In April I attended a Reunion at the South Camberwell
Uniting Church, which is now the Chinese Uniting Church. It was for those who
had participated in church activities in the sixties and seventies. I had been
involved from age 4 until I married in 1962. The Chinese allowed us to use the
present day hall which was built in the fifties. It was very pleasing to see
that the plaque of the praying hands was still in place. We had placed it there
in memory of one of our friends who had died in a car accident in England in
1964.
There were about one hundred people there with some coming
from Adelaide, Tasmania,
Queensland New
South Wales, Country Victoria and Melbourne. We had a large youth group with many romances and marriages.
During the afternoon a list of fifteen names of people who
had died, was read out and we joined in a minutes silence in memory of these
friends.
There was much talking and catching up took place during a
delicious afternoon tea. I met up with some friends who I had not seen for over
fifty years, with friends like this you talk as though
you had seen them recently.
There were a couple of computers running non-stop with photos
taken during those years.
We all looked quite fit for our ages with very few with
walking sticks and frames. Must have been the healthy diets, not many cars (walked
to most places) and no junk food.
It is a small world. Our minister Rev Christine Thomson was at South
Camberwell Uniting Church from 1989 and knew my Mother who was still able to
attend Church. The Chinese took over the Church in 1995.
I also met Ellie Black in Melbourne. We were both District
Chief Rays for different areas in Melbourne. Rays were girls aged between 9 and
15.
Rev Goldsmith was the minister here when I came to the North
East and I had been at many services that he had taken at South Camberwell.
It seemed fitting to have our reunion at this time as the
Church is 150 years old this year.
- Robyn Hodder
