SUNNER teoe Print Post Approved PP 242295/00141 The Real Australian is a registered trade mark of the Bush Church Aid Society. Rob's gift First published 1920 • Edition No. 310 Circulation 32,000 Admin. Desk TO THE MURCHISON All enquiries to: The Editor The Bush Church Aid Society of Australia, hank you to our Supporters who •first met Rob when he came to church in assurance of salvation that we nave Level 7,37 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Tresponded so readily with changes of • Mt Magnet for the first and last time. as Christians. email: [email protected] addresses, details, ages and occupations. When it came time for communion Rob After a few months Rob bought a house Website: www.bushchurchaid.com.au The changeover to the enhanced data- got up and walked out. I assumed, never in town and was getting ready to settle base has gone exceedingly well and we to be seen again. BCA DIRECTORY down when he began having some chal- thank you for your prayers and response. That night there was a knock at the lenges with his boss. Rob ended up PRESIDENT: We will include a Change of Details form The Most Rev Harry Goodhew door. It was Rob. I even remembered his quitting and was now out of work. He got in each magazine and encourage you to CHAIRMAN: name. (Not so surprising when you con- some casual work and on one occasion The Rev Dr Vic Roberts use this whenever necessary. sider that one of my major prayer points he filled in his day scrimming part of VICE-PRESIDENT: You will notice that our Catalogue has for Mt Magnet is that a man would start the ceiling of our church, which was The Rev Tom Morgan changed also—the old favourites will coming to church regularly. For in over 4 beginning to fall in. HON. TREASURER: remain—cards, pencils, calendars, years, only on 4 occasions has a man Mr Kevin Alexander Rob had always had a challenge with Christian books and music—but after fronted at a service in Magnet.) NATIONAL DIRECTOR: "going to church", even though he'd been The Rev Brian Roberts much prayerful consideration we will be I invited Rob in for a cuppa. Rob turned a Christian since his school days. So Rob deleting other items from our Catalogue NATIONAL OFFICE: The Rev Brian Roberts out to be a Chippie (a carpenter), who never came to our services either. And yet Level 7, 37 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 when our supplies are depleted. slept in a swag at his boss's shed. Rob, an evangelist at heart, saw himself Phone: (02) 9262 5017 • Fax: (02) 9262 5020 We have found other outlets offering From that first n i g h t Rob and I began to email: [email protected] as a worker for God behind enemy lines. similar, if not the same products in some ADMINISTRATION MANAGER: Mrs Robyn Williams meet together regularly. (Apparently he He'd speak to anyone he came across email: [email protected] cases, and now want to offer you some- was impressed that I'd remembered his about his God and of his or her need to thing unique to BCA, and something NSW/ACT OFFICE: The Rev Paul Dew name!) We spoke of all types of things, find God. And although Rob would speak Level 7, 37 York Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 whereby the greater proportion of the and during our chats I believe Rob came to his friends about coming to church or Phone: (02) 9262 5017 • Fax: (02) 9262 5020 sale goes to gospel work throughout to a greater understanding of the personal coming to see me, they never came. One email: [email protected] Australia. We are sure you will agree. VIC/TAS OFFICE: The Rev Murray Lament PO Box 281, Heidelberg, Vic 3084 In the meantime, Mother Meg's Christmas Phone: (03) 9457 7556 • Fax: (03) 9457 7610 Cakes and Puddings have arrived, CHANGE OF DETAILS Please keep us informed of any changes to your details email: [email protected] together with our Christmas cards. There SA/NT OFFICE: The Rev David Hand so that we can keep our data base up to date and save unnecessary costs. are new CD's and Gift Packs for GPO Box 2511, Adelaide, SA 5001 Supporter No. {can be found above your name on the back cover) Phone: (08) 8231 7060 • Fax: (08) 8212 4177 Christmas. We hope Name email: [email protected] you will support the QLD/NTHN NSW OFFICE: TheRevLes Change of Address Monaghan Society by ordering PO Box 6565, Upper Mt Gravatt, Qld. 4122 these products. Phone: (07) 3349 9081 • Fax: (07) 3849 7927 Change of phone number/fax/email email: [email protected] ROBYN WILLIAMS Occupation Year of Birth/Age Range (3i-4o,4i-50,etc.) WA OFFICE: The Rev Raymond Molyneux Administration Manager Other information we need to know GPO Box N1024, Perth, WA 6843 Phone/Fax: (08) 9592 2798 Phone: (02)9262 5017 email: [email protected] Fax : (02) 9262 5020 Front cover photographs: Main picture—Roxby Downs Storm, 1999. Inset: Students from Numbulwar Email: [email protected] in the Certificate in Translation Course with Elizabeth Caldwell and instructors David and]an Crawford. DESIGN & ARTWORK BY BOKKAROO GRAPHICS (02) 9281 1410 Brigade and elsewhere, that I too "worked behind enemy lines". And so when Rob heard of our troubles with our Sunday School and of or 76 years BCA provided the people 1930 to replace the old stone farmhouse. our need to build a shed Fof Outback Australia with a medical All these pioneering and humble but to combat the problem, ministry, commencing in 1922 with a devoted beginnings of Christian Medical he offered to help. And Bush Nurse in East Gippsland, Victoria. Healing had been put into operation that's what he's done. At In that thickly forested and mountain- under the guidance of Rev S J Kirkby, Rob Nester presenting the shed to the parish. the end of the day Rob ous area of Gippsland, the nearest Doctor day, in our conversation, I told Rob the saved our building project over $4000 and and Hospital were eighty kilometres statistical truth, that most people start we have the straightest, child-safe shed, away, with an indifferent telephone coming to church because a friend or around. So this shed is Rob's gift to the service, poor roads and only a horse as transport for a nurse laden with respon- relative brings them along. Rob didn't Murchison. (With thanks also to the sibility. Later, the BCA Bush Dispensary seem convinced. Outback Church Foundation, G & B facilitated the Nurse's work which con- Then, Rob moved away for work. A Collins, Mt Magnet Gold and G & C Henry.) tinued until 1963. couple of months later Rob came for a But that's still not the end of the story. visit. Now in Perth, Rob was going to Rob said in passing that he'd come back It is now 1924—the Rev N Haviland, another time to work on the church at first BCA Missioner at Ceduna has been Where BCA started atTarcoola. church each week. (Typical! It happens so The Lady Dugan Medical Hostel (in 1941). often that churches in the city benefit Meekatharra, as it needs expert repairs. I ministering over an extensive area for 3 from our ministry. For when someone said "OK" but never took him too seriously. years and the local community challenges the first Organising Missioner of BCA up BCA to provide a hospital and nursing becomes a Christian, you can bet that Well the other day Rob rang me to tell me to 1932. care for its people. they'll move within a month. But that's that he'd spoken to his boss about taking Now a period of great and extensive life here. That's why we need the support time off to do the job later in the year. From this call, BCA opened its first expansion commenced under the Rev of a group like BCA with supporters who And I have no doubt he'll be back. hospital—The Ceduna-Thevenard Hospital, Tom Jones whose leadership as Organ- in a stone farmhouse on the outskirts of ising Missioner was to extend from 1935 are concerned about Gospel ministry ALLAN BATE-Mt Magnet being available to Christians and to non- Ceduna in September 1925, with Sister to 1958. Melitta and the kids inside the shed. Christians alike. And as our Parish Doris Percival as the Matron/Nurse. A At Ceduna, the local community finally medical practitioner in the area provided covers 2.5% of Australia's land built a modern 20 bed hospital, complete his services at the hospital. area, and Gospel ministry is rare, with electric light (!) and requested BCA we certainly get heaps of opportu- Some 80 kilometres further west, the to accept responsibility for its staffing and nities to tell people about Jesus.) people of the small town of Penong erect- operation. Thus Murat Bay District ed a purpose built Memorial Hospital and Hospital opened on 1st February 1937. Now when Rob moved away, it asked BCA to take responsibility for its These hospitals not only provided physi- wasn't the end of our involvement operation when it opened in 1928. It cal healing but also a loving Christian with him. Rob, through his time closed as a hospital in 1965. witness to all who came. spent at Mt Magnet, recognised Back in Ceduna, increasing needs for the need for having a gospel pres- 1937 saw another extension of the heal- services resulted in the opening of a ence in the area.