ELEGANCE OF GREAT BRITAIN INSIGHT VACATION. 2011. TRAVEL 1 AUGUST 2. TUESDAY EX SYDNEY. DEPART AUSTRALIA. 4:10pm Overnight flight. TRAVEL 2 AUGUST 3. WEDNESDAY. ARRIVE LONDON. LONDON SIGHTSEEING. SOME OF THE INSIGHTS GROUP DID THIS SIGHT SEEING AT THE END … Continue reading →

A TRUST BASED ON FAITHFULNESS Our era is not kind to 85 year old women visiting old friends. A local paper may print a picture, most likely as a curiosity. But the paparazzi are not fighting to get photos. Young … Continue reading →

: ‘THE SLAP”. The other night, I watched the telecast of the new Australian drama, based on the award-winning 2008 novel by Christos Tsiolkas, The Slap. The eight-part series centres on the repercussions that occur amongst a group of friends … Continue reading →

SECULAR STUDENT WELFARE OFFICERS INSTEAD OF CHAPLAINS? I have always appreciated the work of Chaplains. In my time I have been involved with chaplains in hospitals, detention centres, schools, factories and mines, psychiatric and palliative care centres, prisons, funeral homes, … Continue reading →

“Dr Livingstone, Sir Joseph Banks, Captain Robert Scott, David Attenborough, Sir Edmund Hillary, Baron Ranulph Fiennes.” What do these men all have in common? They were all explorers who have helped expand our understanding of the world in which we … Continue reading →

RIOTS. BURNING AND LOOTING: BRITAIN NOW. It was frightening to be in London the night the riots began. The London boroughs of Hackney and Haringay (which includes Tottenham, where the riots started) were so close that I wanted to get … Continue reading →

: SELF-HELP. After 50 years of serving the poor, I know how many people could get on their feet with a small amount of cash. Some years ago staff from Credit Line, a Wesley Mission Service I established to help … Continue reading →

WHY ARE SOME CHRISTIANS SO ANTI-SCIENCE? We are all caught in the conflict over carbon pricing and over climate change. In fact I have never seen such an attack on the scientific community by conservative Christians since the Evolution/Creationist conflict … Continue reading →

BICENTENARY OF EDWARD EAGAR, CONVICT LAWYER’S, ARRIVAL IN SYDNEY. On 2nd July 2011, we will celebrate the arrival in Sydney of a lawyer convicted of fraud just 200 years ago. Why? Edward Eagar was born in Killarney, Ireland in 1787. … Continue reading →

Focus on Family Values forums enabled us to examine and discuss significant societal issues by looking at them from a contemporary family perspective. We were pleased over the years to have gifted guest speakers from a wide range of professions speaking on an diverse range of issues. The themes we covered last year include:

*Major issues confronting Australian families today

*Child custody: Proposed changes to shared parenting laws

*The impact of the Federal Government’s 2010 Intergenerational Report

*Mental health in NSW: The real trauma of depression

*The social and economic costs of problem gambling

*Bail me out: NSW young offenders and bail practices

*Stories from the battlefield: Being a human shield during the war in Iraq

*Australia’s binge drinking epidemic

*Domestic violence: The impact on families

*Christmas Program

And earlier this year:

*The Mount Moriah Trust

*Family Life International: The pro-life movement

Please note: The Focus on Family Values Forum has been very successful over the years in providing informative, interactive, and interesting discussions into pivotal societal issues facing families. Sadly, the forums have come to an end. We sincerely express our gratitude and thanks to all our guest speakers and all who attended our forums over the years. Continue reading →