I should never have doubted that a reunion of like-minded souls was going to be successful. The chatter over meals was incessant; the singing at the washing up was predictable; the tears that flowed as we sat in silence on Flat Rock were real. There were 36 of us in camp at Kallara who had had some camp experience at Mountain Hut and that common bond was in full view. Shirley Remmenga (a Leadership camper from 1979) came all the way from Colorado. Paul Judd flew in from New Caledonia. Interviews screened from some of those who couldn’t join us (Ken Robinson, Barb Brock, Anne Sutton, and Harry and Peter Fielding) captured their reflections from afar. But the weekend was more than just reminiscences. Marshall Leaver acknowledged formally the Taungurung traditional custodians of the land. We sang around the fire with Jan Thompson. We played volleyball (slowly), observed by a curious mob of Strathbogie Eastern Grey kangaroos. We participated in a spiritual practice (followed by some artistic brush-work creativity) led by Anne Bonnefin. We enjoyed fabulous food from Helen and Graeme Gidney. We talked about the future of the church with John Taylor and Adam Wade. We went to bed early and rose late. We shared communion together under the leadership of Kass Unger. I came away from the weekend glowing.
Rick Sarre
Co Director
Working with the Leadership Revisited Team, Rick Sarre , Ian Shirley, Tony Prescott and Sharon Hunter was just as much about the journey as it was the camp itself. It was the coming of age, as we, as past students returned as leaders of a “new event” to honour the past and look towards the future. The camp that had been in planning since 2018, undertook a host of changes and challenges being twice postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic along with budget cuts, staff changes and post pandemic fears. However, all fears were dispelled as we basked in the fellowship of treasured friends, creating new memories with new friends, retracing footprints on hallowed grounds and seeing new possibilities into the future.
We were all older, hopefully wiser, but there was no doubt that as we sat on Mt Wombat, reflecting on a Divine Spirit that had touched our youthful hearts years ago, this same spirit still calls us into the future, guiding us to be a blessing to community for today and the generations to follow.
Robert Thompson
Co Director
