidays). Our Youth Committee is endeavouring to provide children’s activities (e.g. kite-making or a visit to a rock-climbing facility) during major community events.

Our Friday evening gatherings are quite popular. These occur once a month in the community centre. Interesting subjects attract members and non-members alike: the politics of security and counter-terrorism; humour in the Bible; fair trade; bee-keeping; and juvenile delinquency are some examples.

Six of the Cemetery Group travelled to Israel to tend the Templer cemeteries in Haifa and Jerusalem. They checked on the condition of each and weeded and restored the lettering on the gravestones – the climate makes this necessary every few years.

The Haifa cemetery looks good, thanks to the gardener, Adnan. He and his wife Sophia were invited to the guest unit in Stuttgart for a week and were shown around. The RC was happy to thank them in this way for Adnan’s good and trustworthy work.

The Jerusalem cemetery is causing concern. The Cemetery Group was able to find a new gardener, whose work to date is very satisfactory. The overall situation had to be evaluated, so that further steps can be undertaken regarding the rear wall and the vacant part of the land.

Finally, Brigitte Kneher has handed over responsibility for the archive to Peter Lange.

It has been lovely meeting even more of you this month and I am grateful to you all for welcoming me so warmly into your homes and your lives.

As I mentioned at the AGM on 19^th October, you will find enclosed in this TR a survey for all members to fill out and return to me before 10^th December or a little later. This gives you lots of time to discuss with your partners and children the answers to the questions and to send them back to me or give them in an envelope to Petra, Michelle or Amy at the TTHA reception desk and they will pass them on to me.

Your feedback will be used to provide services and events that you want to participate in and have your community worker (me!) helping you with. I am here for all members of the Templer Community – younger and older, single and married, working, studying or retired. The more feedback you give me, the more I can tailor my work to your needs. I greatly appreciate your time in filling out this form and look forward to your feedback. Thank you in advance!

This month’s topic is Communication is the key. The way you communicate has a big impact on your ability to get on with people and get the things that you want. Good communication skills can help you to avoid conflict and to solve problems. Open and honest communication is also important for making friends and having healthy relationships, at home and in business.

Assertive Communication involves clearly expressing what you think, how you feel and what you want, without demanding that you must have things your way. The basic underlying assumption is 'We both matter – let’s try to work this out'. Assertive communication increases your likelihood of getting what you want, avoiding conflict and maintaining good relationships (I win and you win).

● Make reasonable requests of other people (while accepting their right to say 'no')

Aggressive Communication is expressed in a forceful and hostile manner, and usually involves alienating messages such as you-statements (blaming the other person and accusing them of being wrong or at fault – ‘you always…’). The speaker's tone of voice and facial expressions are unfriendly. The assumption behind aggressive communication is 'Your needs don't matter' (I win and you lose).

Passive Communication involves putting your needs last. You don't express your thoughts or feelings, or ask for what you want. When you use passive communication it feels like others are walking all over you because you don't assert your own needs. So you bottle things up and probably feel resentful. The assumption behind passive communication is ‘My needs don’t matter’ (you win and I lose).

We often communicate without thinking, but our words and tone of voice have a profound effect on all of our interactions. Next time you are talking with someone, think about the way you communicate and make sure it is a win/win situation.

‘Communication’ Based on ‘Taking Charge’ by Dr Sarah Edelman and Louise Remond, Foundation for Life Services (2005); website: www.fis.org.au

The last Alzheimer’s Vic Evening Memory Seminar for 2008 is fast approaching. It’s free and part of the Dementia and Memory Community Centre program of events.

Topic: Preparing for Christmas and the holiday season: strategies, techniques and activities.

Christmas and the holidays can be a very stressful time, especially for families and friends caring for a person with dementia. This seminar will look at ways to help during this time. It will explore how reminiscence and the use of life books and personal histories can play a part. It will also provide ideas for some Christmas activities that can be enjoyed together at home.

und wünschen auch allen hier nicht angeführten Geburtstagskindern alles Gute und Schöne zum neuen Lebensjahr.

Margaret Maria Richter passed away peacefully at Wantirna Health on 9.9.2008, aged 81 years. She was the much-loved wife of Hans Richter, mother of James and Kylie Todd, stepmother of Peter and Judy Richter, Lynette and Peter Haar, loving Oma of Stephanie and Jake Todd, Monica and Josh Henshaw, Christina Haar and Craig Woolley, Liesel Haar, Stephanie and Ashleigh Richter, Ur-Oma of Blake and Joel Woolley, Emily and Lachlan Henshaw.

Our families wish to thank everyone for their love and support during the time of her illness, and for all their condolences since her passing. She will be in our hearts forever.

We also wish to thank Dr Rolf Beilharz for his very touching service at the Templer Chapel. A special thankyou to the ladies who did a wonderful job organising the refreshments afterwards in the Bayswater Hall.

Willi Jacob Reichert (Uncle Bill) passed away on 24.9.2008 at St Vincents Hospital.

Finally at peace and re-united with his family and especially his brothers Paul and Hugo and his sister Elfriede. Willi was a gentle, friendly, humble man prepared to help whenever and wherever he could. He will be sadly missed and his memory will live on in those who knew and loved him.

Uncle of Helga Davey, Erich and Marie Reichert, great-uncle of Matthew, Shelli, David and Steven and great-great-uncle of Joshua and Keira.

From Germany we hear that Jakob Ertel died suddenly on 5.9.2008, aged 57. He and his family emigrated from Russia 13 years ago and joined the Stuttgart Templers straight away like other relatives, especially his brother Alexander.

I just want to say how much I enjoy reading about the Beilharz-Smythe exploits in their Istanbulletins. We visited that vibrant city last year and were able to tour the Western part of Turkey and conduct a pilgrimage down to the Gallipoli Peninsula. We thoroughly enjoyed our Turkish experience, and reading the Istanbulletins takes us back there.

Others from NSW, Victoria, France and Germany have also said they enjoy the Istanbulletins.

What a weekend, what exquisite singing, what emotions, what memories! These were the feelings expressed by the 30-odd members of the Templer Choir who met in Adelaide for the 14^th Sängerfest of the Deutscher Sängerbund. Preparations for the day started as early as 8:30 in the morning. Fourteen German-speaking/singing choirs assembled in the Adelaide Town Hall. A beautiful building dating back to 1866, it has glorious acoustics and was well suited to host a wonderful day of music.

Saturday started with rehearsals. The very young and brilliant conductor of the Adelaider Liedertafel 1858, Jonathan Bligh, began proceedings by assembling most of the 400 singers on stage. He went straight into the most difficult piece, the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Accompanied by the huge town hall organ with its 4500 pipes, we came forth with a fantastic rendition. I admit to shaking with emotion at how good it sounded. Even the first performance was absolutely ‘earth-shattering’. Jonathan clapped ecstatically and could not believe how little he had to modify. It sounded overwhelming. Yes, he did speak about better diction, some parts to be sung softer or louder, but in the main he had to change very little. There were more songs to be reviewed and practised, but we finished the practice session early, leaving time before the concert.

Then, from 2:00 until 5:30pm, the 14 individual choirs each presented their own program. Our Templer Choir had rehearsed 3 varied pieces: Ein deutsches Gloria Patri; Im Walde and Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust. Allow me to be extremely biased – under the baton of our fantastic conductor, Annette Wagner-Hesse, we sang a most brilliant presentation. Annette had drilled us to perfection. We were all very pleased with the result.

After some fast food provided by Ingeborg and Kurt Imberger (our trip organisers), we met again in the evening to participate in the Gala Concert which included the South Australia Police Band, four extremely talented opera singers and, of course, the 14 choirs. After we all sang the national anthems of Australia, Germany and Austria, the evening’s proceedings were opened by our hosts, the Adelaider Liedertafel 1858 who, by the by, were celebrating their 150^th anniversary.

We heard the massed male choir, the massed ladies’ choir, the opera singers and a superb presentation from the Police Band. It played Johann Strauss’ Radetzky March, with those present clapping and singing in an atmosphere resembling the famous promenade concerts of Vienna.

At the evening’s conclusion, the entire massed choir was recalled on stage and (again) sang the Hallelujah Chorus, as well as Lobet den Herrn der Welt, and finally the often-sung Heimat. It was a long, but thoroughly satisfying day.

The day of singing was, of course, accompanied by other events. On Friday evening, some senior Sängerfest organisers met the mayor of Adelaide at the town hall and the others had a great time at the German Club, celebrating Oktoberfest.

On Sunday we all went to the German Club to consume a huge brunch, served up in their sizeable club rooms. Maria Schmelzle, the main festival organiser, lovingly looked after our group – thanks, Maria. In the evening, most of us attended a lavish ball in the Adelaide Convention Centre. In addition to the silver service, the exquisite meal and wines, a German, Austrian and Swiss two-man band played all the popular oldies we all love and sang to. What a fantastic conclusion to another Sängerfest!

Now I am privileged to thank all the people who tirelessly worked in the background raising money to help us attend this Sängerfest. Each member of the choir who came, received $320, almost half the cost involved. Money was raised during Sommerfest, Sonnwendfeier and the Bunter Abend in Bentleigh. On behalf of all the Templer Sängerfest attendees, we sincerely thank everybody who was involved in, or connected with, raising this money, especially Tania Richter and Krista Imberger for their efforts at the Bunter Abend.

On a beautiful spring morning bright and early, a happy group of nine people travelled in the Rosa bus, driven by Erika Anderson, to Ballarat for the Country Victoria service.

We arrived at Eureka Park around 11:00am where we met the Lingham family near the BBQ area. The chairs were set up informally and, following a welcome cup of coffee after our long journey, we settled down to the formal part of the day.

Christa opened the service with the hymn Lobe den Herren. The text for the day was Psalm 104 which is about the praise of God, especially praise for his hand in creation and the formation of the natural world and all its inhabitants. We concluded with the first verse of Trachtet ruft mit ernstem Worte, which we all knew without the hymn books. It was an inspiring and thought-provoking service.

Then the men cooked the meat on the BBQ while the ladies set up the communal food table. As always, there was a generous spread. We enjoyed the food and the good company. After lunch, some of us went to check out the water level in Lake Wendouree before indulging in the obligatory coffee and cake. All too soon it was time to pack up and, after a fond farewell, we boarded the bus and returned home.

We thank Christa for the inspiring service and Erika for driving the bus and bringing us back safely.

Saal – Ilse Birkner returned to her old stamping ground to conduct our September service. It was a delight for so many of us to see her and hear her wise words. She spoke on the passage where Jesus healed on the Sabbath and how the Pharisees claimed he was breaking the Jewish law by doing so. Ilse’s view was that it would be evil to not have healed, to have refused to do good on the Sabbath.

The Seniors’ Group outing consisted of a pleasant lunch at the bistro of the landmark Bull and Bush pub of Baulkham Hills, followed, down-the-road a little, by afternoon tea at Erika Schulz’s new townhouse. Spring weather, good food and good company made the afternoon enjoyable. Erika’s lovely new home fitted us all comfortably, even allowing the gentlemen outside in their own ‘dining room’ a well-earned rest from us women; the humour inside and between the male and female groups at times caused many a belly laugh to erupt. As for me, I felt privileged to be able to sit amongst such fun and beautiful people, to hear their stories and delight in their humour. Thanks to Erika for suggesting the outing and for having us.

On Sunday 19^th October, a few other Templers and I attended the St Hedwig’s Spring Fair and the blessing and opening of the new therapy wing. The fair was a lovely event with stalls, good German food and cakes, great entertainment including lovely items from residents, great folk dancing, even a little line dancing. The blessing of the new wing was a very special ceremony. We all admired the light and airy extensions. The dedication to detail was evident and indicative of the thorough care that the Home gives its residents. It felt like a privilege to be associated with this Home.

Advent/German Christmas experience – Sunday 30^th November 2:00pm at Meadowbank. A magical experience for kids to re-live some of the experiences of their forefathers at Advent and Christmas time. Craft and basic Gutsle (German biscuits), learn German carols, hear stories and experience traditions. Please RSVP to me. Invite long-lost cousins and Templer mates.

We’ll meet at the Log Cabin to have some lunch whilst overlooking the Nepean River.

Our usual special Christmas Saal. Let me know if your kids or grandkids want to be in this year’s play.

At the beautiful Bournda National Park – how could you get through a year without it? Book now! See October TR.

Youth Camp from 17^th to 24^th January 2009 on Sydney Harbour at Chowder Bay. 15+ years – surfing, sightseeing, water sports etc. Contact Susi Blackwell ASAP if you can go after all. See below.

If you haven’t been before, why not come with your Oma. The bus will be coming from Bayswater if you need transport – just book with the Office on 9557 6713. If you like making crafts, please make a few things with a Christmas flavour for us to sell.

We would love your assistance on the day, either with the set-up from 9:00am on the Sunday, or with selling raffle tickets at the bazaar during the afternoon, and we always need helpers to serve coffee and clean up afterward. You never know, you may even win one of the raffle prizes.

Gutsle making will take place at the Herrmanns on Saturday 29^th November from 2:00pm.

It will be held at Cape Otway again and as well as the ‘old faithfuls’ there will be some great things to do including surfing and the ‘Otway Fly’ walk. Summer Camp is open to all kids aged between 11 and 15 years (and not yet confirmed).

Information and application forms are available from the Office and have been sent out via e-mail to all families with age-appropriate kids who are listed on our e-mail database. If you didn’t receive an e-mail and would like some information about Summer Camp, please contact the Office or Susi Blackwell on susi@templesociety.org.au

SYDNEY YOUTH CAMP 2009 – Although the booking deadline has passed, there is room for more 15+ year olds. Contact Susi ASAP.

This will be the last activity for 2008 and it is an important one. This is when you can decide what is to be organised for you (I need help, because I am not a teenager and I do not know what you would like to do or what new things you would like to try). So please come along, have a swim, enjoy a BBQ dinner and do a bit of planning with me.

YOUTHFEST 2008 – Report

On Sunday 21^st September, Bayswater was taken over for Youthfest 2008. Around 70 young people came out to enjoy the spectacular day and the range of activities on offer. The Pinnacle of Terror and laser skirmish were particular favourites on the day, but the other attractions and activities also got a workout.

There were a huge number of people involved and we thank them all for their contributions towards making this event happen: Tony and Renate Beilharz, Mark and Marianne Herrmann, Mandy Etherington, Winnie Beilharz, Daniel Beilharz, Petra Murrihy-Ruff, Erika Anderson, Ingrid and Lisa Beilharz, Susi Blackwell, Jessica and Kate Blackwell, Paul Blaich, Petra and Natasha Cassai, Fred Decker, Melissa English, Manfred Haering, Paul Herrmann, Irene Kemper, Gary and Moni Imberger, Tania Richter, Liesl Sawatzky, Karl Steller, Erin Lubitz and Gary, Emily Herrmann, Dieter and Pam Edelmaier.

THANK-YOU TO YOU ALL for your help in making this day happen and ensuring that it all went according to plan!

The event was also supported by youth members from Eastside Christian Church in Bayswater. This gives us a starting point as we look towards Youthfest 2009 and our hope of including a partner organisation(s) to help with the planning of the event and promoting the event to increase its size and our outreach to the wider community.

We have already started talking about the next Youthfest – which we hope will take place in September or October 2009. Some ways you may already be able to support this event include:

Hopefully those of you who went to the Kids’ Club Fairy Park outing last month had a great time. It is a special and very fun place isn’t it?

We saw a lot of you at the presentation service in October, too. It’s been a while since we’ve had so many kids in the Sunday School room, and it was lovely. During this Sunday School session we talked about babies and the changes they bring, and how there are sometimes new rules in the house when a new baby arrives, like, ‘Ssshhh, be quiet, the baby’s asleep’ or ‘Don’t disturb Mum, she’s feeding the baby.’

During the Sunday School session before that we talked about some other rules found in the Old Testament in the Bible. They are called the Ten Commandments. Moses was given them from God on two stone tablets, on Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments tell people how they should live, and many countries base their laws on these rules.

At Sunday School we talked about what these rules meant and why they are important.

In the end, we decided that these rules are really important because they help make the world a better place to live in. These rules are about being honest, about being nice to each other, about being respectful, about being the best we can be and about peace and love.

There are so many other rules we could add, that would help make this world an even nicer place to be in. I wonder if you can think of any? How about these:

At Sunday School we decided that rules are everywhere; at home, at school, at Kinder, on the road, when you ride your bike, when you go to a play centre, when you play a sport, when you meet strangers, at the swimming pool, another long list! But we also decided that these rules were always there for a very good reason: so that we can all do the things we need to do safely and happily. That is why we are usually very happy to follow them!

Can you imagine a world without rules?! Imagine the cars driving on the roads. People would drive wherever and whenever they wanted to! No-one would watch out for anyone else. It would be very hard to cross the road. And imagine all the traffic jams and tooting horns and accidents!

Can you imagine a football game without rules? How would the players know which end to kick to? How would they know when to stop? Imagine all the fighting, and think of how many players may get hurt! It wouldn’t work too well, would it?

In the Temple Society, we don’t have strict rules to follow. But we do believe that to be a good Templer (and person) you need to: love yourself as a Temple or expression of God, and love your neighbour like yourself; it makes so much sense. And this, too, like all the other rules we talked about, will help make our lives much more enjoyable.

So, yes, there are many rules. And most of them are around for a good reason. This month think about how many rules you know and why they are there, and do your very best to follow them! Good luck!

THE TTHA CAFÉ is now open. Café hours are currently: Wednesdays and Thursdays 2:00pm – 4:00pm. If the demand requires our Café to open extra days, TTHA will endeavour for this to happen. Our Café is staffed by Volunteers, so if you’d like to help out please let Gabrielle Greiner know by e-mailing her on greiner.hg@hotmail.com Any new Volunteers would need to complete the necessary forms and Police Check which is handled by me, the Volunteer Co-ordinator at TTHA.

COMING SERVICES

All welcome to the service at Heinz Bulach’s place. BYO plates, cutlery, food to share. Map in October TR, page 49.

Members and friends are cordially invited to the service and community afternoon. Ladies are kindly asked to bring a cake to share.

The following people are rostered to help on the day. Please be at the Hall by 2:30pm to set up: Ingrid Edelmaier, Nelli Gabron, Rita Grubb, Megan Grubb, Marianne, Monika and Mark Herrmann, Doris and Caitlin Holley, Renate Hoffmann.

Polar icecaps – if the cap fits is a fundraising event for the North Pole Expedition being undertaken in 2009 by a team of environmentalists, including our member Linda Beilharz.

Enjoy a presentation by Linda with stories from previous expeditions to the South Pole and to Greenland, with observations about the effect of global warming and the value of working towards saving our environment. Fun environment-based activities and discussion, along with an afternoon tea of scones, jam and cream, will make for a satisfying and stimulating two hours. There will be further opportunities for supporting the expedition including sale of merchandise like a 2009 calendar with icecap pictures, raffles and sponsorship opportunities.

What can we do to make the Templer ‘cap’ fit you? A reflective discussion for young Templers, associates and friends, a totally different approach to a service led by Renate Weber. Non-members are particularly welcome to come and discuss how we can make the Templer ‘cap’ fit you.

You, the associate or friend of the Temple Society, do the talking, as we listen to each other for ideas for the future of the Temple Society. What needs to happen to encourage YOU to become a member?

Parents and members we need your help to spread the word to your offspring and friends who don’t receive the Templer Record. Invite them to come along and express their point of view.

Child minding is available for both events, so bring the whole family for a stimulating afternoon.

To assist with planning, we request that you book with the TSA Office 9557 6713 by Friday 28^th November, indicating which event/s you wish to attend.

If you would like to have your Christmas Greetings published in the December/January Templer Record, please let the Office have your name and donation by 18^th November.

People interested in attending the Tatura Memorial Service and planning to go on the bus please book at the TSA Office on 9557 6713 or nanne@templesociety.org.au by Monday 10^th November. Winnie Beilharz will be your driver. Winnie has booked a full size luxury coach with a lot of leg room as well as air-conditioning.

The bus will leave Bentleigh at 7:00am and Bayswater at 7:45am to arrive at the Tatura War Cemetery in time for the 11:00am memorial service. As we are hiring a coach, the cost of the bus will be $20 per person. The Templer Choir will be singing at the Tatura War Cemetery this year.

After the service, all who have arrived by bus can have lunch at the Tatura Golf Club at own cost. Anyone driving separately but who wishes to have lunch at the Golf Club is also asked to book with the TSA Office by 10^th November.

The Templer Craft Ladies will be holding a stall in the Glen Eira Council caravan somewhere between 101A and 113 Koornang Road Carnegie from 9:30am – 2:30pm.

Gisela Bulach is in charge and would love help on the day. For more information or offers of assistance, please contact Gisela Bulach. Money raised will be given to the Templer Playgroup to purchase new equipment.

As in the past, we ask as many people as possible to consider making at least one batch of Gutsle for the Adventsfeier. Maybe invite your family to get together and make some Gutsle for yourselves and some for us.

Gutsle can be left at the Office in Bentleigh or at Tony and Renate Beilharz’ home prior to Wednesday 26^th November.

On Saturday 29^th November from 2:00pm I will be making Gutsle at our home. If you have never made Gutsle and want to watch or would just like to come and help, I would love some assistance, especially some expert help; please bring aprons and rolling pins and anything else you think we might need.

It would be easier if I knew who was coming and if you were able to bring doughs already prepared – so please ring me at home or e-mail nanne@templesociety.org.au

Gutsle Packaging – will take place on Saturday 6^th December at 2:00pm in the Bentleigh Hall. Some help in packing (hopefully) lots and lots of Gutsle would be appreciated.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our Advent celebration. The program will start at 2:30pm and will be in English and German. The bus will travel from Bayswater leaving at 1:30pm outside TTHA. Bookings for the bus must be made with the TSA Office on 9557 6713.

We have had a number of people making wonderful items for the bazaar and welcome donations of lots more. You may wish to make food items for the bazaar – they are always popular – but please remember to include the ingredients on the packaging. Donations of Christmas cookies or Gutsle – we can never have too many – would be greatly appreciated. And donations of items for raffle prizes are also always gratefully received.

Donations of raffle prizes, Gutsle or any craft items can be left at the Office, 152 Tucker Road, Bentleigh, or at Renate and Tony Beilharz’ home prior to Wednesday 26^th November. Bazaar items may also be brought on the day but they must be priced.

Advent Helpers – are needed to set up the Hall on the Sunday morning from 9:00am onwards. Please come, as the more the merrier and the job will get done in a twinkling!! Any younger people – we would love to see you help us make this afternoon a success, by helping serve coffee and cakes and assisting with the cleaning up at the end. If you could come to the Hall around 2.00pm, you can help cutting up cakes etc (yuummm!)

Cakes – while you’re baking your Gutsle, please think about what type of cake or cookies you could bake for the day itself. We greatly appreciate people bringing something to share and making those plates of food on the table absolutely mouth-watering.

Don’t forget your spending money for the bazaar, the raffle and the special table decorations, which will be available for purchase afterwards. And now please mark the 7^th December in your diaries!

We invite all ladies, young and old, to celebrate Advent with us in the Bayswater Hall. Gentlemen are also welcome. Readings will be largely in English, carols in English and in German. If you have a Christmassy story or poem, we would love to hear from you, also if you can read an item, or sing, or otherwise contribute. We will need a new program coordinator next year – please let us know if you might be interested. Help is available.

So come along, bring a friend and some Gutsle for coffee afterwards, relax and enjoy the spirit of Advent by candlelight. Help setting up in the morning and cleaning up afterwards would be appreciated.

As usual, a bazaar table will be set up. This year’s donations will again go to the Borromeo Sisters in Jerusalem.

The Christmas Bazaar, starting at 10:00am in the foyer of the Tabulam and Templer Homes, will have a lovely range of hand-embroidered tablecloths, hand-made Christmas decorations and handicrafts. These are always very popular and beautiful to keep, or they make great presents. So come and bring your friends! This year, our new coffee lounge will open especially for you in the morning. So after your shopping, you can relax with a coffee and cake; specialty bread and pretzels will also be available.

Warburton is a quiet, attractive and rather charming old gold-mining town of some 2000 people set in a fertile green valley by the Yarra River, located 76km east of Melbourne.

Prior to European settlement, the area was occupied by the Woiworung Aborigines. When gold was discovered in 1863, a rush ensued and a town was built and named after the police magistrate, Charles Warburton Carr. With the arrival of the railway in 1901, the town became a terminus and tourist spot. Seventh Day Adventists moved here in 1904 and set up a printing works, a sanatorium and hospital in 1920 and a health food factory in 1923.

How to get there: From Melbourne follow the Warburton Highway to the western end of the town, where there is a bridge from the highway to the north bank of the river and the golf course. Car parking, restaurant/café and toilets are all at the corner.

Walk: Starting at the north bank, we will be walking east along Dammons Road, past many riverside picnic areas. Many willows and ferns can be seen. We will be crossing the river a number of times via footbridges, some following the joint walking and cycling track. There are fine views north over the town and across the Yarra River Valley to the steep mountainsides of Mount Donna Buang.

Please let me know if you intend to join us for this easy walk; contact me by phone or send an e-mail to tmurray@bigpond.net.au On the Saturday I will be available on my mobile.

I invite all the children and their parents to give me a call if you would like to take part in the Children’s Christmas Wishes at the Christmas Service in Bentleigh at 10:15am on 25^th December.

Mark Herrmann will conduct the service at 6:30pm in the Community Chapel in Bayswater. Rosa bus will leave Bentleigh at 5:45pm.

Members and friends – of any age – are also invited to bring drinks and supper to share and join others in the Community Room to see in the New Year.

Please mark the 23^rd to 25^th September (Wednesday-Friday) 2009 in your diaries for our next reunion. It will be held right at the beach in beautiful and historic Kiama, NSW. For preliminary information please look up www.kiamacove.com.au which we have booked out for the event. Further information will follow; hope to see you all there.

One outcome of a Local Government Professionals Conference is that Knox City Council has asked if anyone would like to contribute to a Healthy Heart Cookbook. Multi-cultural recipes will make the cookbook more interesting.

If you or someone you know would like to assist with the development of the cookbook, please forward your recipe(s) to dianap@lgpro.com

The fame of Sarona is spreading within Israel and in other countries, especially Germany and Australia.

Sarona Revealed is the title of an article published in the latest edition of Atmosphere, the in-flight magazine of El Al Airlines. A copy was forwarded by Ingo Steller recently. It is well written and gives recognition to the work, the industriousness and the social organization of the Templers in establishing the Sarona settlement. It also credits the Sarona community as serving ‘…as an example for Hebrew farmers throughout the area, especially to the founders of Petah Tikva.’

The Sarona Gardens Park is now a new 40 dunum park for Tel Aviv. Around the park, luxury apartments are being constructed in 12 high-rise towers with underground parking lots. The development of Sarona Park is described as ‘…ideally combining modern urban living with nature and greenery.’

Sarona is part of the tourist trail in Tel Aviv and the Tel Aviv Tourist Association conducts regular walking tours of Sarona. An Israeli recently said to me that Sarona was fast becoming ‘The Pearl of Tel Aviv’!!

The documentary The Templers – Secrets in Tel Aviv was also shown on Israeli TV again recently.

Help is requested regarding the former Bank of the Temple Society building in Jaffa. It is proposed to preserve and restore this building and the architect, Kerem Halbrecht, wishes to develop a historical profile of the building (similar to what was done for the houses in Sarona). Horst Blaich has provided some details from his archival records, but if anyone has any photos of, or other information on, this building, please contact either Horst Blaich or myself.

No sooner had Great Britain’s declaration of war been announced on the radio than a British policeman put his hand on my husband’s shoulder and declared him arrested. Under guard, he was allowed to go home one more time to say goodbye to us and to take a small suitcase of essentials. He still managed to give me a hundred pounds before he was taken away together with most other German males.

They were locked up for the night in the city gaol like criminals and taken to a prison camp at Acre together with the men from the other German settlements. We received no news from them until they were allowed to write to us. However, since all letters were subject to censorship, they always wrote that, under the circumstances, they were well. Not until the German doctor, Dr Wilhelm Hoffmann, was ordered to go to Acre to attend to a seriously ill person did we learn how awful the food supply was. Consequently, all the German agricultural settlements joined forces to send food parcels to the prisoners.

The rural settlements of Wilhelma, Sarona, Betlehem and Waldheim were fenced in with barbed wire and had British and Jewish sentries posted at the gates.

A British policeman was stationed in front of our house, which was situated outside the Haifa settlement. We were only allowed to leave the house – with a passport – when it was absolutely necessary for us to go and buy something. Since we were so completely cut off from the other Germans, I wanted to move to the settlement. My mother went to see the community Elder and I called on Mayor Pross to inquire about a place to stay. When we returned, we found we had been burgled. All the money my husband had left with me and all our jewellery were gone. Even the police were now in favour of us moving to the settlement.

One week before Christmas, we were suddenly ordered to pack our suitcases, to be taken to one of the German rural settlements, which had been turned into fenced internment camps. Together with my son and my mother, I opted – we did in fact get the chance to state our preference – for Betlehem, because this settlement was closest to Haifa and Acre. The three of us were given a room at Mrs Lisbeth Herrmann’s, but we had our meals at Willi Herrmann’s. Willi was married to Hilde Dreher, a Tietz relative. The only one happy with this arrangement was my son Jürgen, who found a nice playmate of his own age in Maidi, Willi’s daughter.

I suddenly received no more letters from my husband. I learned from other sources that three men had escaped from the camp near Jaffa and that everybody who had assisted them in their escape – apparently including my husband – had been taken to Jerusalem. This created new worries!

Worse was to come. Planes of the axis powers had bombed the oil tanks of the IPC (Iraq Petroleum Company) in Haifa several times, always successfully. This happened mostly at full moon. We heard the planes fly in from the Syrian border and were afraid only of the British anti-aircraft fire. However, on one occasion a damaged plane had to jettison its bombs between Betlehem and Waldheim but was still able to escape across the Syrian border. After this, the British ordered us to seek shelter in the basements as soon as the planes were heard, but since few houses had deep cellars, this measure was rather pointless.

Jürgen had started school in Betlehem and soon sent sketches, drawn with enthusiasm and talent, to his father in camp. All mail was subject to severe censorship; once, when he drew the mushroom cloud which, after a bombardment of the IPC tanks had extended as far as Betlehem, the entire drawing was cut out. The newspapers reported that only a few pigeons were hit.

Recently my brother Dieter, his wife Traude, my wife Lorraine and I toured Africa. Part of our journey was to explore the northern region of Tanzania where the Templers from Palestine started farms, coffee plantations and businesses at the beginning of the 20^th century. The region at the foot of Mt Meru near Arusha is today a major food-producing area for Tanzania.

After landing at the Kilimanjaro International Airport, about 30km east of Arusha, we were met by our driver who took us to town. We drove through rich agricultural countryside with corn and rice fields abounding. Coffee beans, mangos, bananas and a variety of vegetables were also being grown. We crossed the Madji Chai and Usa Rivers – it was in the fertile country between these rivers that the Templers had their farms.

Whilst in Arusha, we explored the old German Boma – the former fort and administrative centre in German colonial days. The Boma has been restored and part of it is now a museum. Time did not allow for much research but we did find reference to the ‛Palestinian peasants’ who settled in the area. There are only two buildings from the German days left in Arusha proper. The town is now the main business and industrial centre in northern Tanzania and parts of it are being redeveloped for the rapidly growing tourist industry. It serves as the gateway to the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater Region, Olduvai Gorge and several other National Parks.

In Arusha we met with Michael Leach, a prominent English businessman, who has lived in this region for many years. Mr Leach has a keen interest in the history of Tanzania and owns the former house of Captain August Leue, a former member of the German Schutztruppe who was instrumental in the settlement of the Arusha district before World War I. During his 1907 exploratory tour, Karl Knoll negotiated with Captain Leue to set aside land for the Templers.

We were shown the former Leue house, which has been restored and is now the boutique Ngare Sero Lodge. It is located out of Arusha on the slopes of Mt Meru and surrounded by stunning gardens with a small lake.

A further highlight of the Arusha area was the day we spent with Joerg Gabriel, a German, with a strong interest in the German history of the region. He and his wife own and run the Hatari Lodge on the boundary of the Arusha National Park. Joerg was our driver and guide for the day – he took us to the first Lutheran church in Arusha, provided commentary as we drove east to Usa River before heading north through the Arusha National Park. He pointed out the area where Gottlieb Bauer started his first farm in 1910 and where the Trappe family had their vast landholdings. The Trappe family were neighbours of and well known by the Templers. The Trappe family also travelled inland with Karl Knoll during his 1907 journey. Their property is now virtually all part of the National Park.

We travelled through the Park and its lush tropical rainforest interspersed with a few clearings and lakes with its wildlife before reaching Hatari Lodge, where the film Hatari was shot. Hatari is on the former Momella property owned by the Trappe family. At Hatari we met Joerg’s wife, Marlies and son, Donyo. After an enjoyable lunch and much conversation about the German past and my book on the Templers in Africa, Joerg drove us along a dirt track to the former Momella Homestead deep in the National Park. We were shown the old garden clearing with the remains of a swimming pool and also the graves of Margarete Trappe and her son. Very few people are taken to this location – it is well off the tourist trail.

Onwards we travelled to the site of the former farms of the Templers on the banks of the Usa River. The area is still extensively used for agriculture. Only one old farmhouse remains in the area, but old stone-lined irrigation channels and rows and avenues of tall trees planted by the former settlers are still very visible. It was a moment to reflect: were we walking on the same soil as our forefathers? Evidently title searches can be done through the Land Administration Office in Moshi to ascertain the exact land area owned (leased) by the former Germans.

Part 2 of African Footsteps will be on our experiences as we followed the route of Karl Knoll and that of the settlers when they travelled from the coast to their destination near Arusha.

The people we spoke to showed great interest in my book Shattered Dreams at Kilimanjaro. Anyone interested in purchasing a copy of this historical account can do so from the TSA Office, from Horst Blaich or from Helmut Glenk, e-mail hglenk1@optusnet.com.au Cost $60.

OCTOBER
TEMPLER RECORD- ISSUE No. 710

REFLECTIONS

JENSEITS DER STILLE

Höre auf den Klang der Stille,

dem Bleibenden auf die Spur kommen,

das Unsichtbare ahnen,

das Verborgene allen Seins entdecken:

Wie die Pflanze mit ihren Blüten zu dir spricht,

wie der Schmetterling mit Freude dich umfliegt,

wie der Baum mit seinen Zweigen dir zuwinkt,

wie der Apfel mit seinem Rot dich anlacht,

wie die Sterne mit ihren Kreisen über dir tanzen,

wie das Licht mit seinen Farben dich umspielt,

wie Gott mit seiner Liebe dich in allem berührt.

Benedikt Werner Traut

Aus Reich Gottes – jetzt! 2008

BEYOND SILENCE

Listen to the silence ringing,

find a trace of what endures,

sense the invisible,

discover the hidden essence of all being:

how a plant speaks to you with its blossoms,

how a butterfly swoops joyfully around you,

how a tree waves at you with its branches,

how an apple’s redness smiles at you,

how the stars do their circle dances above you,

how the colours of light play around you,

how God’s love touches you in everything.

Tr. H.U.

TEXT OF THE MONTH – PRESENTATION

This month we conduct one of our two annual presentations in Melbourne. In the Temple Society we celebrate with a presentation service rather than a baptism. This custom is based on the Gospel of Luke, chapter two. There we read that Jesus’ parents brought their son to the temple in Jerusalem to ‘present him to the Lord’. According to Old Testament law this was done with every first-born male, who was considered to ‘belong to the Lord’. We Templers are happy to present all children born in the community. In coming to the presentation service, the parents publicly express their gratitude for their babies and ask God’s blessing for them.

We do not baptise or christen children because we hold the view that baptism is only a symbolic act, which in itself does not make a person a Christian – rather it is the person’s behaviour, the faith that they live, that makes them so. While churches make babies members of their particular denomination by baptising or christening them, we believe people should make their own decision when they are old enough. We do not dissuade our members from being baptised – that is their personal choice. Interestingly, the first Christians never baptised anyone to thereby make them a Christian. The reverse was true – when they saw that a person had become a Christian by following the way of Jesus, they baptised them as an outward sign of this. We could say we are not immersing the child in water, but in the love of a Christian community! We join with the families, both the immediate and the wider relatives, in sharing their joy and accepting our task to support them as best we can, and as best as they allow us to, in the true spirit of the saying ‘it takes a village to raise a child’.

Thus the parents, together with the community, all gathered for the service, pray for assistance and guidance in bringing up the children so that they may grow into harmonious human beings who recognise the presence of the divine Power in their lives. By witnessing and taking part in the ceremony, the community acknowledges and takes on the responsibility of supporting the parents in their challenging task of raising and educating their children.

The text for the month is from Luke 10:1-2, and tells of Jesus sending the workers (his followers) out into the fields to bring in the harvest, that is, to spread his message about the kingdom of God.

We similarly want to prepare our children to carry on the work which we adult Templers have taken on, that is, to be active contributors to God’s kingdom. And one of the first conscious acts we have in this preparation is the presentation ceremony. To ensure that this ceremony does not become just another empty ritual conducted just for the sake of it, we, as parents, family or community, need to ask ourselves:

For me there are two answers: ‘everything’ and ‘nothing’! ‘Everything’, as this ceremony marks the start of a life as part of a community, and the development of a philosophy that can guide the child well through its entire life. And ‘nothing’, in that the ceremony alone will achieve nothing without the caring, the nurturing, the education, and the role-modelling that must follow, the work that is the tough task of raising a child! In short, we are all required to be workers in and for the kingdom and, by doing so for the benefit of our young families and children, we ensure that there will always be more willing workers; workers who are both enriched themselves and are prepared to enrich the lives of others. To this we must all commit ourselves. Can there be a more worthwhile commitment?

SPIRITUAL RETREAT

Having set out quite early on the Saturday, various carloads drove over the Black Spur and through the sparkling forest to enter time-out at the Kooringa Resort in Marysville. Here we created, and opened up to, a safe space for discussions, experiences and interaction with each other and the Divine.

How do we imagine ‘God’? As Some-one, Some-thing, No-thing? Spirit, breath, all-that-is, light, creative and supportive energy, the creative Lifeforce, a caring Presence, the Source of all, First Cause, the Ground of Being, Ultimate Reality…?

Human beings’ concepts of God have changed over time, as humanity has evolved and learnt more about itself and the world and the cosmos. Our own image of God changes as we mature and according to what we need at the moment. Interestingly, we did not need to talk about the sort of God atheists love to rubbish; we’re over those concepts, over the theistic God-out-there. On the whole, Templers believe the Divine is in and around us, as well as the ‘horizon beyond’ our understanding. Although its essence is unknowable, we can catch glimpses of the Divine, in beauty, nobility, loving behaviour, art, nature, uplifting thoughts, and so on.

Dr Rolf Beilharz read us a talk by Klaus Simon, from the ‘Kingdom of God – now!’ conference he had attended in Nürnberg. Hermann Uhlherr reminded us that the basic Templer beliefs about God are based on Jesus’ descriptions in the Gospels and are summarised in the TS Religious Perspective gold booklet and in Christian Rohrer’s Is the Bible the Source of our Knowledge of God (recently sent out with the TR), the chapters on Jesus’ and the Temple Society’s perception of God. Since the divine Power is embodied in all living beings, we are directly connected to (plugged into) it, we just have to ‘turn on the switch’ and be open to it, and empowered by it. We should not blame God for things; we can ask for the strength to do things for ourselves – we alone are responsible for our choices and actions.

There was much sharing of ideas, also on spirituality, on intuition, hints, experiences and imagination, since reason and intellect alone are not enough to try and describe the unknowable – but this does not mean that the unknowable does not exist, just because we can’t pin it down.

After lunch and a walk near Steavenson Falls, impressive due to the recent rains, we spoke of ways to connect with the Divine. Prayer – no right or wrong way, pray as you can, not as you can’t. Mark Herrmann shared some prayers of Michael Leunig (one of which triggered great hilarity in certain people J). ‘Music is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given us’ (Luther). Ingrid Turner had us making a variety of sounds to connect with our feelings and our inner core. Herta had us doing a body prayer adapted from Yoga (on our knees, exhaling and emptying out our anxieties and ‘stuff’, holding still, bowed humble and empty, then inhaling and receiving grace, insight, joy…); this tied in with the idea of lacuna, making space for God. Many people put a problem or a wish or the name of a person causing them concern into the lacuna bowl and, aware that we cannot live their lives for them, we sent them light, goodwill and healing for their highest good – another way to pray.

Afternoon tea was followed by the soothing and melodious chant of Om nama shivaya (I bow before the divine) and a lovely meditation guided by Helga Jürgensen, who first explained what meditation is, its benefits for mind, body and spirit, and that there are many ways to meditate. A relaxing and eye-opening experience for many of us.

Then came listening, an art very few people are good at. When two people deeply listen to one another, they sense that they are really present to each other – and to something holy beyond their individual selves. Each is nourished and uplifted. Real listening, giving someone your total attention, is a profound gift which leaves the speaker feeling understood, whole and connected. The listener does not give advice or try to solve the speaker’s problems – ‘just’ slows down and is present to the speaker – very hard, but worthwhile. Listeners were reminded to keep private information confidential! (Exception – if you sense danger, call a professional: Lifeline 13 11 14, Suicide Helpline Vic 1300 651 251, www.beyondblue.org.au )

Herta mentioned contemplative listening – exploring the quality of silence. In their assemblies, the Quakers sit in silence until someone is moved by the Holy Spirit to speak. A ‘listening stick’ exercise explored the experience of deep listening to one’s inner self (or ‘soul’) and to the soul of others. This was challenging, but evoked a sense of being able to trust our and our neighbours’ inner wisdom, the divine in us.

Another small group exercise had us be a speaker, an active listener, and an observer, in turn. Some of us discovered bad habits, like interrupting.

We finished with sung CD music: ‘Amen. Truly I say to you: when you gather in my name, I am with you.’ Throughout this full day, many of us felt touched by the deeper dimension we were making space for on this weekend. We left the new songs for Sunday, as some went home and others joined Harald Ruff’s 40^th birthday party back in Melbourne, before returning after midnight. Happy new year, Harald!

Sunday morning some new people joined us. First worship. We sang some new hymns to old tunes – didn’t we sound good backed by a brass band on CD! Elders are always on the lookout for good words we can sing in Saal .

Then we entered the story of Mary and Martha in our imagination: when are we Martha, busy, busy? How can we balance our hectic lives with some ‘Mary moments’, sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening, hearing his message, forming our faith, so that our ‘Martha actions’ flow from love of God and neighbour as ourselves? The lacuna bowls were passed around – what insights for us came out of the space we made for God? As always, there was a fair amount of feedback.

After morning tea, Renate Weber led a lovely session on connecting with God in nature, firstly through a beautiful slide show because it rained. But then we could go outside into the very fresh air, and look up, out, at the big picture, the fine detail… Be still and listen to the sounds, to the silence, sense the aromas, the energies, touch the strength, feel the presence of the Spirit… feel peace deeply… be in touch with eternity…

After lunch, conversation and laughter, Renate Beilharz led the wrap-up: can we use the weekend’s ideas and discoveries in our relationships with the Divine and our fellow human beings? In services, in our daily lives or to strengthen the TS and foster a clear sense of Templer identity in our young people?

Training and practice at giving more upbeat presentations to inspire the congregation. Exploring and organising music that appeals to young people, at least for some services. Coffee group with elders. A forum – focus group? – for, say, 25 to 45-year-olds where, among other things, the relevance of basic Templer ideas for living fulfilled lives are discussed. Occasional sessions at Kids’ Club (Playgroup? Family Camp?) where grandparents supervise the kids while parents have a chance to hear about and discuss the basic ideas of the TS, how the Community functions, how people can contribute, the benefits of this, etc.

At Sommerfest, a 15-20 minute session on, say, chapters 7 and 9 (Jesus’ and the Temple Society’s Perception of God) of Christian Roher’s booklet.

It is clear that the Sydney Community needs more support – how best to tackle this?

There is much to follow up on. Herta sent us forth back into everyday life, encouraging us to remember to have ‘lacuna moments’, making space to connect with the deep wisdom within each of us. Celtic Deep Peace music closed the retreat.

Feedback suggests that participants felt their inner lives were nourished and that this time-out was worthwhile. One benefit was getting to know each other on a deeper level – and that we can trust the Divine in ourselves and each other, a liberating and joyful experience. Thank you, all!

THE KINGDOM WITHIN AND AMONG YOU

NOTES ON PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY

This quote by one of the three speakers at the well-attended meeting of the Progressive Christian Network of Victoria (PCNV) in Canterbury on 14^th September describes a more open faith that transcends exclusive religions and denominations. The focus is more on being open to experiencing what is still a mystery – the Divine – and on the freedom to explore, and to question what have been considered religious certainties (like Church dogma). This allows for greater integrity. (Already 150 years ago, Christoph Hoffmann said that people should not be asked to believe what they knew to be wrong – and today so much more is known than in his time.)

What Bible scholars and theologians have known for ages is finally filtering down into some church congregations, causing considerable stress to those parishioners comfortable with tradition, while others delight in the greater freedom to think and experience for themselves.

One watchword is self-awareness – not ‘who is Christ’, but ‘who am I’? Miserable sinner in need of saving, guilt, fear, obedience to a scary God? Or a ‘temple’ empowered by divine love and wisdom, responsible for what one thinks and does? What one believes has a huge effect on how one lives. It’s not about orthodoxy, about what the Church hierarchy proclaims to be right, but about living in the way of Jesus. This means researching what Jesus taught rather than what the Church has taught about him – a theme familiar to Templers.

All three speakers, two young people and one middle-aged, described struggles and dawning insights on their spiritual journeys. Each is now open to further growth in the Spirit that will have practical effects on the way they live. All were glad to have broken free of beliefs set in stone, feeling that such dogma leads to stultification and irrelevance.

The audience was mostly older people, and many stayed for the AGM that followed.

About the name Progressive Christianity, suggestions were: ‘Open Christianity’ (cf Offenes Christentum on the cover of Die Warte). ‘Sustainable Christianity’, ‘Network of emerging Christian ways’ (mouthful!), ‘living the way of the kingdom’.

In the West, conventional Christianity is declining because it is outmoded, but smaller, intentional groups are growing. (Peter Lange also wrote along these lines a while ago.) When one ‘knows it all’ (like those who think they have God ‘sussed’: he is this, he says that) there is no room for new understandings. Yet – respect others’ ways of approaching God, the ‘eternal More’; many ways lead to a greater awareness of the Divine.

At the PCNV’s AGM similar problems surfaced to the ones the TS has, e.g. more committee positions than nomination for them. But there is energy there, and a willingness to go forward. Upcoming events can be viewed on the PCNV website: www.pcnvictoria.org.au Since the TSA is now a member, feel free to attend events that interest you. As Templers, we are responsible for our own spiritual growth, no one can do the growing for us. That is why we should have more retreats to further our inner journey (see page 4), do some reflective reading and listen to thought-provoking speakers when we can – this will enrich our lives and our community.

The final meetings for 2008 are in November with Ian Lawton, an outstanding international leader of the Progressive Christian Movement. Go to the website above or ask me or Mark Herrmann for details.

Did you see the article on Dr Francis Macnab’s ‘new faith for the 21^st century’ in The Age, 16.9.2008? While he retains some of the ethical elements of traditional Christianity, he says ‘the old faith is in large sections unbelievable’. The new faith is about searching, not dogma. ‘It seeks the good, the tender and the beautiful,’ and finds it in Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism as well as in Christianity. God is no longer seen as an interventionist Being ‘up there’. ‘We are asking the traditional church to re-examine and renew their basic thinking about what faith can be.’

Predictably, many in the mainstream church were outraged (The Age 22.9.2008). Macnab’s campaign is provocative and is getting reactions.

Please refer to the September TR (pp 6-7) for the invitation to and agenda for the TSA AGM scheduled for Sunday 19^th October 2008 in Bayswater. Proxy forms are available from our Community facilities and from the Office upon request.

Regarding the financial statements, these will be sent to Members separately and shortly before the meeting.

The following table indicates the known position regarding Regional Council, Focus Group and TTHA Committee vacancies. Nomination forms are available from our Community facilities and also from the Office upon request. If interested, it would be worthwhile establishing contact with the relevant group leaders for information and further details.

* Central Fund Director elections will take place at the company’s separate OGM, scheduled to be held on the same day and immediately prior to the TSA AGM.

Lunch is again being generously provided by the Social & Recreation Focus Group.

As TSA Members, your support in attending and participating at the meeting is both necessary and encouraged.

NOTES from the Extended RC meeting of 5^th September

This being an ERC meeting, all Focus Groups were represented. Many of the points raised and discussed are those outlined in the annual reports of the Focus Groups included in this and September’s TR.

SOCIAL CARE

Thank you for warmly welcoming me as your Community Care Worker. I have greatly enjoyed my first few weeks in the position and I look forward to meeting you all soon.

Since the opening of the new Warrina Wing at TTHA, the waiting lists for entry into the Home or independent living units are much shorter, because so many people have made the shift. If you have been thinking about a downsize in your accommodation, now is the time to give me a call and we can discuss your current living arrangements, ways to maintain your independence in your own home, or look into placing you on the waiting list for a room or a unit at TTHA. I am happy to come out and visit you in your home and inform you of local council and other community services which may assist you with daily living activities, if needed.

Please feel free to call me anytime and please leave a message if the phone is unattended. I will be available to answer your calls, or come and visit on a Wednesday or Friday and alternate Tuesdays or Thursdays.

The Victorian Seniors’ Festival is being held from 5^th - 12^th October and a range of fantastic events is being held all around Victoria. During this Festival week public transport is free for all people holding a seniors’ card. There is a range of activities being held in your local area, so keep an eye on your local paper or ring your council and enquire. If you have older parents, perhaps you might like to join them in going to an activity? There is a free Multicultural Concert on Friday 10^th October from 2:00pm – 3:30pm at the Melbourne Town Hall on the corner of Swanston and Collins Sts. This event is wheelchair accessible and for more information you can phone 1800 136 762. Other free and low-cost events are being held. You can pick up your free festival guide in Coles supermarkets and public libraries. Enjoy!

For younger Templers there are activities such as the post-Youthfest Chill Out and the Whittlesea Funfields Park activity.

If there is anything you feel you would like to discuss with me as your Community Worker, or have me help you with, please do not hesitate to ask. I have a lot of experience in helping people with counselling, budgeting, accessing community services and advocating for people in a variety of ways such as with Centrelink, in hospital or in their home.

Next time I will address the importance of communication with family and those around you.

ANNUAL REPORTS – continued

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Ulrich Asenstorfer conducted 6 meetings with Saal during the year, referring to various texts of the New Testament. Uli and Rose brought back regards from Dr Rolf Beilharz, Renate Beilharz and Mark Herrmann, whom they met at the Sommerfest in March. We miss the monthly greetings from Thea Frank, who died shortly before her 100^th birthday. Irene Severin had a fall late last year and could not return to her home, but she is always happy to attend Saal if someone picks her up from the Nursing Home; mostly that is Edith and Ernst Unger.

Our small ladies’ group had regular meetings; we met at Anne Stevens’ home in August and at Elsa Mahlburg’s in September. Renate Beilharz kindly took four crocheted knee rugs to the TTHA for us when she was here on her visit. We were able to send a donation of $100 as well as handicrafts to the value of $342 to the TTHA. For our end-of-year outing we visited the Adelaide Museum. So you see we are still alive and kicking.

HERITAGE & CULTURE FG

The Heritage & Culture Focus Group (H&CFG) oversees the many cultural and heritage activities and groups of the TSA. The H&CFG members are: Karin Ruff (leader), Monika Strasser and Renate Beilharz. Ilse Nicholson retired at the last TSA AGM. Her work on the focus group, and the early TSA Structure Review working party, was valuable and greatly appreciated. Since the last annual report, the H&CFG has met eight times.

There were no candidates for the 2007-2008 Australian-German Templer Exchange, which is co-ordinated in Australia by Tania Richter, with the support of a small committee. Annual reports from the German Schools and Wall-hanging Group follow this report.

Cultural activities continued to be organised for the community: two sessions each of circle dancing and folk-singing, as well as Adventskranz-making were offered. Fred Sawatzky continued to represent the TSA on the Association of German Speaking Communities.

Many people in Australia, Germany and Israel are assisting with the task of recording and preserving the history of the Temple Society, as can be seen in the regular reports in the TR. During the year two privately published books were launched: Shattered Dreams at Kilimanjaro by Helmut Glenk and The Wennagel Story by Irene Blaich, both produced with the assistance of Horst Blaich. The book Exiled from the Holy Land, compiled by Horst Blaich, is nearly ready for publication. The Heritage display of photographs, maps and historical documents at Sommerfest was as popular as ever.

To assist with promoting Heritage activity in the TSA, plans for a ‘Heritage room’ at Bayswater were under discussion for quite some time. Currently plans to transform the floor above the community room in the Bayswater Hall into a Heritage work area are being drawn up under the supervision of Kurt Imberger and with the assistance of the Property Management Focus Group.

Other Heritage activities supported by the H&CFG were the Tatura Remembrance Service and the showing of the Tel Aviv DVD.

Hugo Wennagel	Gerda Struve
Gertrud Poddey	Ursula Thiesemann
Ella Weber	Jürgen Gronau
Rosemarie Beilharz	Harald Gassmann
Horst Orth	Trudel Trauner
Reinhold Orth	Anni Beck
Erika Petrick	Lothar Boehmer
Bruno Krockenberger	Werner Struve
Linda Steller	Ursula Marnow
Erna Carson	Rose Asenstorfer
Lotte Breisch	Ernst von Einem
Ulrich Asenstorfer	Felix Haar

Sun. 14^th December	Go-karting	YG
5^th - 11^th January 2009	Summer Camp	11-15 yrs
17^th - 24^th January 2009	Youth Camp in Sydney	15 yrs+

Joshua Glover	Luke Sawatzky
Danyon Glenk	Matilda Rose
Thomas Weller	Hayden Wade
Jordan Messner	Samuel Roberts
Dane Rainbird	Sebastian Sutterby
Katja Hesse	Lisa-Marie Horn
Hugo Richter	Ryan Vollmer
Bryce Jürgensen	Toby Crouch
Emma Weberruss	Daniel Frank
Erik Jürgensen	Oliver Turner

Sun.	7.12.	Be	14:30	Advent Celebration
Thu.	11.12.	Ba	20:00	Advent Celebration
Sun.	14.12.	TTHA	10:00	Advent Service	Ilse Birkner
Sun.	14.12.	S.A.	14:00	Service Tanunda
Sat.	20.12.	Ba	18:00	Community Christmas Pageant
Sun.	21.12.	Sy	16:00	Christmas Service with children
Thu.	25.12.	Ba	10:15	Christmas Service & SS	Dr Rolf Beilharz
Thu.	25.12.	Be	10:15	Christmas Service & SS	Renate Beilharz
Wed.	31.12.	Ba	18:30	New Year’s Eve Service	Mark Herrmann
Sun.	18.01.	TTHA	10:00	Service	Hulda Wagner
Sun.	15.03.	Ba	10:15	Sommerfest

25^th Dec.	Ba	Christmas Day Service – Erika Herrmann, Erika English
31^st Dec.	Ba	New Year’s Eve Service – Imi Roscher

Anne Herrmann	Hanskarl Baldenhofer
Horst Blaich	Luise Edelmaier
Lucie Weller	Hedl Beilharz
Lotte Lange	Georg Weber
Esther Gassmann	Willy Loebert
Georg Bauer	Karl Richter
Karl Wagner	Irmgard Katz
Hetty Meyer	Hulda Lange (105!)
Ilse Birkner	Ingeborg Gronau

Sat. 15^th November	Break-up Pool Party – Dingley 2:00–5:00pm	TG
November	Exams, no activity for the Youth Group	YG
Sun. 14^th December	Go-karting	YG
5^th - 11^th Jan. 2009	Summer Camp	11-15 yrs
17^th - 24^th Jan. 2009	Youth Camp Sydney	15 yrs+

Rebecca Kugler	Eliza Grubb
Bryce Loebert	Andreas Hoffmann
Reece Behnke	Kirsten Hughes
Jordan Wagner	Savannah Messner








Sun	2.11.	CV	11:00	Tynong service	Mark Herrmann
Sun	9.11.	Ba	11:00	Family service & community picnic	Christine Ruff
Sun	16.11.	TTHA	10:00	Service	Hulda Wagner
Sun	16.11.	Tatura	11:00	Remembrance Day service
Sun	23.11.	Be	15:15	Service & SS & Comm. Afternoon	Hermann Uhlherr
Sun	30.11.	Ba	17:00	Reflective discussion	Renate Weber

23^rd Nov.	Be	Monika Imberger
30^th Nov.	Ba	Inge Hoefer, Imy Loebert

	Term	Retiring by rotation	Comment	Leader
Regional Council				Mark Herrmann
- Deputy Regional Head	3 y	Renate Beilharz	Not seeking re-nomination
Focus Groups
- Central Fund *	4 y	Helmut Eppinger		Dieter Glenk
	4 y	Dietmar Jürgensen
- Communication & Promotion	3 y	Renate Beilharz	Not seeking re-nomination	Paul Blaich
- Heritage & Culture	3 y	Renate Beilharz	Not seeking re-nomination	Karin Ruff
- Property Management	3 y	Theo Richter	Not seeking re-nomination	Winfried Beilharz
	3 y	Winfried Beilharz	Seeking re-nomination
			Extra position created for Sydney representation
- Social & Recreation	3 y	Manfred Decker	Not seeking re-nomination	Moni Imberger
	3 y	Brendon Glenk
- Welfare & Distant	3 y	Geoff McCallum	Seeking re-nomination	Dot Ware
	3 y	Elisabeth Wagner
- Youth	3 y	Bernhard Hoefer	Not seeking re-nomination	Bernhard Hoefer
	1 y	Susi Blackwell	Resigning from Focus Group
TTHA				Hartmut Weller
- Committee of Management	2 y	Rolf Beilharz	Seeking re-nomination
	2 y	Sigi Messner
	2 y	Hermann Sawatzky	Seeking re-nomination

Gisela Hoffmann	Antonie Messerle
Kurt Katz	Kurt Eppinger
Theodor Graze	Ingeborg Wurst
Vera Bieg	Manfred Schnerring
Erhard Gohl	Magdalena Kuebler
Eberhard Schmidt	Wilhelm Imberger
John Pendlebury	Helga Weller
Anneliese Beilharz	Ingrid Meyerheinrich

Sun. 19^th October	‘Go for your Life’ Melbourne City Romp	TG/YG
Sun. 26^th October	Funfields Whittlesea – all day	All
Sat. 15^th November	Break-up Pool Party – Dingley 2:00–5:00pm	TG
November	Exams, no activity for the Youth Group	YG
Sun. 14^th December	Go-karting	YG

Cost:	8 years and older – $20	3 to 7-year-olds – $18
	spectators – $8	under 3 years – free

for the year 2008

DECEMBER TEMPLER RECORD - ISSUE No. 712

THANK YOU

FROM THE ELDERS – CONFIRMATION

TEXTS FROM THE BIBLE

SOCIAL CARE

Free public transport on Sundays

Resilience

COUNTRY VIC – Tynong 2nd November

GOLDEN WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES

NEW MEMBER

BEREAVEMENTS

CARING FOR THE CARER SEMINAR As part of Carers Week 2008 the Welfare & Distant Focus Group organised a Caring for the Carer Seminar.

WHO CARES FOR THE CARER?

OUTING TO WERRIBEE PARK OPEN RANGE ZOO – 23rd October

IMPROVEMENTS FOR ROSA?

ISTANBULLETIN # 8

COMING SERVICES

YOUTHFEST 2008 – Report

COMING SERVICES

OCTOBER TEMPLER RECORD- ISSUE No. 710

TEXT OF THE MONTH – PRESENTATION

SPIRITUAL RETREAT

THE KINGDOM WITHIN AND AMONG YOU

NOTES ON PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY

NOTES from the Extended RC meeting of 5th September

SOCIAL CARE

ANNUAL REPORTS – continued

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

HERITAGE & CULTURE FG

Archive

Bentleigh German School

Bayswater-Boronia Templer German School

The Templer Journey – Fabric of Society

BIRTH

MARRIAGE

Veronica Rutowicz

BEREAVEMENTS

CORRECTION

MILESTONE DONOR CEREMONY

SUNDAY AFTERNOON CONCERT – 7th September

ISTANBULLETIN # 7

WWW NOW STANDS FOR… Wonderful Winter Wonderland

Religious Retreat in Marysville, Victoria

Sydney Community Picnic – Sunday 14th September

COMING EVENTS

Seniors’ Group – Friday 10th October 12:00 noon

Youth Saal and Lunch – Sunday 26th October 10:30am

Adventsfeier/Advent Celebration – Sunday 30th November 2:00pm

Bournda Family Camp – Can you come?

Dates to note:

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

YOUTH CALENDAR

TEENAGE GROUP

Details:

YOUTH GROUP

‘GO FOR YOUR LIFE’ CITY ROMP – Sunday 19th October

WINTER SLEEPOUT

About Homelessness (from the Youth Service, by Kate and Talja)

Some of the things the kids said about NOT sleeping in their comfortable, warm beds.....

SYDNEY YOUTH CAMP 2009

DECEMBER
TEMPLER RECORD - ISSUE No. 712

COUNTRY VIC – Tynong 2^nd November

CARING FOR THE CARER SEMINAR
As part of Carers Week 2008 the Welfare & Distant Focus Group organised a Caring for the Carer Seminar.

OUTING TO WERRIBEE PARK OPEN RANGE ZOO – 23^rd October

OCTOBER
TEMPLER RECORD- ISSUE No. 710

NOTES from the Extended RC meeting of 5^th September

SUNDAY AFTERNOON CONCERT – 7^th September

Sydney Community Picnic – Sunday 14^th September

Seniors’ Group – Friday 10^th October 12:00 noon

Youth Saal and Lunch – Sunday 26^th October 10:30am

Adventsfeier/Advent Celebration – Sunday 30^th November 2:00pm

‘GO FOR YOUR LIFE’ CITY ROMP – Sunday 19^th October