Our Meeting 6th Feb 2024

Meeting was chaired by PP Phil Burgess who opened the meeting with a reflection and a toast to King Charles and the People of Australia.

Phil then welcomed our guest speaker Rev. Karen Kime who immediately came to the microphone.

 

We were fortunate to have another guest speaker in Rev Karen Kime.

Karen was welcomed and thanked at the end by Phil Burgess.

 

Karen had a great story. She is the first Aboriginal person to be ordained by the Anglican Church.

 

Karen began with an acknowledgement of country, paying her respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

 

Karen let us know that her “mob” come from Dingo Creek in Biraba Country, which is a very small part of the aboriginal landscape near Gosford on the Central Coast. She is now a resident in Wagga Wagga and loves it in this part of the Country, living near the water which is exactly what her forebears did. Karen credited her journey to her grandparents, those grandparents were bought up on a mission until they were about to bring up their own family and fled to Sydney. That was not good for living as they lived under bridges, parks and other inhospitable places, before settling in Newtown. They were both passionate for the Aboriginal people and her Grandfather drove and undertook a protest in 1938 about the plight of his “mob”. It was big national news at the time.

 

Leading up to 1940, her Grandfather also started the first “all blacks” rugby league team. That team included a large number of Wiradjuri men, who were working in Sydney. Karen grew up in Cabramatta in western Sydney. Karen recognized a large diversity of people living ai that are, with a large number of European migrants living in that area. That area is now strongly populated by the Vietnamese people.

Karen struggled at school finding it somewhat difficult to fit in as an aboginal girl so left school at age 14 and took up Jillarooing on outback stations. Karen loved the remoteness of those places and was taken aback at the living standards on the Stations of the aboriginal and non aboriginal people. That was a terrible shock to Karen and drove her to do something about it.

With her passion for change, Karen changed her course of action and attended CSU to complete a teaching degree, followed by a Masters.Karen teamed with Uni of NSW to train teachers to learn how to teach aboriginal kids, who were dropping out of school at the first chance, just like Karen did.

The major change that took place was young aboriginal people started attending Universities and finding carreers. Some are doing PHD’s.

Karen joined the Anglican ministry towards the end of the 90’s with a mission to removed barriers in communities. Karen went to Young as her first parish, followed by Darlington Point, Coleambally and then Hay.

Karen was invited to write the first reconciliation statement in the Canberra-Goulburn Diocese, This had a connection with the four ways of Rotary as “Is it the truth”.  Nadoc week placed a special honour on Karen with the statement “ Because of her, we can”

Following all of that busy schedule, Karen is now working closely with Erin earth

 

 

If you think we are getting on in years, think about this
 in a hostage situation, you are likely to be released first.
 No one expects you to run -- anywhere.
 People call at 9 PM and ask, 'Did I wake you?'
 People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
 There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
 Things you buy now won't wear out.

 

Daren Wallace came to meeting to announce that David post will take the role of President for the next year which was received with much applause. Darren said he was relieved that the District head hunters would now leave him alone.

 

 

Peter MacKinnon gave us an idea to digest that we run the market previously run by Tim McMullen, called “Cork & Fork”. Darren will send out some information to assess.

Saturday markets are on this weekend at the Civic Gardens with OIC Pykie and a band of 14. Trailer pullers will be at Nth Wagga at 6.45am, followed by all other members at the Civic gardens at 7am