The Chimes

Mary had often driven her brother Fr David to the Benedictine nuns’ monastery in Pennant Hills when he was visiting Sydney. She and their mother were both present on the very wet day when the nuns’ new monastery at Jamberoo was opened in 1988. Mary continued to enjoy driving Fr David on his visits to Jamberoo in succeeding years, so it was not altogether surprising when the Abbess, Mother Hilda and Sub-Prioress, Sr Caritas from Jamberoo attended the funeral of one they knew as a very good friend.

Where the service booklet was supposed to have the words of Ps 23(22) according to the Grimond setting, the words given were those of the Grail Psalter, so Fr David sang the Gelineau setting of Ps 22(23) accompanied by Sr Elizabeth Murray, SGS on the organ. At the end of the chapel service, Fr David gave a very brief eulogy before her son Michael followed by his wife Julie and their daughter Indy delivered much fuller eulogies.

At the end of the graveside prayers the Benedictines present combined to sing the Salve Regina, a Marian motet that Mary practised with her brother several times over the phone when she was for ten or more years a member of the Sydney Gregorian Schola, until driving at night for rehearsals in distant suburbs proved too challenging.

Mary made numerous visits to New Norcia over the past forty years, often staying for some days. She came for Fr David’s golden jubilee of profession (2007) and ordination (2013), Easter (2008), our Dante Day in 2016 and again in 2017 for Fr David’s diamond jubilee of profession. She would spend time in the Museum/Art Gallery and its shop, and loved chatting to the staff there and in the Guesthouse when their duties allowed.

On the day following Mary’s funeral, Fr David put his Transport NSW Gold Opal Card to good use in memory of Mary, getting to experience Sydney’s now-extensive light rail, going up to Dulwich Hill, then back into the city, walking down George Street from Chinatown, going through the QVB (Queen Victoria Building) near Town Hall where they usually had a coffee or a light meal, then on to Circular Quay, where he took the ferry to Balmain and back (Mary lived in Balmain for twenty years before moving to Clancy Terrace Retirement Village at Greenwich in 2013), then the fast ferry to Manly to walk down The Corso (remembered from the mid-1940s!) where they would purchase fish and chips to have on the Esplanade overlooking Manly’s ocean beach, then back to Manly wharf to take the ordinary ferry back to the Quay, then light rail back to Glebe, where he was staying with the Good Samaritan Sisters.

About midday on Friday, Fr David Orr drove Fr David to Arcadia, visiting the Aged Care Home in Dural where the second of their monks, Br Terence, was admitted only a few days before. The first, their senior Fr Alberic, was in isolation with the flu.

At Arcadia, Fr David renewed acquaintances with Frs Michael Kelly and Bernard McGrath, both of whom, as well as David Orr, have led the annual retreat in our community; he was then invited to spend the time before Vespers browsing in their library. Not for the first time he left deeply impressed by the very solid monastic library they have built up in a relatively short time – solid in scripture, theology, philosophy, patristics, liturgy, monastic history and spiritualty, literature, to mention the main sections.

On Saturday morning, Michael Neville picked up Fr David and drove him, in light showers, around suburbs associated with the family’s Sydney-based life. Michael first visited New Norcia as a three-year old in 1967 with his mother, on her way back to London after her first visit to her homeland since leaving Sydney for England in 1953, where she married Gerald Neville in 1957. The Neville family moved to Australia, and to Sydney, the following year, Gerald as a representative of Rank Xerox in the early days of photocopiers.

The morning drive finished at the Tramsheds shopping mall in Glebe, where they had arranged to have lunch with another New Norcia connection in attendance at the funeral, Sr Elizabeth Murray, SGS, who was New Norcia’s monastic and parish liturgy coordinator and organist from 1996 through December 2000. Sr Elizabeth had informed us that Sr Thérèse-Marie Fleming, SGS, principal of New Norcia Catholic College from 1986 till its closure at the end of 1991, is now, after many years working in pastoral outreach and catechetics with remote station families and communities in North Queensland, residing in the Ryde Retirement Village. While Michael set out for his home in Gosford, Sr Elizabeth drove Fr David, in steady and increasingly heavy rain (Sydney had not quite 100 mm that day), to visit Sr Thérèse-Marie at Ryde. Over afternoon tea there was much reminiscing by the three of them about New Norcia and the people living there or in the parish and district. In pouring rain, Sr Elizabeth drove Fr David back to Glebe and stayed for the Vigil Mass Fr David celebrated with the Glebe Sisters. He flew back to Perth the next day, was met by Dom Daniel, and was home in time for dinner.

David Barry
10^th June 2024

Once the competition started it was nothing but the sounds of pan sizzling, blenders blending and ovens. No talking, no laughing, no smiles, just stone-cold faces. Except for me, I was trying to have fun when cooking, because stressing out does not help at all. Two hours to cook mains and dessert, while cleaning in between, because as a chef cleanliness is just as important as the cooking itself.

Two hours turned to one, one turned into 30 minutes, and sooner or later I completed all my components without dramas. When it came to plating it was relatively easy, even with three judges watching. Thankfully, nothing went majorly wrong with the dishes.

The medals ceremony was emotionally overwhelming for me. There was a surplus of silver and bronze medals and only three gold medals. The MC called out my name and said that I had won a gold medal, while my family cheered. I was happy to leave with gold, but when the MC announced the regional winner, and that I was representing WA in Melbourne I couldn’t move. I literally had to push myself up to accept that award. It was the proudest day of my life, beating ten other chefs, all more qualified than me is amazing. I am proud and up to the challenge to not only to represent New Norcia, but the whole state of WA. Coming from a small country town, to going to the grand finals in Melbourne is honestly amazing and I can’t wait for the challenge.

June has been a busy month for the Grounds and Maintenance Department. The team has installed updated signage and increased mowing and gardening efforts as the site has begun to turn green. They have also been repairing damaged water lines. In addition, the Grounds and Maintenance staff have completed a two-day forklift course held onsite and conducted by CR Tafe Northam. Each day continues to bring a variety of work requests.

Specialist contractors have been on site attending to a variety of tasks. They have been conducting surveys to update records to meet legislative and safety requirements around the entire site. Western Environmental has been inspecting buildings and upgrading the asbestos register. Electrical Testing Services has been undertaking thermal imaging of all electrical distribution boards. WA Ceilings installed a new ceiling at St Joseph’s Hall, and the painting of the new ceiling was completed by Colourwest Painting.