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Bagshot Park and HRH Prince Edward: A Little Perspective from Someone Who’s Actually Stayed There There’s been a great deal of breathless reporting this week about Prince Edward , Bagshot Park , and the supposed “ 120-room mansion ” leased for a peppercorn rent . A scandal! A palace! A princely indulgence! Or so the headlines shout. Let me offer a little perspective from someone who actually stayed there — often — in the 1980s, when Bagshot Park was the home of the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department. Because the truth, as ever, is much less dramatic and far more grounded. When I knew the house, it was not a palace but a modest country residence — handsome, yes, atmospheric certainly, but smaller than several officers’ messes I’ve lived in over the years. The newspapers may tally every broom cupboard as a “room,” but in reality there are only about eight proper state bedrooms . The rest? Those “120 rooms” so loudly trumpeted are, in everyday terms, servants’ quarters :...
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The Stones That Will Not Stand

Reflection for Sunday, 16 November 2025 Luke 21:5–19 — “The Stones That Will Not Stand” ( with a word on this week’s vandalism at Ballarat’s Anglican Cathedral ) Every year, as we move toward the deep-blue hush of Advent , the lectionary hands us a reading designed not to soothe but to wake us. Luke 21 does not arrive politely. It comes like a cold southerly across Saint Dunstan's House in Mount Egerton — bracing, unsettling, and utterly determined to get our attention. Jesus stands before the Temple , the pride of a nation, the very anchor of religious identity, and declares that not one stone will remain upon another . It is a jolt. We prefer our temples — literal and figurative — to stand firm. Yet the Gospel refuses to sugar-coat reality: even our most cherished structures are fragile. And this week, we have seen that fragility up close. (link to article in the Ballarat Courier) In Ballarat, an act of vandalism struck the Anglican Cathedral — fire set to the...
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There are moments when even angels weep. This is an article I wrote for another publication and have permission to reproduce here. I write as: * The CofE House of Bishops change direction on services of blessings on Same Sex couples and their acceptance of SS clergy who have entered into a civil marriage contract. * The  Anglican Diocese  of Ballarat in Synod at the  Anglican Cathedral Church of Christ the King - Ballarat  receive and debate a motion in relation to the place of GBLT in the local church. Moments when wings feel too heavy, when the light they carry dims beneath the weight of sorrow or silence. In those moments, another angel comes — not to preach, not to fix, but simply to be. To sit beside, to listen, to hold the space sacred and still. Too long have many of our brothers, sisters, and siblings been told that heaven has no room for them — that their love, their truth, their song is somehow “less.” But I say this: the divine is found wherever love abide...
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Beyond the Fluff and the Fur

🕊️  The Feast of Saint Francis: Beyond the Fluff and the Fur Every year on October 4th, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi comes around with wagging tails and flapping wings. Churches fill with Labradors and lorikeets, poodles and parrots, all queued up for their annual blessing. It’s a delightful sight — a moment when even the most hardened church-shy neighbour will wander in, dog leash in hand, for a photo-worthy moment with the local vicar. And yes, The Vicar of Dibley captured it perfectly: chaos and holiness mingled in equal measure — goats bleating, cats hissing, and Geraldine Granger standing there with that divine mix of amusement and exasperation. It’s a scene that could happen in any parish hall, really. But beneath the comedy lies a deeper question: have we turned the blessing of animals into a feel-good marketing event — or are we genuinely hearing the call of Saint Francis to honour creation itself? Saint Francis: The Radical, Not the Romantic Saint Francis wasn’t ...
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Anchored in Justice, Called to Hope

This Sunday’s readings for mass/holy communion from the Revised Common Lectionary are anything but comfortable. I have already written about them but I find myself going back and re-engaging with them I have also written a hymn that can be sung to the tune Tallis’ Canon (443 in togeather in song). Amos thunders against those who lie at ease while the poor go unnoticed at their gates. The psalmist reminds us that God raises up the lowly and calls His people to justice. Paul urges Timothy to fight the good fight of faith with perseverance. And then comes the parable: a rich man feasting, blind to the misery of Lazarus lying right outside his door. It is a hard mirror to look into. These passages don’t allow us to hide behind a purely private faith. They make it plain: to follow Christ is to notice the neighbour at the gate, to let compassion disturb our ease, and to act. And yet, despite their sharpness, there’s something hopeful in them too. The scriptures never expose our fa...
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Beauty for Brokenness: Singing Lazarus’s Song

Beauty for Brokenness: Singing Lazarus’s Song Readings: Amos 6:1a, 4–7; Psalm 146; 1 Timothy 6:11–16; Luke 16:19–31 ⸻ The Hymn as a Prayer When Graham Kendrick wrote Beauty for Brokenness (TIS 690), he wasn’t simply writing a hymn — he was penning a prayer of lament and hope. It cries out on behalf of the poor, the dispossessed, the voiceless: “God of the poor, friend of the weak, give us compassion we pray.” Singing it today, with fresh voices or even a recording made long ago, it becomes a living commentary on the Scriptures appointed for this Sunday. When reflecting on the readings, this hymn and a recording I made of it some 16 years ago kept bubbling to the surface.  ⸻ Amos: Woe to the Comfortable The prophet Amos is fierce: “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion… who lie on beds of ivory… but are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph” (Amos 6:1a, 4–7). The words slice through complacency. It is not wealth itself Amos condemns, but indifference — the numbing of the heart to suf...
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The Joy of Singing

🎶 The Joy of Singing: Harmony Across the Generations 🎶 There’s something profoundly human about singing — the way it bypasses logic and leaps straight to the heart. Yesterday, at the Ballarat Choral Festival, that joy was not only heard but felt, filling Saint Patrick’s Cathedral with warmth, unity, and a sense of something far greater than the sum of our voices. From the youngest prep student, juniors shyly clutching their iPads , to our silver-haired sopranos and basses who have sung through decades of life’s seasons, the day was a true celebration of the ages — a musical tapestry that told the story of our community. Each choir brought its own flavour: ensembles with bright, eager tones; seasoned chamber groups offering polish and poise; community choirs brimming with heart and character. The repertoire ranged from sacred classics to toe-tapping spirituals, and yet, in the end, it was one song that brought us all together. As the final notes of “Walk on the Water” rose and fell...
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