During a journey of eight weeks, covering 6,000 miles, to a point beyond Cairns in northern Queensland, we were enabled by the goodness of Yahweh to meet and fraternise with many of like precious faith in the country centres of New South Wales and Queensland.
Journeying through Newcastle and the northern coast of N.S.W., we located the meeting place of the ecclesia at Ballina and left evidence of our visit in the form of a written exhortation at the hail in Cherry Street. Then on to Brisbane where we were due to exhort at Petrie Terrace meeting on the Sunday morning. The meeting was well attended, the hall bright and inviting, and that which is always most impressive—the general decorum and dignity of all members present. It is an interesting point and always observable by the visitor, viz. the presence (or absence) of an atmosphere of decorum and seemliness. From the large ecclesia to the small country group of a dozen or so members, the atmosphere of Christliness is immediately noticeable and leaves a definite impression. So often one is disturbed by the babble of voices, the noise of children, the hasty preparations (due so often to the latecoming of members) that the meeting is robbed of the atmosphere of the upper room at Jerusalem. It was pleasant to meet brethren and sisters with whom brief contact had been made on a former Brisbane visit. Our exhortation was based on the necessity of making due training and preparation here and now for the emergency—sudden as it certainly will be—of our Master’s return. By the inculcation of the Spirit-Word it is essential that we become, day by day, a people prepared for the Lord.
At night we attended the lecture at South Brisbane. Bro. and Sister Geo. Davis and Bro. and Sister Norm Bailey drove us to the site of the proposed new hall and we were impressed with its close proximity to the residential section of the City.
Proceeding north from Brisbane along the Bruce Highway, the wide bitumen road slowly reduces into a dangerous single track for hundreds of miles and is known as Crystal Highway because of the constant breaking of windscreens caused by flying metal. The scenery is a mixture of glorious tropical vegetation, sugar cane and mountain slopes.
We made a brief call at the home of Bro. and Sister K. O’Toole of Rockhampton, promising to spend a few days on our return journey, and pushed on to Mackay. Our talk with members of the ecclesia there was most enjoyable and we were greatly impressed with the ability of the members of their Sunday school.
Townsville reached, we immediately contacted Bro. Jim Malcolmson and an itinerary was proposed for our stay in this lovely city. We gave the word of exhortation at the ecclesial hall in Sturt Street on the following morning, taking for our theme the walk to Emmaus (Luke 24). So often are we dispirited and lack the essential enthusiasm that it requires the daily absorption of those Christ-like qualities to arouse us to an appreciation of our responsibilities.
We enjoyed many ecclesial and home meetings with our folk at Townsville. One of the highlights was a night at the home of Bro. and Sister Malcolmson where we contacted for the first time Bro. Herb. Twine, whose name has been a legend with us—a legend of service. Our open talk on this occasion was direct and to the point—directed mainly to those who might lead others away from the pioneer works. Our concern has been for those “little ones” . . . //my sheep”, who bereft of a visible shepherd rely on the presence of a Comforter (the Spirit Word). We were not unmindful of some who might “enter in, not sparing the flock.” Paul had experienced men who, by perversity, tended to draw away some of the flock. We did not go to the extreme of admonishing the brethren with tears (as did Paul), but in our open talk we advised the brethren and sisters of Townsville to seek no other expositor than Dr. Thomas. By our cleavage to “Eureka” we tend to build a solid core in ecclesial life. Despite the waves of doctrinal and other buffetings our ecclesia will remain firm, being founded on a rock. We trust that our outspokenness may have assisted others than ourselves. Those who are enticed by either eloquence or apparent sincerity may be drawn into compromise, a sad state indeed, for one is then neither hot nor cold (Rev. 3.16).
From Townsville we spent five days at sea. How full of carefree anticipation were the 18 valiant passengers as the shores of Townsville still remained visible—how their spirits drooped as the steamship buffeted the waves on its voyage further north and towards the Barrier Reef!
How we treasured the memories of those fleeting hours on board when each passenger in turn (between bouts of physical misery) learned of the pearl of great price. We would invite them to our cabin and place before them the Great Salvation so freely given in the Word. Quite a number expressed an interest in the divine invitation. It is not surprising to note in the majority of people that a fervent desire for peace of mind is predominant. An invitation to a chat on generalities, expressing an enthusiasm to assist the solution to daily problems, meets with a ready response and paves the way to introduce the Truth. By this means we encouraged many passengers on board the S.S. Everley to talk with us on the Word . . . it is a certain way to win confidence. Before the boat had returned to Townsville we had a formidable list of interested friends requiring further information and literature.
We had arranged several ecclesial appointments in Townsville including further talks with interested friends, whom, on our final day, we introduced to Bro. Peter Dawson for further study and information. We visited Magnetic Island where, a few weeks previously, the Christadelphian Bible School was held. Finally, we set off on the last section of our journey to Cairns. Returning from Green Island one day, we met and had a most enjoyable conversation with Bro. Alex Smith, assuring him of further contacts with him and the brethren at Atherton ecclesia.
We continue to hope and pray that the brethren and sisters in the far north of Queensland will not quench the spirit, that enthusiasm for the things of the Truth may always be in evidence. Whilst workers are limited —and the usual man in the street apparently devoid of interest in the Name of Yahweh—yet we have since heard of the excellent results of a lecture given at Cairns when over 20 strangers were in attendance. This also obtained in Hobart (Tas.) last month when 15 strangers attended a lecture and where the workers in that City are only about six. We are arranging to forward a parcel of literature each month to assist Bro. Smith in his lone campaign at Cairns.
By a devious route we travelled via Kuranda and the Atherton Tablelands, down the Palmerston Highway to Rockhampton. Four days were spent in this fine City. Speaking during the week-end and noting with relish the meetings held to study works of prophecy with deep and sustained interest, we were able to exhort towards a continuance of such zeal. Bro. Bob O’Toole’s contribution to the subject of Ezekiel’s Temple was extremely interesting. On our final day at Rockhampton we accompanied Bro. Fred Porter to Mt. Morgan copper mines where we spent some time with Bro. and Sister Hill and their son Ted (recently returned from Israel). His account of the Land was interesting, together with his confidence concerning the near return of the Master. On the same night we motored out to Bajool with Bro. and Sister Porter to the farmhouse of Bro. and Sister Bob Roberts. Here we spent an interesting night around the Word endeavouring to foster a love of the Truth in some interested friends. We trust that such an interest has since been aroused in the hearts of our friends, Bill and Grace Turner of Bajool, through the ministrations of Bro. Bob and Sister Lorna Roberts and the brethren who travel from Rockhampton to conduct the Sunday school and the ecclesia at Bajool.
Through Bowen (where we met Bro. and Sister Fred Stoneham) and the Bundesen family at Proserpine and Bloomsbury, we travelled direct to Gympie, where we made contact with Bro. Ralph Hill, to whom we brought loving greetings from his people in Rockhampton.
It was pleasant to meet again and spend some time with the brethren at Brisbane, for on our return journey we gave the word of exhortation and the evening lecture prior to continuing our journey to New South Wales. An afternoon at the home of Bro. and Sister Norm Bailey proved interesting, for our friends Bro. and Sister Geo. Davis called in and supplied us with first hand information of the fortunes of the ecclesia in the Phillipines. We sorrowfully bade farewell to the Brisbane members and made our way down the New England Highway towards the apple country of Queensland in the vicinity of Stanthorpe. We pulled into The Summit enquiring the way to the home of Bro. and Sister W. Rossow. Looking into an open doorway we had no need to make further enquiries for a hymn book and a copy of “The Shield” were conspicuous on the table and we merely made ourselves comfortable on the wide verandah and awaited the return of our friends. How thrilling it was to spend most of the day with the Rossows, conversing on the Truth. Let me state here that both the visitors and the visited in these isolated areas receive a deep measure of enthusiasm by reason of such experiences. Accompanied by Sister Rossow we back-tracked 10 miles down to Cotton-vale over roads that certainly would be a quagmire in winter to the home of her daughter (Sister Dawn Deuter) and her husband, Lance, with whom we had the pleasure of a brief chat in the field he was busily plowing.
We met many others of like precious faith during our journey through New South Wales and Victoria. There were many interested friends in such places as Bega, Wollongong, Goulburn, Canberra, Cooma, over the Snowy Mountains to Corryong and the Kiewa Valley to Bright. Two nights were spent at Bright in a round table talk on the Truth in an endeavour to convince an interested family of the need to put on the sin-covering Name.
We are convinced of the care and need to introduce the Gospel in a way both dignified and interesting. The blustering, argumentative type of introduction can never hope to win friends, let alone impress one of the need of salvation. For the members of those far away ecclesias (and the many friends we met and encouraged) we trust and pray that Yahweh may grant them his richest blessing to remain loyal and active in the face of obvious disinterest and paucity of the Word both within and without the Body. There is not an ecelesia or ecclesial group without some problem. That which we found most needful was a practical interest by each member. That is the mind of Christ and we are exhorted to “let that mind be in you.” The spiritual welfare of fellow-brother and sister must be our first concern. Our genuine advice is to enter wholeheartedly into the service of the Vineyard—thus making yourself and others secure and confident in a rapidly growing atmosphere around us of disrespect and disillusionment.
Excerpts From the Annual Report of the Australasian Christadelphian Bible Mission 1963