Celebrating 50 Years
Anglican Women of Australia, Diocese of Newcastle celebrated its Golden Anniversary on June 2 in Christ Church Cathedral with the 50th Annual Conference and Thanksgiving Eucharist.
The Cathedral was warm, welcoming and alight with love and joy and festooned with glowing balloons and umbrellas!
The procession of banners – Anglican Women, MU, GFS, ABM, Caritas, Cursillo, Anglican Care - preceded the clergy into the Cathedral. The Cathedral was filled with more than 350 worshippers including retired clergy, clergy widows and families.
This was a time to honour and give thanks for the vision, commitment and inclusive nurturing of all Anglican Women by Moira Housden, wife of Bishop James, when she founded Anglican Women as an umbrella movement in the Diocese of Newcastle in 1959.
During the Offertory, the Thank You Boxes were received. The proceeds go to Samaritans programs to help women and children in crisis in the Hunter, our current AW project. The Thank You Boxes were also the idea of Moira Housden, our way of thanking God for his many blessings to us.
The first guest speaker, Dr Julie Robinson, delivered a compelling, indeed inspiring, powerpoint presentation of her two worlds – her life as an academic at Flinders University South Australia, her family and her parish contrasted with her other life as a volunteer trainer for the Anglican charity, Refuge Egypt, fellow workers and volunteers and the well child clinics for which Julie is providing personnel training and securing funding. Julie emphasised throughout her address how God can use ordinary people such as herself to bring about the extra-ordinary.
The Anniversary Cake was cut by Betty Fraser, Past President, and current President, Margaret Gibbs. Valerie Beal produced an excellent presentation of Past Presidents and we were all enthralled by the success story of the next speaker, the Honourable Patricia Forsythe, Executive Director of the Sydney Chamber of Commerce.
She spoke of her connection to Christ Church Cathedral and to St Andrew’s Mayfield, her professional life in teaching, in Parliament, in the business world.
Both Patricia and Julie were born and educated in Newcastle and are both active Anglican women Their addresses complemented each other and demonstrated to us all God’s amazing grace in abundance and how we can all be empowered to make things happen in his name.
We give thanks that this wonderful day truly honoured those who have gone before us and who contributed so much, and has shown us what God can do through ordinary people…indeed for them, and for us, eternal God is “ the strength of the hearts that serve”.
Thank You Boxes
Theme : ‘Love God with all your heart...’
This year 2009-2010, funds raised through the Anglican Women Thank You Box Appeal in the Diocese of Newcastle will be sent to the Anglican charity Refuge Egypt based in Cairo. The thank you boxes will be launched at the September Spring Celebrations.
Guest Speaker at the AW June Conference, Dr Julie Robinson, a volunteer with this organisation, revealed the extent of issues for refugees in Cairo and the lack of any facilities and quality of life for so many, especially children.
All TYB proceeds will be forwarded directly to Refuge Egypt to support the Well Child Clinics with which Julie is involved.
Around the Deaneries
Anglican Women in 2009 welcome new Deanery Leaders Noeline Darcy [Central Coast], Glennis Holwell [Maitland], and Dorothy Kirk with Leonie Benson [ The Manning].
Deanery members are preparing bright umbrellas for the Conference and Thanksgiving Celebrations in June at the Cathedral.
