PREFACE

Background:

Harold was born at Henley Beach, South Australia, 25th November 1910; attended Grange Primary School and Thebarton Technical High School; left school at 14 years of age with Junior Technical Certificate; attended Henley Beach Church of Christ Sunday School; baptised and received into church membership by Ross Graham in 1922 when 12 years of age; worked as builder's laborer, brick-layer, carpenter with wages beginning at 5/- and rising to 15/- a week.

During the Depression of the 1920s Harold worked with his father at farming on 5000 acres of virgin Mallee scrub. He entered Glen Iris College of the Bible, Victoria to train for the ministry in 1930. In the first 12 months in College he completed Intermediate and Leaving secular subjects with Melbourne University to attain the standard of education required before beginning the Bible training course. He paid all expenses of his College course for four years by gardening work in free time and preaching in student churches at Warnambool and St. Kilda. He graduated in 1933 (November). He began his first full time ministry in the home mission circuit of Central Eyre Peninsula at Wudinna South Australia in December 1933.

Harold died on the 10th January 2001.

Reta Penn was born at Hindmarsh, South Australia, 3rd January 1909; attended Hindmarsh Primary School and Woodville High School; attended Hindmarsh Church of Christ Sunday School and church; baptised at Henley Beach Church of Christ and received into church membership on the last day of the ministry of Dr. Arthur Garnett; worked as a tailoress for Fred K. Walsh in Adelaide and as a nurse at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Reta died on the 4th March 1993.

Harold Norris and Reta Penn were married at Henley Beach Church of Christ 20th March 1934 and moved to their first ministry at Wudinna Central Eyre Peninsula, S. A.

WUDINNA DECEMBER 1933-FEBRUARY 1936

There were 9 preaching places in the circuit, which the Home Missions Department had formed in Central Eyre Peninsula.

The home missions supplied a Model A Ford for transport. We rented a partly built farm house on the outskirts of Wudinna. Our salary was raised when we married from £2 a week by 2/6 to £2/2/6 a week.

After our marriage we left next day for Wudinna, (about 500 miles). There was no bitumen road beyond Gawler, some metal road to Port Augusta, and graded dirt road on all Eyre Peninsula roads. The Ford car was loaded with our household gear. We couldn't have a honeymoon because a church conference was to be held that week at Wudinna and Reta was asked to billet four men from Tumby Bay, providing hospitality, meals and sleeping arrangements--not a bad start for a newly wed bride. Our furniture had been forwarded by ship and train, and had to be unpacked. Our furniture consisted of a Blackwood bedroom suite, a kitchen cabinet, and five chairs.

The household facilities to which Reta, a city girl, adopted were these:

A partly built 3 roomed stone house, with a kitchen of enclosed galvanised iron at one end of the verandah (entailing a walk along the verandah of 30 feet from kitchen to front door and then to the dining room). There was a wood stove, which smoked when the wind blew in one direction. There was no electricity. Lighting was provided by kerosene lamps and candles.

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There was no bathroom or laundry. We had a wood copper stand in the yard to boil the clothes. Two tubs, used as wash troughs, stood on boxes in the yard. These tubs also served as bath tubs. There was a scrubbing board. Naturally there was no washing machine. Reta's iron was a box iron which had a hinged top to allow the hot coals to be placed in the iron to heat it. There was no fridge, cool safe or ice chest. In summer the butter melted and the meat went off. Ants were a constant nuisance getting to food.

In the yard there was a patch of tomatoes growing. I think that we just about lived on tomatoes, fresh, and cooked in every possible way. It was much later that my mother told Reta that I never eat fried tomatoes. There was also a grape vine laden with grapes. Reta decided to make jam, but we had no scales to weigh the fruit and sugar. I bored a hole in the centre of a length of spare timber, placed a 4" nail through the centre hole, fixed it on a stand, placed the top and bottom of a jam tin on each end of the timber, used a 1 lb of butter as the weight, and the jam was delicious.

Once we found a large snake in one room and killed it, using a chair as our weapon.

We lived two miles from the town. The nearest neighbour was one mile away. I was often hundreds of miles away on visitation--yet Reta coped with every situation.

Regarding the community:

In 1934 Central Eyre Peninsula had just been opened up for farm settlement by the South Australian Government. The Todd water scheme was still being constructed and pipe lines were being laid. The only water on farms was from dams and rock catchment areas. Water was brought by train from Port Lincoln and carted by farmers' horse waggons, some for a distance of over 20 miles. Most settlers had very little finance. The State Bank was the real land-holder. The farmers mostly existed on State Bank overdrafts.

When the government surveyed the area, the authorities erected a shed on each settler's block. The shed was simply a fairly large galvanised iron roof, erected on timber about 12 feet high, with a water tank to hold the water from the roof. There were no side walls. These were the homes of most of the farmer's families. The settlers covered the outside of the shed with super and wheat bags, which they white lime-washed to seal and keep out the weather. Inside they used hessian to create two or three rooms. For a fireplace they cut one side out of an empty 40 gallon petrol drum.

Looking back over the years, my observation is that those folk were the friendliest and happiest community that I have ever worked with. Nobody had great material possessions to boast or trust in. The woman in the home was usually the best educated in the home. In many cases she had been the school teacher who had been sent to the small country school and married the young farmer. The entertainments in the community were few. Whatever took place in the community everybody had to be in it. Most roads in the district had only just been surveyed. Roads had to be cleared of Mallee scrub and graded. The farm blocks had to be cleared. Of course there were no bitumen roads. All roads were dirt tracks, some not even graded. The roads were dusty or slippery depending on the state of the weather.

As regards the church:

Frank Hollams had been sent by the South Australian Home Missions Department of Churches of Christ as a travelling evangelist to explore the possibilities of establishing a circuit of churches in the area of Central Eyre Peninsula, which had just been opened up for farming settlement. This was in 1932-1933. A weatherboard chapel was transported from the Berri area and erected at Wudinna. Reta and I were the first resident ministers. The nucleus of the Wudinna church consisted of about 6 families. My uncle Arch Rowley was the church elder. He had a strong Baptist background. He had very strong views, with the ability to express those views very forcefully.

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He dearly loved a theological discussion with someone who could discuss something other than wool, wheat and weather. He stretched my mind and did me great help, for he did much to shape my ministry ever since. He was a very convinced pre millennialist regarding the second coming of Christ. He thought that theory or interpretation was the gospel itself. I, even in those early days of ministry, could not accept that the Bible supported this interpretation. Looking back now I see that the discussions with my Elder shaped my future. We remained close and warm friends, each holding differing opinions yet agreeing to differ (as Mark Twain put it, "The only time people think alike is when they don't think.") I can still smile as I remember my Elder's reply when I tried to refute his opinion which had 7 different resurrections (with Bible texts to support them). I differed from him and said that the first resurrection didn't occur after death but at our conversion. I quoted from John's gospel chapter 5 verses 24-29 to prove my point. I can still see and hear my Elder saying, "You young Sadducee--denying the resurrection." I freely acknowledge my debt to my first Elder who taught me to think for myself, to express my own thoughts, to agree to differ--and to remain friends with those who hold different views. The Christian unity possible in such circumstances is something real.

But to return to the Wudinna church situation. There were 9 preaching places scattered over a large area. Wudinna was the centre, and here we had the chapel and an organist. The others were at Minnipa, Chilpudie, Yaninee, Pinbong, Palabie, Waddikee Rocks, Coontra East and Warramboo. These other church meetings were held in schools, halls, and homes. All roads were earth tracks. The routine plan was 4 church services each Sunday, which meant travel of over 120 miles each Sunday. Also week-night services were held in homes throughout the area to the edge of the station country of the Gawler Ranges. We had a portable organ. I played my violin if I didn't have to lead the singing. Reta played the organ or other instrument in halls.

Previous denominational loyalties didn't seem to matter in the farming community. Everybody seemed to join in church services held, whatever denomination the visiting minister belonged to. On one occasion both the Anglican minister and myself arrived at an isolated school one week night to discover that we had both advertised a service at that time and place. Typical of the spirit and cooperation we enjoyed, the Anglican priest said, "I have to report to my bishop as to the Prayer-book services I conduct. I don't have to preach. I'll read the Prayer Book and tell your folk what pages I'm reading so that your folk can join. You preach the sermon, tell the children's story, and lead the singing." Supper followed a very enjoyable worship.

At a place called Chilpudie on the edge of farming and station country I told the story of the Prodigal Son, and several young people aged 15-18 asked for more. They had never heard the parables of Jesus before. (It seems that in 1991 the situation has escalated, as today we have many thousands of Australian young people who are spiritually and Biblically illiterate having never had any religious instruction in their schooling, never attended a Sunday School or church service, and never had Christianity discussed in their homes).

Horace Horsell, the Home Mission and Conference Secretary, paid us a visit. We took him with us one cold winter week night to a church service at a home in Palabie. Everybody from the district came to the home, which was a shed described earlier. The people sat on boxes and forms around the room. A roaring Mallee root fire burned in the drum. The congregation had to keep changing places because of the variation of heat and cold. Mr. Horsell preached, and there were 12 decisions. He was quite overcome as he had never had such an experience in response to his preaching in all his life.

Allan was born while we were at Wudinna. The two years we spent at Wudinna in our first ministry were years we are glad to recall because of the warm friendliness of the community. I found the "West Coast" people the friendliest I've ever had the privilege of working with. We have happy memories of weddings we conducted, some of which were very unusual, and memories of the sad things, of funerals--these memories would fill a book in volume.

Perhaps we may recount a few experiences to illustrate our years in the Wudinna district.

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A farmer asked me one day in Wudinna whether I had driven past his place about 30 miles out last week. When I agreed that I had done so, he said, "We may be Roman Catholics, but I think we are good enough for the Church of Christ minister to call in on us and share a cup of tea with us."

One home we used to visit had all the furniture made by the farmer. It was made from Whip-Stick Mallee. They had a hand machine in which they crushed and ground their wheat and oats for their flour and porridge etc.

The season was a poor one for crops, but the spirit of the folk was such that I felt that their attitude to life preached a better sermon than I did in church services. One midday I called on an isolated farmer and asked him how his crop was turning out. He replied. "The patch I was reaping this morning wasn't too good but I had my eye on a good patch I'd reach by dinner-time, and blow-me-down just when I reached it the near-side leading horse reached out and grabbed the lot."

One wedding I remember, the chapel was crowded. The best man had the wedding clothes for the men of the party, and he arrived 45 minutes after the wedding was planned. Meanwhile the bridegroom was cleaning out the gas producer on his truck parked at the side of the chapel quite unconcerned. His gas-producer was his own manufacture made of 12 gallon oil drums and printed on it was:

OTTAS ELL STYNX SUPERIOR

The bride arrived at the church one hour late, (having been delayed to fit the need) and she arrived on the top of a load of bags of oats. But I am sure the marriage went as happily as any more posh marriage.

One man once asked me if I would conduct the funeral of his father-in-law. His father-in-law was an atheist and he doubted whether, as a Christian minister, I could conduct the funeral service. I conducted the funeral service as a usual Christian service. I told him that I was not the judge of anybody. I did not know the real reason of a person's doubts or unbelief, but I do believe that God knows everything, that God is love, and that God knows best how to receive the doubter or unbeliever. After the funeral service he offered to pay me a minister's fee. I refused the fee, as I have never accepted a fee for conducting a funeral. Later I received a cheque through the post with an accompanying note. "If you cannot accept this as a fee for personal service rendered, please put it in church funds as SUBSCRIPTIONS IN ARREARS".

In 1934 Sunday was still regarded as "The Lord's Day" by the general community. There was no organised sport on Sunday. All work was kept to a minimum. I arrived at the Wudinna chapel early one Sunday before church service and the man who lived next door to the chapel was chopping wood in his yard. When he saw me he said, "I'm sorry parson to be breaking the Sabbath, but I think it is better for me to chop the wood on Sunday rather than to watch my wife chop the wood on Monday." Aren't ordinary people terrific! I find people wonderful.

Wudinna revisited and reviewed:

Reta and I revisited Wudinna in 1984 when we celebrated our golden wedding. We found many changes. The chapel is no longer there. The people we knew have nearly all left the district. The few Church of Christ members who remain worship with the Uniting Church. Was our work as a 'Churches of Christ ministry' a failure? We think not. Many lives were changed for the good. People struggling against adverse circumstances were encouraged and given fresh Christian faith and hope. Many whom we knew 57 years ago have left the district and have moved into active membership to strengthen the witness of other churches throughout Australia. Three of the men who grew up in the Wudinna Church of Christ circuit trained for ministry at Glen Iris and are still active in that ministry in our churches. One lesson is impressed on our minds from our first ministry. It is this--material buildings decay. But what we do to help and encourage men and women in Christian faith and daily living endures.

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Incidentally, we note that in the 1991 report of the South Australian conference of Churches of Christ there is a sum of $5,570 held in Trust Fund for the Wudinna church and this fund is still being used to further Christian service. So, even in this trust fund there is still life and hope for the future of the work of Churches of Christ on Central Eyre Peninsula.

The population in the area in 1991 is much less than it was in 1934. Where once 6 settler families lived, those farms have been taken over by one land holder. And that one land holder is in serious financial stress. But who knows what the future will be for the vast wheat and wool growing area of Central Eyre Peninsula? Our view of the future is one of hope and faith.

Our first church ministry at Wudinna between December 1933 and 1936 had much to do in shaping the whole of our ministry during the 57 years in 9 churches in South Australia. I have always been conscious of my lack of academic qualifications in comparison with other ministers, and one of my ambitions was to study and secure a Bachelor of Arts degree. Because Wudinna was too far from Adelaide to permit study with Adelaide University, I enrolled with London University and began study by correspondence for the degree. I soon discovered that it is not possible for anyone to be a minister to the needs of people inside and outside of a church if he spends more time sitting with books in his study than he does in contact with the daily lives of the people and in touch with their problems. I quickly realised that, in order to fulfil the ministry to which God had called me, I needed to be a pastor who was active in pastoral visitation. So I surrendered the ambition of academic qualifications. During the years, ours has been a ministry concentrating on pastoral visitation rather than platform eloquence, and in this ministry Reta has shared an essential part.

DULWICH 1936-1939

After our ministry from December 1933-February 1936 at Wudinna, we moved to ministry with Dulwich Church of Christ 1936-1939. Dulwich chapel was rather unusual in its design. The pulpit was on a higher level than the floor of the chapel which shaped towards the pulpit. The open baptistry was set at floor level with a railing around it. The seating for the congregation was set crossways at 40° angle facing the pulpit in such a way that all seating members could see each other as well as face the preacher. The communion table was set at floor level with the congregation. The chapel was built with red clay bricks. The inside walls, as seen by the congregation, was struck-work brick and mortar (such as is usual on the outside walls of buildings). The outside walls were plastered rough-cast. I recall that when my father first saw the Dulwich chapel he asked whether we had a strong gully-wind when the chapel was being built which turned it outside-in.

There was no manse. Preachers in those days had to provide their own housing. We rented a small home near the chapel in Everett Ave, which was set in the yard of a joinery works. In that home we were often wakened at night with rats eating holes in the floor boards. Later we were able to rent a more suitable house in Grant Ave owned by John Maddern, the church secretary and organist, at a reasonable rent.

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We arrived at Dulwich during a heat-wave. Our first callers were Mrs. Will Morrow and Mrs. Kath Maddern with a large assortment of jams. They rightly assumed that we wouldn't have such things brought from Wudinna.

At my first officer's meeting the matter of transport for the minister was discussed. (I had no transport). It was decided that the church would not provide a vehicle but instead would increase the minister's salary by 5/- a week so that he could provide his own transport. One of the officers, who had been one of the church members at Minnipa and knew I had no bank balance, said nothing in the meeting. He arrived at our home on the next day with a brand new bicycle strapped to his car. He said, "I didn't agree with the officers' decision last night. The bike is yours."--I could wish that every disagreement in church life could be settled in like manner.

Early in our ministry at Dulwich an elderly elder of the church criticised the young minister telling children's stories in the church services--he said they spoiled the services. Another officer replied that he got more help from the young minister's children's stories than he did from his sermons. (I guess that could be taken either way you like--a compliment to the children's story or a criticism of a dry sermon). Allan had now found that he was old enough to make himself heard in church. I developed the habit of announcing a hymn to be sung in order to cover for him. The result of the Norris baby being at church was that other folks started to bring their babies to services also. Among these were the children of the Allisons, John, Ken and Marion.

We had two retired ministers in the congregation, Andrew Rankine, and A.M. Ludbrook. Over the years that have followed I have often found my need to profit by following A.M. Ludbrook's example in the way to criticise another. That dear old man was never destructive in his criticism. He knew how to be kind and constructive. In his very conservative British church background he must often have been disappointed with his young, inexperienced, radical minister. But he would have the habit of saying, "I do appreciate your point brother bu-bu-but--have you looked at it this way?" I owe much to that man. I have often needed to learn how to take--and how to give criticism. His wife was a Verco before they married. For all the time we were with the Dulwich church she was the capable president of the Women's work. She realised that Reta had her hands full with Allan, and now with Glenys soon to arrive--Glenys was born while we were at Dulwich.

Another habit I formed during our ministry at Dulwich was that of writing out my sermons in full. A habit which avoids always saying the same things and repeating oneself. The habit arose in this way. Mrs. Kentish (a sister of Jas E. Thomas) was almost deaf. She attended services regularly, although she couldn't hear what was said. She said she came because she caught the spirit of the worship, and, by coming she thought that she encouraged others to come too. One of her jobs was to cover the pulpit Bible after services. She picked up some of my scattered notes and asked if I would allow her to take them home to read. That started my laborious habit of writing my sermons in full. Each Sunday Mrs. Kentish would return the sermons of the previous Sunday and take home those of that day. I thank Mrs. Kentish for a habit which had been mine now for 57 years of preaching. It has prevented my riding a hobby-horse.

We learned to really love the folk at Dulwich. Typical of their fellowship was the close friendship of Will Morrow M.L.C. Member of Parliament and Herb Hatherby, an uneducated bottle collector with his bottle cart. I had a boys Bible Class consisting of 8 lads in their late teens. Some of those boys are now leaders in various churches.

In 1939 after 3 years with the Dulwich church we felt the call to return to the West Coast and we moved back to Eyre Peninsula, to Tumby Bay, in 1939. Now a family of Reta, Harold, Allan and Glenys.

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TUMBY BAY 1939-AUGUST 1945
CHAPLAIN IN THE ARMY FEBRUARY 1942-APRIL 1943

We served for seven very happy years with the church in Tumby Bay. The chapel and vestries are interesting in themselves.

The chapel, manse and car:

The chapel stands in a prominent position on the sea-front and is built with beautiful, solid, enduring South American Granite--a relic of earlier days. Windjammer ships used to come into Tumby Bay to pick up cargo of wheat. These sailing ships came empty of cargo, carrying granite rocks from South America as ballast. Being refused permission by the Harbor-master to dump the granite ballast at sea, a ship's captain approached the officers of the church for permission to dump the rock ballast on the block of land they owned on the sea-front. They even paid the church for the right to put the rocks on the block. So the church was paid for, the building material supplied. And the material is surely the most solid and enduring of any other building we see today. Enough Granite was supplied to build the chapel and the vestry halls.

The building work was well done. The walls are high. The ceiling slopes with a very steep roof. The western end of the building above and behind the open baptistry is a masterpiece of cement construction not seen in any other of our church buildings. It is in the form of a scroll in the centre of which is superimposed an open Bible, and standing out are the words, "Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness".

In front of the chapel is the road and open beach and the sea. At the rear of the chapel is the manse--so here in Tumby Bay for the first time we had a manse provided by the church. The church also provided a motor car for the minister. A two door Chev coupe.

Working with the people:

Previously Tumby Bay, Ungarra and Mt. Hill churches had been a circuit with one minister. At this time, in 1939, Ungarra--Mt. Hill had called Gordon Newell as minister. Tumby Bay, the one church was my charge.

It was a pleasure to work with the people of Tumby. I found it easy to relate with farmers because of my farm experience at Wynarka and our time among the farmers on Central Eyre Peninsula to the north of Tumby Bay.

Sunday services were at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. with Sunday school at 2 p.m. A live C.E. (Christian Endeavour) society met every Tuesday night when the ship, the "Minnipa" came into Tumby Bay with its weekly cargo. Tumby had its own local electricity plant and Mr. Goode called each month to collect the charges for electricity used. The grocer called once a week to collect the order. He delivered the order later.

There was no water supply laid on in 1939. A 2000 gallon water tank was our only water supply and we often ran short.

The small kitchen had a wood stove. There was a wood-fired copper in the small laundry. There was a bath in the bathroom, but no heater. For a bath we lit the copper in the laundry on the back verandah and carried the hot water in buckets up to the bathroom.

On one occasion, when the Mallee roots ran a bit low, I bought a ton of mallee roots for 5/-. When one of the farmer members discovered that I had done that, he said, "Don't waste your money buying wood. We'll keep you supplied." The same farmer kept us supplied with butter and eggs.

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It was easy to have fresh fish, as the fishermen were generous. I never found time to go fishing myself.

The Norris home was blessed with our third child--Shirley. We had no refrigerator. I used some of the lessons I had learned at Technical School to make a water cooled safe from galvanised iron and fly-wire. It had a water container on the top and another at the base. It was draped with towelling to keep contents cool. That cool-safe was in use for several years in our home.

Port Lincoln:

In 1940 Cliff and Ella Jones and Eric and Anne Jones moved from Ungarra to Port Lincoln. They wanted to set up the Lord's table, and Tumby church was asked to help. As there was no Sunday morning service at Tumby, I used to drive the 30 miles to Port Lincoln and I conducted Church of Christ services at 11 a.m. in the Reckabite Hall. Then I returned to Tumby to the 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. services. Also, each Thursday I spent the afternoon in visitation among the interested folk at Port Lincoln and conducted a Bible Study Prayer fellowship at night, usually in the home of the Nancarrows, returning to Tumby late at night after a long day.

Later a church of Christ was formally created at Port Lincoln. Its beginning was by the help of Tumby ministry.

Tumby--Ungarra--Mount Hill circuit:

Gordon Newell, the minister of Ungarra--Mt. Hill, took sick and left the district after his wife died. The circuit was re-constituted. I usually preached at the Sunday morning service at Ungarra--17 miles from Tumby--then preached at the Mt. Hill service at 3 p.m.--another 17 miles from Ungarra. Then preached at the 7 p.m. service at Tumby--70 miles and 3 services. The contacts and friendships of that period of circuit work are very precious to us still today.

In the Tumby Bay chapel the water heating for the baptistry was by heating four gallon tins of water on the open fire in the vestry and pouring the hot water into the baptistry.

With the outbreak of the second world war and petrol rationing our work was restricted, but the farmers had their own way of keeping their minister mobile in the district. With the acute shortage of man-power on the farms I found real satisfaction in helping, particularly at harvest time in driving teams of horses to keep harvester machines in action. Those tasks brought me into still closer ties of friendships with farmers when they realised that their minister could also share the work of their hands.

Chaplain in the army:

I was released by the Tumby Bay church to serve as a Chaplain in the Army in February 1942. After a period of service at Woodside, I served in the 110th Casualty Clearing Station and in 2/lOth infantry battalion A.I.F. in Papua New Guinea during July 1942-April 1943 and the battles at Milne Bay, Buna, Gona and Sanananda. While I was overseas Reta, Allan, Glenys and Shirley lived at Aldgate Valley with Reta's mother and father. I returned from army service in May 1943 and we returned to Tumby Bay.

Wudinna circuit:

At that time the Wudinna circuit on Central Eyre Peninsula was without a minister. The Home Mission department asked for assistance and the Tumby Bay--Ungarra--Port Lincoln circuit released me every second month to visit the members and take Sunday Services in the Wudinna circuit churches. Sometimes I drove to Cummins and parked the church car with members and travelled by train to Wudinna. At Wudinna Skip Simpson loaned me his car for the week so that I could visit the scattered members during the week and conduct Sunday services. At other times I drove the Tumby Bay car all the distance. Those surely were busy times. Meanwhile Rhonda had been born.

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On one occasion at an annual church business meeting it was decided to provide another 2000 gallon water tank at the manse to augment the water supply as there was no reticulated water supply then in Tumby Bay. At 6 a.m. next morning I was awakened by Jonathan Dodd asking if the preacher could help him make the tank that day. We made the tank that day. Cliff Thorpe built the tank stand that day. The tank was placed on the stand and down-pipes were connected by 6 p.m. That same night a thunderstorm filled the tank to over-flowing. At the next annual church business meeting on the following year when the minutes were read out and action was noted the chairman made the comment. "Decision made to supply 2000 gallon tank at the manse. Tank made. Tank filled within 18 hours. We hope this atones for the many resolutions on our church minute book which have never been carried out."

Reluctantly we said goodbye to our Tumby and West Coast friends and moved to Park Street, Unley in August 1945 for a ministry lasting 7 years until February 1952.

PARK STREET, UNLEY AUGUST 1945-FEBRUARY 1952.

It was with considerable trepidation that I faced the situation at Park Street Unley, which was completely different from a country ministry. The church membership in 1945 was 181. The average attendance at both 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday services was 109. There were 154 Sunday school scholars. The Sunday School met at 3 p.m. A junior CE of 18 met at 10 a.m. A youth group, many of whom were University students, numbering 43, met on a weeknight. Sports groups of 70 included a football team, cricket team, tennis and basketball teams. Bible study prayer groups, two women's groups. The congregation included two doctors, Sir Philip Messent and Trevor Turner. Aubrey Jessup, Registrar General of Lands and Titles, was the leader of a young men's Bible class of mostly university students. Nine members of that class received their university bachelor degree in one year. Of these--3 were degrees in medicine (One was Dr. Thornley Thomas). One of the elders of the church was Robert Burns, retired editor of the daily Adelaide paper "The Register". Frank Messent was in charge of the government transport and rationing, Charles Johnson, the church secretary-treasurer, was the secretary to the attorney general--and certainly the most efficient secretary that any church ever had. To mention just one instance of efficiency--he always handed me a written note after the close of the 7 p.m. Sunday service containing the names and addresses of all the sick, and noted the absence of all regular attendants from the services on that Sunday. (That was an invaluable help for a caring pastoral ministry). There was a splendid choir, which was led by the organist Phil Wood, who was a doctor of Music. Can you imagine my trepidation on stepping into such a church from a country and farm background--never having been to a university?

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As I had left school when only 14 and had little of what is called 'academic excellence' I was at first a little overawed. Most of the members were elderly and this called for a busy pastoral visitation by the minister. With the return from active service of many young people from the army, air-force and navy, I was soon put at my ease as I discovered that it was easy for me to relate to these young people because of my own army chaplain experience in a front line infantry battalion.

We settled in at the manse at 75 Clifton Street, Malvern. Reta had a very busy life. Not only did she have 4 children and me to care for, she was also my secretary to answer the many telephone calls. As minister I was involved 5 mornings each week in religious instruction classes in primary and high schools. My only means of transport was the push-bike which had been given to me at Dulwich years earlier. My afternoons were occupied in pastoral visitation. The evenings were occupied with youth groups and Bible study prayer groups. It was a busy life. But we were financially better off than previously, for our salary was now £5 a week ($10 in today's figures). I used to visit the bank each Monday to cash the pay cheque of the week so that we could have the necessary living expenses for the week. We never had enough in our bank account to cover the cheque. Our fifth child, Lynette, was born after we moved to Unley so we had the two very little ones, Rhonda and Lynette, as well as the three older children--Allan, Glenys and Shirley--to care for. The older ones learned to do much to care for the younger members of the family. Reta had a busy time getting the five children ready for church with not much assistance from me as I was occupied at the meetings. Washing days were very big days. Washing clothes was still done by hand. Then we purchased a washing machine. It was a metal cylinder with a cone plunger pivoted to a hand-lever which was pumped by hand.

In addition to my Park Street work I served on most of the departments and committees of the South Australian Churches of Christ Conference--and for 28 years was a member of the Federal Overseas Mission Board.

When my father sold the farm at Wynarka, mother and father lived with us while father built a home for themselves in Campbelltown. So at that time Reta had ten to care for, as well as looking after all the phone calls.

Visitation Evangelism:

One feature of our seven years with Park Street Unley which remains fresh in my memories is 'A visitation Evangelism Week.' I chose 24 church members and held training sessions with them on "How to visit people." We had one week in which I sent them out two by two together to homes which I had previously contacted in my own pastoral calling over a long period. The visible result was that on the Sunday night gospel service following, there were 28 decisions made for Christ. One of the rules I taught was that they needed to be relaxed and to help their prospect to be relaxed. I said, for instance, "Nurse the baby". One home visited had a large number of poodle dogs. The owner of the dogs was one who made her decision. But the two women visitors said, "We nursed the dogs but had to get our clothes dry-cleaned."

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My comment on visitation evangelism is that it was the method used by Jesus in sending out the disciples two by two. It is a very practical method, but was ruined by religious sects, such as Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, to the extent that today people are suspicious of such methods which have been abused by the sects.

In memory, I can never forget some of Robert Burns' prayers in church services when he was 93 years of age. I recall his prayer fervently uttered, "Lord we want to be worthy as your disciples--strong in our faith in Jesus Christ, warm in our love for each other, generous in our attitude and judgements, firm in our purpose, united in spirit and action, and happy always." And I will always remember that dear old man's prayer for God's blessing on Glenys when I told him of her decision for Christ.

Visiting him one day he pointed me to a pear tree growing in his back yard and said, "Why is it that when human nature grows old it often becomes sour and bitter--yet when pears grow old and mature they grow sweeter?"

I would judge that I have been a very poor preacher so far as pulpit sermons go, but I have loved people. I have loved pastoral visitation. Perhaps in my pastoral work I may have helped some--but I am also certain that in my pastoral visitation I have often been more helped myself than the one I visited.

With all the stress of running a busy church manse and five young children and a preacher husband, Reta's health was suffering. An observant friend called on me and asked, "How long is it since you took your wife away for a holiday--without the children--just you two?" I had to answer that we had never been able to have such a holiday--and that we couldn't leave home and take a holiday at least without the two youngest children who needed us. On the spot he wrote a large cheque and handed it to me saying, "This will pay for 4 weeks holiday in a guest house at Victor Harbor." We stayed in a guest house at Victor for one week and Reta was much improved in health. I felt uncomfortable taking money for a holiday. So we returned home, and I handed back the extra sum not spent. He said, "Harold, the thing that hurts you is that you try to give the gospel to people and they won't take it. Please don't hurt me. The Lord gave me money, and I'm trying to give it to you." Then he asked, "Have you got a washing machine?" I described the hand machine we had. He said, "Just to think that you allow your wife to work her life away without giving her laundry help!" The next day a truck delivered at 75 Clifton Street Malvern a brand new Simpson Washing Machine.

I pushed my push bike for several years until another friend gave me a small auto-cycle which saved some of my energies. My health deteriorated owing to neglected medical infection from my time in Papua New Guinea. Visits to hospital and surgery failed to bring satisfaction. Once when I was laid up sick, Kath Lawton called and gave me a book to read which she thought might help me. It was entitled, "Cheaper by the dozen". She said, "I'm writing a companion book myself. I have the title already, its 'Dearer by the half-dozen.'" She had six children. It was with sadness that we moved from Unley to Kilburn in 1952. It was during our seven years with the Park Street Unley church that Unley members surveyed and helped extension of Churches of Christ to Clovelly Park, and now Marion Church is the result. Other members moved from Unley to form the group which began the Brighton church. So Unley church still lives in the young churches which she mothered. At present a migrant non-Christian influx, and industrialisation has changed the Unley area.

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KILBURN 1952-1956

In 1951 from his land my father gave us a building block at Campbelltown. We laid the concrete foundations and my father did most of the brick work. As our house was not completed, we moved into the Kilburn manse in Florence Ave, Blair Athol in February 1952. With the seven of us, and our furniture, we were crowded for room in the small manse. Having a break from preaching stress, I took a job with F. Marshall Timber Joinery at Welland while helping the Kilburn Church of Christ. The Church met in the public hall in LeHunte Street. Rolffe Peacock senior was a local insurance worker. Part of his work each week involved calling on homes to collect weekly payments. He was widely known and respected. He built up a large Sunday School through his contacts. One day, in visiting the home of a Sunday School scholar, I introduced myself as "the new Church of Christ minister". The woman responded, "Has Mr. Peacock left?" When our house in Campbelltown was ready to live in, we moved there, but I continued both at Marshalls and with Kilburn.

We now had an old Chev motor car of my father's. It had no self-starter. To start the engine one had to use a crank handle which was placed beneath the radiator. The canvas hood leaked. There were no side curtains. The young people of Kilburn were greatly amused when the Norris family arrived at church on a rainy windy day with bags tied to the side of the hood.

A little later we bought a second hand dark green Hudson Terraplane--a reliable improvement on the Chev with comfortable room for the family.

I've just looked up the State conference year book for 1955. I note these statistics from Kilburn. Church members 169, increase of 66 for the year. Attendance at Communion 102. Sunday School scholars 286. Cradle roll 54. Teachers 46. Mixed youth group 68. Sports group 44. Junior CE 47. Inter and Young Peoples CE 18. Decisions from Sunday School 18.

When we began our ministry at Kilburn, Sunday was a very hectic day, beginning early in the morning. We held our services in the public hall in LeHunte Street. A picture show was held in the hall every Saturday night. Early on Sunday morning a group of Church of Christ members had to tidy up after the previous night's events, often getting rid of the beer bottles. Then setting up the seating for Sunday School--and re-arranging for church. The church owned the block of land adjoining the hall and built, first an army disposal hut for the use of the kindergarten, and later a hall, built by volunteer labour out of cement bricks. In that hall we had the baptistry. Sunday School classes were held according to the weather in suitable locations. The church services were held in the public hall. Later, after we had left Kilburn in 1956, a chapel was built.

One particular gospel service at Kilburn will always remain fresh in my memory. Following up on the experience we had at Unley with a group trained in visitation evangelism, I chose and trained a group of 16 visitors at Kilburn. We had 2 weeks' planned visitation. Decision day was on the second Sunday night. There were 49 decisions for Christ at that one gospel service. It was an experience which I will never forget.

In 1954 we moved from the Kilburn manse into our own home at Campbelltown. For the first time, after 20 years of our marriage, we had a home of our own. The house, built of red brick, had 7 rooms with 4 bedrooms, but it was unfinished. After we moved in I made and built-in kitchen cupboards, a linen press, and 3 bedroom suites for the children's rooms. The front and back verandahs and a sleep-out were added also after we moved in. For the first time we had an electric fridge, and a TV set. One of our friends gave us his grey Studebaker motor car instead of trading it in on his new motor car. So, at least we had a reliable motor car of our own.

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We closed our ministry at Kilburn in 1956. In the years since the chapel has been sold. Members have moved to other areas. Other churches have been strengthened by Kilburn members moving into them.

From the 1991 South Australian Churches of Christ Conference report book I note that in its Trust Funds, conference has $155,111.00 held in trust to the credit of Kilburn Church of Christ which is still being used in the ministry of Churches of Christ. The work done in the past at Kilburn has not failed or been lost. We often meet up with past Kilburn members who are now at work in other churches--and some we knew and loved have moved to higher service in the church triumphant.

GROTE STREET ADELAIDE--DECEMBER 1956-1958

The two years ministry at Grote Street were difficult years. It was during this time that I had major surgery at Daws Road Repatriation hospital--an lleostomy. Afterwards I found the travelling involved in Grote Street pastoral tasks too much, as the members of the Grote Street were scattered in all suburbs and from Kapunda in the north to Christies Beach in the south. So we settled to serve with Koongarra Park (now Magill), which was nearer to our home at Mines Road Campbelltown, where we ministered for seven years from 1958-1965.

KOONGARRA PARK (MAGILL) 1958-1965

Koongarra Park Church of Christ in 1958 was still in its infancy. The church had been started by visitation in the young growing district by members of the Maylands church. This group from Maylands started a Sunday School and formed a church congregation in 1952. An asbestos timber framed small hall was built and this was the chapel in which we worshipped, held Sunday School and all other meetings.

The congregation grew rapidly and in December 1960 we opened and dedicated the present chapel. We were very happy serving with the lovely people at Magill. For one thing we saw wonderful progress from enthusiastic and capable officers and members. The 1961 Conference year book records these statistics in June 1961: Church members 165, Baptism 12, Attendance at the Lord's Table 133, Sunday School scholars 306, Teachers 33, CYF 12, Junior CE 45, Inter and Youth CE 15, Boys' groups 50, Girls' groups 40, Sports groups 31, Decisions from Sunday school 15. I have the feeling that the growth of the Magill church during our seven years of ministry together was at least helped a little by the contribution to its life by all the Norris family, and perhaps by an increased sensitivity and understanding with those who faced considerable suffering which came from my personal experience.

Among those whom we still call our friends are many of the Magill congregation. In 1964 we traded in our Studebaker for our first new car--a 1964 EH Holden.

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BLACKWOOD--JANUARY 1965-DECEMBER 1972

It was a considerable sacrifice, especially to Reta, to sell our own home in Campbelltown and to accept the pressure exerted on us to move into the ministry at Blackwood. Allan lived in our home at Campbelltown for a few more years before we sold it. We moved into the manse at 12 Brighton Road, Blackwood in January 1965 for an 8 years ministry until December 1972.

Blackwood, when we arrived, had a small chapel on the corner of Shepherds Hill Road and Waite Street, with a tree in front, a tennis court behind, and a new youth hall at the side of the tennis court.

Then came a population explosion to Blackwood. Staunch Church of Christ families moved into Blackwood from inner suburban churches, particularly from Hindmarsh. The immediate effect was that the chapel, even with the added use of the vestry, could not provide space for the congregation. Plans were prepared for a new and larger chapel. The building of the new chapel was supervised by Bill Manuel. A great deal of volunteer labour was used. The chapel was opened in August 1966.

It is probably true that I saw more visible results of my ministry during the 8 years at Blackwood than in any other period of ministry. Those results were only minutely due to my work. The results came from the enthusiastic, efficient cooperation of the whole church membership, led by the wise leadership of a fine board of Elders and Deacons. In 1967 we traded in our EH Holden for a new 1967 HR Holden.

Among the older church members we will always remember with deep gratitude the love and loyalty of the leaders and members of the five house Bible Study-Prayer groups co-operating with the chapel group. The response to the teaching given was fantastic. We had a large group assisting me in leading religious instruction classes in three Primary Schools and the High School.

The active and large youth work--the Bible School with its terrific Bible class--the CE Society--the Boys and Girls Brigades--the camps--the sports groups of Tennis, Netball, Basketball--the crowded church services at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays--such memories live on.

Ours was a partnership in Christian ministry at Blackwood--a mutual ministry. We were privileged to share in it. My health was failing. The doctor suggested a holiday. We caravaned to Cairns in Queensland for 3 months. In those days preachers had no long service allowance, but it is typical of the Blackwood Church that I was paid full salary for those 3 months, (going the second mile). In an attempt to ease the load from me, Blackwood provided an assistant minister, first Bruce Coventry, then George Mathieson. But in December 1972 I felt it was my duty to make room for another ministry at Blackwood. It was a wrench to leave the work which we had seen grow so much. We loved the members. We had shared for 8 years in problems, heartaches, bereavements, hopes and dreams, the joys, the weddings, the successes. Reta and I will always cherish the warm friendships formed during those 8 fruitful years.

The following statistics taken from the Conference Year report book of May 1971 (the last report I possess) indicate the growth of Blackwood church during our ministry. This report covers the 12 months to May 1971. Church membership 251, baptisms 13, other increases 19 (total increase for 12 months 32), attendance at Lord's Table 185, Bible School scholars 381, teachers 45, youth fellowship 73, Junior CE 18, Boys groups 58, Girls groups 70 (Brigades), Sports groups 127.

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ALDGATE VALLEY 1973-1977

With the foundation of the sale of the property at Campbelltown, we purchased a block of land in Aldgate. We had a 5 roomed home built. We moved in November 1972. At least Reta and Allan moved. I was then a patient in Daws Road hospital. Reta has had the task nine times during our marriage of moving house, entailing rolling up linos and replacing them, scrubbing of floors etc. Our move to Aldgate was not really retirement. Aldgate needed a minister. We served for four years until the 15th May 1977.

When we began at Aldgate Valley the membership in 1972 was 48. There was a Bible School of 45 scholars. There was a debt on the hall of $2000. During our four years the church was able to pay off the debt on the hall. The church membership increased by 20 to 68. The attendance at the Lord's Table was 58. There were 75 scholars in the Bible School, 28 in the Boys Brigade, 39 in the Girls Brigade. And there were 23 teachers and youth group leaders.

Officially we retired in May 1977 but we have remained active in ministry at the small Church of Christ at Lenswood ten miles distant while still remaining active members at Aldgate Valley.

LENSWOOD 1977-

Lenswood has a church membership of 30. Lenswood is unable to support a minister financially. Reta and I are very happy to remain of use in preaching and pastoral care at Lenswood instead of just being passengers in the Kingdom.

RETROSPECTIVE ON 57 YEARS OF MINISTRY, APRIL 1991

Apart from the necessary records of weddings performed, I have not kept any records or statistics of funerals conducted--decisions taken for Christ--baptisms--or church members added. I have conducted 258 weddings. I have held marriage counselling sessions with every couple on the essential elements of successful marriage before conducting these weddings.

I have the belief that there are no statistics which can accurately measure spiritual realities and real spiritual growth in regard to church affairs. For instance, my attitude and understanding of baptism itself has changed and deepened during the past 57 years, so that I place far less importance on the amount of water, or the outward form of the observance and visible aspects of baptism, and much greater importance on the real significance of the inner real surrender to the will and purpose of God in a person's whole attitude as constituting real Christian baptism--and of course this also relates to one's attitude to church membership itself.

As I face the sunset at eighty years of age, my dreams and visions become brighter in my memories. I am very conscious of how little I have accomplished. I am not an eloquent or good pulpit preacher. I am a slow thinker and rather hesitant to speak expressing my thoughts and opinions. I am not an impassioned gospel evangelist for I believe that God has His own secret pathway into every life, and I refuse to be a spiritual highwayman. To my mind, when a person is ready to listen and respond to God, and not till then, will a person really respond to Jesus Christ. Perhaps I can justly claim at least that I have been a teacher of Bible truth. But my greatest love and satisfaction has been to be a pastor, a shepherd both to Christ's sheep in the church and to those "other sheep" which Jesus has outside the sheep fold of the local church membership. It has been particularly in pastoral visitation and in counselling that I believe I have best been of some use.

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The pattern of my ministry was probably formed in my childhood by my parents. My Father's greatest legacy was not in material things, but in the inspiration of his firm Christian faith which shaped his attitude to life. I also owe a great deal to my mother in her unquestioning Christian faith. She had a way of meeting issues in which others found difficult problems in the Bible which she couldn't answer by saying, "If we could understand everything that is written in the Bible, we would understand that it came from the finite mind and hand of man himself and not from the mind and hand of God who is infinite." And she had a habit of saying regarding theories on prophecies "that, if it was important, and God intended us to know, God would have made it much plainer."

There was a time, when, like most teenagers, I was restless and critical of the older generation. I stopped attending church. After three weeks mother asked why I was missing out on church attendance. I expressed my dissatisfaction with some older church members whom I described as "hypocrites." She replied. "Harold, when we criticise other people we are usually only holding a mirror in front of ourselves and seeing the faults in others that are in ourselves. A hypocrite, who pretends to be what he is not, is a very small person. I didn't think that you could hide behind him." That cured me of missing out on church attendance. I was extremely fortunate in my parents. Their attitudes to life has undoubtedly had an influence on my life as a minister.

I have had to face so many problems and difficulties of people during the fifty seven years of my ministry in the church, for which I have had no adequate intellectual answer. Problems which I couldn't fully understand, much less solve. I would have cracked under the strain of being a Chaplain in a front line infantry battalion in the awful stress of war and in many experiences of tragedies, for which there seemed to be no reason or purpose, unless I could remember the steadfast serene faith and trust of my mother--"If it is important for us to know, God would have made it plainer--the Bible came from the infinite mind and hand of God and not from the finite mind and hand of man." Certainly my parents helped to shape my ministry.

Further, the whole pattern of our ministry in the nine churches and chaplaincy of the years was formed, not only by the wonderful example and teaching of A.R. Main, T.H. Scambler, and R.T. Pittman in my four years of training at The College of the Bible in Glen Iris, Victoria, but by the very first ministry on Central Eyre Peninsula centred at Wudinna--that first ministry shaped all the rest.

The Elder of the church was Arch Rowley, my uncle. (He was the eldest of a family of ten children. My mother was the youngest). He was a keen student of the Bible, holding many strong ideas from which I differed. He loved to discuss such things, and to him, I owe the ability to think for myself, to discuss differences, to agree to differ, and to remain firm friends even when holding strong and differing opinions. Another feature of my first ministry, which has influenced all of my nine church ministries, was this. 1 had very few academic qualifications. I had left school at the age of fourteen and worked with my hands more than with my brain. From my observation I think that my background, of working with my hands on farm and industry and workshop, has enabled me to understand and to act alongside the ordinary working person more easily than can the person of academic excellence, who is regarded with suspicion sometimes by the worker. My ministry has been based, not so much on platform preaching, but on pastoral visitation to show interest and concern in the events taking place in the lives and families; being available to all who have problems, not waiting for people to make an appointment, but rather being sensitive in contacting those in need, particularly in visitation of the elderly and the sick and troubled. It has been in pastoral ministry that I have found myself to have been of greatest help to folk inside and outside of the church, and in that pastoral ministry I have found also the deepest satisfaction.

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I realise that there are changes taking place in the structures of our church organisation and methods of working. I confess that I do not feel that I am competent to fully understand or adjust to these ever-changing methods in our computerised age, even in church life in its ministry to present the never-changing Gospel in an ever-changing society. For my part, I feel that I can still remain of greatest usefulness in the church by working in the old ways, which I have used and understand. It has been, and still is, my experience that there are still many, especially the older people in our churches who still need and respond to old established ways. It is in that area that I feel most at home myself.

As for the future--that is in the hands of God, and also in the hands of the young people who have left the church and need to return to the church with fresh enthusiasm and faith. And for this I hope and pray.

Finally, whatever success may have come from my ministry I owe not to my own feeble powers but to the power of the grace of God in Jesus Christ.

I owe to my dear wife Reta my thanks for her strong, steady, reliable and efficient support. If I could have my time over again, I would try to so organise things that I would spend more time with my wife and children than I have. Too often I have been so busy attending church committee meetings, conferences, and church groups that I have neglected my own home duties. Too often I have left Reta to bring up our five children. But still, perhaps our children have grown to be such blessings to us mainly because of their mother's influence. I thank God for my wife, our five children, the husbands of our four daughters, our eleven grandchildren, and our four great-grandchildren. I thank God for the privilege that has been mine. If I had to live my life over again I would be a minister of the church--but a better one.

Harold Norris      
1991