- Part 1

On February 22, 2012, I was commissioned as the Priest in Residence in the Parish of Trundle, Diocese of Bathurst, a Parish subsidised by the Company of the Good Shepherd which I was a Companion Priest.

During my commissioning by the immediate past Assistant Bishop of Bathurst the Right Reverend John Stead (now Diocesan Bishop of Wilochra in SA), I made the comment (with tongue in cheek) during the service that I thought I might purchase a horse and ride around the Parish visiting the parishioners. 

Bishop John suggested that a push bike might be quicker and more efficient so I asked him what he was doing next week and if it wasn’t overly important, he might like to join me push biking around the Parish.

Surprisingly he declined.

But this was the moment that out Lord lay on my heart to walk the length of the Trundle Parish from Bogan Gate to Albert! 

Since then many of you will know that I had a total hip replacement on September 13,  last year, in fact, a short seven months ago, what a miracle it is, and not a twinge over the 96kms!

I walked for 26 hours over four and a bit days averaging 3.75km/hour.

  Day one - 23kms from Bogan Gate to Trundle taking approximately six hours. 

I was joined for the first day by the Anglican Bishop of Bathurst, Rt Reverend Ian Palmer, my amazing friend Lew Hitchick who was a resident farmer/grazier in the Bogan Gate district where he and his family worshipped at St Luke’s Bogan Gate at that time. 

I was also joined by one of my scripture class students from Trundle - Bethany Asseff - What a day!

The service at St Luke’s started at 9.30am with a great congregation drawn from the four centres across the Parish.

I looked up after leading the Creed and the Church was full.  

Twenty plus members of St George’s Anglican Church’s 7.30am congregation whom Judith and I worshipped with for 18 years, had joined us and we were both blown away by their love, care and generosity towards us.

May God continue to bless their generous and giving hearts.  

Many walked some distance as we left Bogan Gate allowing me to pray for them and hold them up to our Lord for his blessing. 

Two stories worth repeating from Day 1 - Unknown Trundle man pulls up and asked us “What are you doing?” before we could answer he had noticed out Tshirts - Walk4Christ and said “You’re out here devil chasing aren’t you?  

And of course the easy answer was “YES!”

The Second story comes from our Bishop’s sense of humour.

A man in a very big 4 wheel drive pulled up and asked if we had seen a double decker bus go by.  

We all said “Yes!” The funny part is: write a caption for what the man in the four wheel drive said to the 4 Christians walking 4 Christ between Bogan Gate and Trundle.  

We all doubted that anyone could have come close  to the answer.

WATCH THIS SPACE FOR PART 2 next week.