Y WAWR THE DAWN. The magazine of the Melbourne Welsh Church. Southbank, Melbourne. Registered by Australia Post Print Post Approved PP

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1 Registered by Australia Post Print Post Approved PP Y WAWR THE DAWN The magazine of the Melbourne Welsh Church Southbank, Melbourne Mehefin 2017 June 2017

2 CHURCH SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES JUNE 4 SUNDAY SERVICES PENTECOST 11:00am English Rev. Siôn Gough Hughes Communion Junior Church JUNE 11 11:00am English Rev. Siôn Gough Hughes Junior Church 2:30pm Welsh Rev. Sion Gough Hughes JUNE 18 11:00am English Rev. Siôn Gough Hughes Junior Church JUNE 25 11:00am English Mr. Peter Whitefield Junior Church 2:20pm Welsh Rev. Siôn Gough Hughes OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD Our diligent and hardworking volunteers are busily wrapping and packing shoeboxes at the monthly working bees. At the moment the project is short on the following items: Boys : undies sizes 4-6 tops sizes t-shirts sizes 4-14 Girls : tops sizes Our next working bee will be on Tuesday, June 20. Morning tea is provided, BYO lunch. If you can spare a few hours to help out, it would be very much appreciated BIBLE STUDY Morning: 14th 28th Evening: 5th and 19th 5 Beech Crt Boronia 6 / 52 Harp Rd. Kew Please contact the Ministers for further details. Prayer list Please remember the following in your prayers: The Gough Hughes family Nola & Mac Harris Loris Williams Will Owen (aged 7) Laura Sheppee Glynn Thomas Dewi Arwel Hughes Raphaela Beryl Burrup Lyn Platt Trevor Jones Robert Berry Remember all the sick, sad, scared, hungry and lonely in our community and beyond.

3 CHURCH announements 3rd 8th June birthdays 12th 13th 16th 17th 18th 19th 20th 23rd 24th 26th 28th Best wishes and congratulations to : Merlene Steylen Wayne Gardiner Lloyd Berry Duncan Gardiner Catrin Griffiths Tom Cooper June Earle Bradley Warburton Eleri Little Richard Williams Debbi Ingles Jane Griffiths Ruth Whitefield Joyce Ong Anne Morris Fred Boomsma Robert Berry june anniversaries Congratulations to all those couples celebrating an anniversary in June including: Debbie & Mark Gardiner on the 9th Jane & Geraint Griffiths on the 12th Please contact the church office if you have a celebration that you would like The Dawn to acknowledge. On-going support The Melbourne Welsh Church community supports a number of good causes on an on-going basis. The most ambitious is the Operation Christmas Child Project, often mentioned in The Dawn. An energetic group of volunteers meet regularly to organise well over 200 boxes to be sent overseas later in the year. But all the goodies used are supplied by donation from our wonderful church congregation - quite an effort. The Sunrise Children s Villages organisation (sunrisecambodia.org.au) has been supported by our congregation for many years by regular tin donation and by sausage sizzles. We support the Leprosy Mission which is an interdenominational Christian medical mission currently working in over 30 countries where leprosy remains a major public health issue. Our members and friends collect thousands of used stamps during the year that go to the mission that use them to raise funds. Each year the Melbourne Welsh Church supports the Cancer Council of Victoria through: Holding a Biggest Morning Tea in May Making daffodil badges that are sold at our annual St. David s day Gymanfa Ganu The Church makes annual monetary donations to a wide range of charities and organisations, including: Fred Hollows Salvation Army Red Cross Flying Doctor Service CARE Australia Bible Society Oxfam Barnabas Australia Prahran Mission Wesley Mission Caritas Odyssey House Parkinsons Australia Victor Chang Research Frontier Services Anglicare OAC Ministries Juvenile Diabetes Christian Blind Mission World Vision MS Wycliffe Muscular Dystrophy Alzheimers Australia and others.

4 sion s MEssAGE Dear Friends, As most of you will know my father passed away unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago and so firstly, and fore mostly, I wish to thank everyone who sent cards, texts, s, phone calls, prayers and those who came to see me. Your love, care and support have been invaluable at this time. Thank you. I went home and had the privilege of conducting the service for the 'Old Man' (as I called him). Nearly 150 people were there as we remembered and celebrate Dad, it was a wonderful send off. Seeing all those people, reading all the cards and messages - it really hit home how much the 3 'F''s mean. Friends, family and faith. For the service friends came from as far off as Germany; family drove down from Scotland and back in the same day just to be there for us. It was not just a wonderful tribute to Dad but also a great source of strength. I cannot express the gratitude I feel towards everyone who has shown me support over this time. The third F - faith - has also been important over the past days too. Cards and messages have included Bible verses and prayers and lovely religious quotes but the one that helped me the most came from someone in this church - it was just a plain card and written inside were the words: Siôn, as you keep telling us - Joshua 1 v 9. And it was signed. That's all it was and it was amazing. I won't embarrass the person who sent it, but thank you. To be reminded of my favourite verse at this time was good but to go and read it and understand it a little better was priceless. I'll leave you with that verse that has brought me so much comfort and strength over the past weeks. It has done so for years but recently it seems to have a new kind of authority- Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. God bless you all, Yours, Siôn All at the Melbourne Welsh Church were saddened to hear of the passing of John Gough Hughes, father of our Rev. Siôn. John, aged 83, had not experienced good health of late but seemed to be picking up so his passing was unexpected. Siôn flew home to lead his dad s funeral. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Siôn s mum, Glenys, recently retired Minister from Upper Colwyn Bay, to Siôn and the family.

5 JiM s MEssAGE Around 1851 the English poet Matthew Arnold wrote a poem inspired by the sound of the waves at night pushing the shingles back and forth on Dover Beach. Thousands of years before the philosopher Sophocles had been moved by a similar sound on a beach in Greece. Arnold wrote his poem, Dover Beach, as a reflection on the changes occurring in Victorian society, especially the changes in religion: The Sea of Faith Was once, too, at the full, and round earth s shore Lay like the folds of a bright girdle furled. But now I only hear Its melancholy, long, withdrawing roar, Retreating, to the breath Of the night-wind, down the vast edges drear And naked shingles of the world. That was over 160 years ago but many are still haunted by the melancholy, long, withdrawing roar of faith from the modern world. Arnold s poem is perhaps better known for its depiction of the result of that withdrawal of the Sea of Faith: And we are here as on a darkling plain Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, Where ignorant armies clash by night. Are things really this bleak? Are we in a world from which faith has withdrawn, or is the pattern of faith being transformed and our eyes are not yet accustomed to the changes? One of the delights of my journeying in Wales has been to see the evidence of the pattern of spiritual changes that have influenced that country over thousands of years. By my reckoning there is a rhythm of renewal and decline that operates on a cycle of years. Other see the great transformations of Christianity working in cycles of around 500 years. So what Arnold lamented as a great decline might be seen as just the cyclic pattern of a living faith in a season of withdrawal, only to be renewed when the Spring thaws the snows of winter. This year is the 500th anniversary of the start of the Reformation. Perhaps we are due for a season of refreshing and new energy. May God grant us the patience and the faith to wait for such a season and the courage and clarity of vision to be part of it! Grace and peace, Jim

6 PEtEr s JiM s MEssAGE MEssAGE I was sent a reflection in the form of a poem. Titled, We are not Machines, it was a timely reminder we are people, living breathing with beating hearts. Machines are machines; when they break, as invariable they do, it is not too difficult to repair them. People are not machines; emotions and 'feelings' can easily be 'broken'. Journeying with people who are 'broken' is a privilege and a responsibility not to be taken lightly. Machines don't have hearts, people do. In her song, Rescue the Perishing, Fanny Crosbie penned this line: 'Down in the human heart, crushed by the tempter, feelings lay buried, grace can be restored. Touched by a loving hand, woken by kindness, chords that were broken vibrate once more. We are not machines... You are not a machine. You are a child of God with a beating heart. You are a tour guide to God's love and glory. JUNE 28 M. C. C. I. A. Melbourne City Churches in Action AUGUST BIBLE STUDY PROGRAM The Future of Truth in a Post-truth world OCTOBER 11 Led by Fr. Brendan Byrne, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, focusing on John 1:14 Led by Rev. Dr. Sean Winter, Associate Professor at the University of Divinity, focussing on John 8:32 Led by Rev. Ian Smith, Executive Officer -Vic. Council of Churches, focusing on John 14:6 6:00pm for dinner followed by study at Melbourne Welsh Church For catering purposes, please contact the Welsh Church Office Donations of clothing for the homeless are no longer being accepted at the Welsh Church. We are extremely grateful to all those who have donated so generously in the past.

7 THE CHURCH SIGN RECENTLY CHristinE s CULinArY CornEr Hi all, In March a number of the Melbourne Welsh Church Elders visited Carmel Welsh Church for our annual business meeting. During the weekend we were fortunate enough to have meals provided by the lovely Carmel congregation. One special offering was the following: thanks to Ailyn for sharing this recipe. I simply loved it. Date pudding with caramel sauce 250g pitted dates (halved) 1tsp grated green ginger 1¼ cups water 1 tsp bicarb. of soda 125g unsalted butter 1 cup caster sugar (or less) ½ tsp vanilla essence 2 cups SR flour 3 large eggs ( room T ) 125g unsalted butter 1 cup brown sugar 300ml cream 1. Prepare a 23cm cake tin by buttering and lining with grease proof paper. 2. Pre-heat the oven to Place dates, ginger and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Stir in the bi-carb and set aside. 4. Cream butter and gradually beat in the caster sugar until light and fluffy. 5. Beat in the vanilla and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. 6. Sift flour and fold into the cream mixture, and finally fold in the dates mixture. 7. Add the mixture to the prepared tin and bake for 50mins, or until golden brown and cooked through. (test with a skewer) 8. Meanwhile make the sauce by melting the butter, brown sugar and cream in a heavy based pan. Allow to boil for 5 mins. 9. Serve the pudding and sauce together. Yum! Hwyl fawr, Christine

8 The church RECENTLY The delightful May Anderson celebrated her 96th birthday with her friends at the Church on May 7th. Always well groomed and smiling, our May brought along a delicious Black Forest cake to share, which was much appreciated by all. Lyn had decorated the hall, including enormous balloons signalling 96. May, who is always so generous to all, was showered with special gifts which her daughter Joan needed to help transport. We hope that May realises we have to do it all again next year. There were around 80 in the congregation at the 11:00am service on May 21st, to witness the Christening of Rex Paul Mason-Warburton. Rex s parents, Brad Warburton and John Mason currently live in London where they were married but chose the Melbourne Welsh Church for the Christening due to Brad s and his family s long association with the Church. Rev. Jim led the service, which was followed by a scrumptious lunch for all in the Sunday School Hall. "Let the little children come unto Me, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." Luke 18:16

9 The church RECENTLY David, John and Gail Rees John Rees was drafted into the British Army in He was assigned to a Scottish Regiment (52 Lowland Division) as part of the Royal Artillery. He had training in England Scotland and Wales (Sennybridge) where the major artillery training took place. His unit was part of the left flank push into John Rees Germany and was at Bremerhaven at the time of Germany's surrender. He was also sent to Burma to relieve the British forces there at the end of the war. John received his colour bars but not medals and thanks to an astute member of the MW Church who realised that he didn't have the actual medals sought to source them. He is grateful to Felicity Porter for obtaining a replica set on his behalf. His family may now be moved to act and get the originals if possible! As with the sermon on May 7th there are always more stories, but some take time to come out!. Llongyrfarchiadau (congratulations) John a Diolch yn fawr iawn (Thanks muchly) Felicity. The Hosanna Church ( Korean) often use our Hall for a meal and worship. Terminal Church and a Pentecostal bible study group. The Melbourne Welsh Church is simply not only used on a Sunday. The Sunday School Hall is often a hub of activity during the week, as is the meeting room and the new facilities at 312. Three different Churches use our facilities regularly: The Hosanna Church of Christ, The U3A have weekly groups meet for Orchestra, Choir, belly dancing, Guitar, French thru Music and others. Community programs such as A.A. and Australian Drink Drive Education hold regular meetings. Other hirers include the Cambrian Society, the Pelargonium Society and the Dairy Goats Association. It can get very busy at times. A great community hub!

10 NEWS FROM THE PEWS ~ Your Intrepid Reporter, Medi Jones-Roberts Wonderful to have our long time Minister Sion Gough-Hughes back in the pulpit on Sunday, May 7. But his return to active duties was cut short by the death of his father in Cymru fach. Sion flew 'home' to be with his mother, and was expected back in the pulpit towards the end of May, a little before you absorb this issue of The Dawn. Recent visitors welcomed into our midst have included Liz. Millman from Anglesey and/ or Caernarfon, Gogledd Cymru. Liz, who has been residing in Ringwood, flew 'home' on May 19. Before the service began on May 7, my attention was drawn to the fact that a stranger was playing the piano beautifully. So I caught up with Janice Stevenson visiting from Somerset, Tasmania. Fantastic. And, oh did I mention that Janice is visually impaired!!. Also at the service while on a return visit to us - and family, were Pam and Neville Bowen from Windsor, NSW. Elyse Willett of Bunbury, Western Australia was also in. Elise is working in Hospitality, I understand, at the Haileybury College campus in King Street. Janet Jenkins' two daughters Helen and Mandy were there, the latter with husband Jeff. Good to welcome back Mac. Harris after a lengthy indisposition. By the time you absorb this epistle, he expects to have wife Nola home from a lengthy spell in hospital. Sunday, May 7 was also a very special day for a very loyal member of our 'flock'. The diminutive May Anderson was congratulated on achieving the grand age of 96. And there was a cake for all to share in the hall at the post- service 'cuppa'. May and her late husband Shaun migrated from their native Scotland in the same year as this writer. May hailed originally from Berwick on Tweed while Shaun was from the island of Aran. Here, I must acknowledge the loyalty and devotion of May's daughter Joan, who makes sure the lady gets to the church on time from her home in Preston. Our Beverly Hugo and Di Gardiner are off together on a 22 day APT tour of the scenic Canadian Rockies, including Banff, Lake Louise, Whistler and Vancouver, and an Alaskan cruise on the 15th. On their way back home, they intend stopping off in Noosa staying in Bev s holiday unit for a rest. It s a hard life. We wish them both a wonderful adventure. I'll close wondering if the scriptwriter of that great TV series 'The Dr. Blake Mysteries, (ABC2) is a reader of this column. Why?, you might ask. Towards the end of the May 7 episode, Dr. Blake accused a journalist of being an Intrepid Reporter. Regular readers will know that's how I've signed off on this column for many years now! Geraldine Cox I'll be missing next month - a grandson s wedding in Fiji calls. We'll be there for a week before flying to Brisbane en-route to the Gold Coast for an eight week stay, six of which will be dog sitting for our daughter and son- in- law. They are off to San Francisco where Adrian, Senior School Head at the Somerset Christian College, is to attend a course, and do you think our daughter Leanne will let him go alone? Not on your life!

11 The Cambrian Society of Victoria met on May 4th in the light filled function room of the Welsh Church facilities at 312 La Trobe St. This was actually the A.G.M. for the Society at which the following members were elected into positions: President: Mrs Christine Boomsma Secretary: Mrs. Janet Jenkins Treasurer: Mrs Bronwen Holding Committee: Mr. Medi Jones-Roberts, Mrs Janet Jones-Roberts, Mrs Lyn Rowlands Commonwealth Societies Representative: Ms. Lynne Davies We thank all these committed members for taking on these positions and look forward to a happy and successful year ahead; a year that we hope will see growth in membership and attendance. Following the business component of the meeting, all present enjoyed some lovely hot soup along with a delicious assortment of sandwiches, with coffee / tea and sweets to follow. Our guest speaker for the afternoon was Liz Millman, a native of Anglesey, North Wales. A former teacher, on retirement Liz became interested in a project of International Links. In Australia she has been working on linking places in Australia with their original namesakes in Wales, such as Beaumaris, Newport, Rhyl, Anglesea etc. Liz shared her background, her work life and interests with those present. She had brought along some of her favourite Welsh belongings which included her grandmother s teapot, sheep and dragons tic tac toe and also her favourite Welsh books. Liz had made contact with the Church in order to make a connection here in Melbourne and the Cambrian Society were grateful to her for making the time to share her interests with us. Two of our Society regulars, Beverly Hugo and Diana Gardiner, are off on a 4 week holiday to Canada in June, and the ladies have graciously agreed (under pressure ) to share their adventures exploring Vancouver, the Rockies and cruising the inside passage, Alaska, with us at our next meeting. So remember to jot down 11:00am on October 5 into your diaries for our next meeting. Cambrian news As always, a warm Welsh welcome will await you.

12 Margaret and Murray Earnshaw FAITH I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you're grateful, you'll see God open up new doors. ~ Joel Osteen Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark. ~ Rabindranath Tagore Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr. In my deepest, darkest moments, what really got me through was a prayer. Sometimes my prayer was 'Help me.' Sometimes a prayer was 'Thank you.' What I've discovered is that intimate connection and communication with my creator will always get me through because I know my support, my help, is just a prayer away. ~ Iyanla Vanzant Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times. ~ Martin Luther To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless. ~ Gilbert K. Chesterton Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. ~ Steve Jobs No human race is superior; no religious faith is inferior. All collective judgments are wrong. Only racists make them. ~ Elie Wiesel Resist your fear; fear will never lead to you a positive end. Go for your faith and what you believe. ~ T. D. Jakes Faith gives you an inner strength and a sense of balance and perspective in life. ~ Gregory Peck Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. ~ Anne Frank Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation upon which sincere and meaningful repentance must be built. If we truly seek to put away sin, we must first look to Him who is the Author of our salvation. ~ Ezra Taft Benson

13 A dragon has appeared on top of Cardiff Castle overnight to celebrate the Champions League final in Cardiff. The giant sculpture appeared on the ramparts overnight alongside a replica of the trophy. The final, which we now know will be between Real Madrid and Juventus, takes place in the city on June 3. Passers-by could be seen stopping as the city woke up to take selfies and get a glimpse at what is sure to be a popular attractions among the thousands of football fans expected in the city. The dragon's appearance follows the popular giant rugby ball that 'crashed' into Cardiff Castle to mark the Rugby World Cup in Matt Wild and his company Wild Creations, who were behind it, have also created this dragon. "We then sat around with FA Wales and a representative from UEFA, we looked at various different things. The branding for Cardiff was the dragon protecting the trophy. What better place to put that than the top of Cardiff Castle? "It's the same reason we did the ball here. It's such an iconic part of Cardiff, it's great to do it here. We've been working on it in the workshop for about 12 weeks with around 15 people." Creating the dragon involved people drawing, sculpting, hand-sculpting, robot work, a team of artists painting it and metal workers - as well as printing all the banners. Source: WalesOnLine Clyne Gardens is a botanical garden located in Swansea, Wales, UK. The current park was formed from the landscaped gardens created by Glynn Vivian of the Vivian family who purchased the castle in The estate passed to his nephew Algernon, 'The Admiral' in 1921 who owned it until his death in He had the greatest influence on the gardens as we see them today. Clyne Gardens is bordered by Mumbles Rd and Mayals Rd in Blackpill area of Swansea with entrances off both these roads. The gardens consist of 19 hectares of land and include over 2,000 different plants including over 800 rhododendrons for which the gardens are renowned. Clyne holds National Collections of Pieris, Enkianthus and Rhododendrons. Due to the cool, wet and temperate local climate many plants thrive here not normally considered hardy for its latitude.

14 YoU VE Got to LAUGH There was an atheist in Cardiff that needed converting; so they took him to the rugby ground and kicked him over the posts. A Scotsman and a Cardi met in Glasgow, both penniless, both thirsty. The Scotsman had an idea for getting a free drink: "I know a barmaid in a pub near here who has got a very bad memory. If you get her involved in a conversation she can't remember whether you've paid or not. Let me try it on first." The Scotsman went into the pub and duly got his free drink. Now it was the Cardi's turn to try. The Cardi went over to the bar, ordered his pint and began to tell the barmaid all about life in Wales. Ten minutes later he drained his glass and said to the barmaid "Well, it's been nice talking to you but I've got to be off now. What about my change?" During the controversy over the disestablishment of the Church of Wales the two chief protagonists were David Lloyd George and the Bishop of St. Asaph. On one occasion Lloyd George addressed a meeting in a small Welsh village where he was introduced by one of the deacons of the local chapel as follows "We all know the remarks made on this subject last week by the Bishop of St. Asaph who, in my opinion, is the biggest liar in creation. Fortunately we have here tonight Mr. David Lloyd George who will be more than a match for him." Welsh receptionist to visitor: "I'm afraid the chairman is out, but if it is really important he'll see you." WELSH NAMES: The local chiropodist - Williams the corn-curer. The man with only two teeth left and those in the front of his mouth - Dai central eating. Sign outside a cafe in Rhyl: "Fish and chips 90p. Children 50p." The Bishop of St. Asaph and his wife were on holiday in Spain and were just signing in to their hotel in Seville. Now, although bishops of the Church in Wales have a title their wives are plain 'Mrs.'. So the good prelate wrote in the register "The Bishop of St. Asaph and Mrs. Williams." The hotel manager looked at the register in amazement and taking the Bishop to one side said "In Spain, Bishop, we are not as is commonly said, narrow-minded, and it is no concern of mine what your relationship is with this woman, but do you not think you could conduct this affair a little more discreetly?" Although it was some time since her husband died the Welsh widow remained inconsolable. To the insurance rep who came round to settle her late husband's policy she declared in tears, "You know I'd give half this money to have my Evan back again."

15 Puzzle page - WELSH PLACE NAMES A A D L O M O N M O U T H L B E B A N G O R E E B L R A A R S E E A L A B W H F Y A R M E N R D R E N L P T D Y R L P C A Y Y B A A Y O A P Y N E E O W S L E L E H R E W H D C T N S T O R L L R T N L O E H E O C W H T Y K A O U L L N A R F A Y R H F N C N N H Y B Y I R R T T E N B Y U E E W I O A A D H Y K X F E S B L E G N F N I A W R S H T K D I L H W N R F K Y I E S A L C D L I Y A E F I N H C W L M A I U N E L A I N O C G O N D U D N A L L C ABERAERON ABERYSTWYTH AMLYCH BALA BANGOR BARRY BRECON BUCKLEY CAERNARFON CARDIFF CHIRK CLASE CONWY DENBIGH HAKIN HARLECH HAY ON WYE HOLYHEAD HOLYWELL LAMPETER LLANDUDNO LLANELLI LLANFAIR MOLD _ MONMOUTH NEATH NEFYN NEWPORT PWLLHELI RHYL RADYR SWANSEA TENBY TYWYN USK WREXHAM YNYSDDU The unused letters from left to right, top to bottom, spell out another famous Welsh town:

16 CHURCH CONTACT INFORMATION Ministry team Rev. Siôn Gough Hughes Rev. Jim Barr Presence Ministry - Mr. Peter Whitefield Board of elders Treasurer Mr. Wayne Gardiner Assistant Treasurer Mr. Darren Gardiner Elders: Mr. Robert Berry Mr. John Doré Mrs. Christine Boomsma Mrs. Bronwen Holding Mr. David Rees CHURCH office Administrative Assistant Mr. Fred Boomsma The Welsh Church office hours are: 8:45am to 2:45pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday Deacons: Resident Caretaker and Hall Hire Mr. Geraint Griffiths Mr. Michael Min Fa Church Organist: Ms. Wendy Couch Mrs. Lyn Rowlands Social media melbwelshchurch@ bigpond.com Website: melbournewelshchurch.org Twitter: melbwelshchurch\ Melbourne Welsh Church on Facebook search bar. Blog: DIVINE WORSHIP 11:00am WELSH SERVICES Second and last Sunday of each month at 2:30pm. HOLY COMMUNION First Sunday of each month and as advertised. JUNIOR CHURCH Every Sunday during the morning Service. GYMANFA GANU March and August melbournewelshchurch. blogspot.com.au