Ministry, for Graham, has always been primarily about people. For him the church is the mechanism through which his ministry could be performed. Consequently social concern has always been at the forefront of his ministry. In Atherton he was the chairperson of the committee charged with establishing the Carinya Home for the Aged. In Greenvale he was Chairperson of the school P&C and also became an honorary ambulance officer at the mine and continued this work in Mount Isa and in Townsville. In Mount Isa he was also the Director of the Blue Nursing Service (now part of BlueCare). In Townsville he was the Chairperson of the local Lifeline Centre and a member of the ethics committee of the Glenhaven Private Hospital. Ministry in New South Wales saw him taking on Ambulance Chaplaincy, Westpac Helicopter Rescue Service Chaplaincy, and Rural Fire Service Chaplaincy, Chairperson of the Caroona Board (which ran several aged care facilities in Northern NSW) as well as establishing a Crossroads branch for disabled people in Lismore. Whilst in Sydney he was a member of a Synod committee to promote dialog between both sides in the gender debate that was dominating church life at the time. He was also a member of APEX in Tully and Rotary in Atherton, Mount Isa, Townsville and Lismore.
Graham has always been interested in technology. He was probably the first parish minister in Queensland to use a computer extensively in most aspects of parish ministry. He wrote and maintained the first computer program (in DOS) for Lifeline Australia and since retirement has used his skills in website development.
By the time of his retirement in December, 2006 Graham had had extensive experience in all aspects of church relations, community affairs, conflict resolution, mentoring and chaplaincy. He had been able to assist people from all walks of life and from differing ethnic and religious groups. He believes that, deep down, all people have a need to love and be loved. Relationships, therefore, are our most important assets and they need continual nurturing.
Since retirement Graham has served in the Aitkenvale, Innisfail, Palmerston (NT), Cairns Emmanuel, North Cairns and North Mackay congregations as a supply minister and also as a Blue Care chaplain. He has also enjoyed doing some P&O Cruise Chaplaincy positions and was the coordinator for all chaplains in Australia and New Zealand for a number of years.
On 14th October, 2018 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Graham's ordination.
During their time in Queensland Annette's time was mainly taken up by being a mother to their two children. She did, however, find time to do a lot of voluntary work for the church and the community. In Atherton she took the opportunity to return to her pre-marriage career in hospital administration. The move to Greenvale gave the opportunity to do some clerical work at the mine. Mount Isa saw a change in work opportunity when her love of sewing led her to become a highly successful sales consultant with the Janome Sewing Machine Company and this continued during her time in Townsville.
Janome did not have sales consultants in New South Wales so this meant that the move to Lismore left Annette's career open to other possibilities. It was here that she discovered the Modere legacy company and she was entirely captivated by the concept of completely safe products that work, coupled with a compensation plan that gave generous bonuses to those who were willing to work. So began an association with Modere and now Sisel which continues to this day. Annette also likes the friendly personal service she gets from a very proficient staff who always have the welfare of both the Social Marketer and Customer at heart together with the support of the whole Sisel family.
2021 was a significant year for us in that we both turned 80. We decided to try to celebrate with family and friends but, with Covid rearing its ugly head, everything was up in the air right up until the last moment. We were able to go ahead but the border with NSW was shut a few days before which meant that a couple of our friends were not able to be with us. If you would like to reminise or commiserate on not being able to attend you can look here.
Our next significant event will be our 60th wedding anniversary on 4th December, 2025. Who knows what we get up to then but, in the meantime we enjoyed a get-together with friends and family. You can see some photos here.
We still believe that "the best is yet to be"...
Our Significant Interests
Local Ambulance
Local Ambulance Committees are an important part of the Queensland Ambulance Service, and help by connecting with the local community, fundraising to improve our services (including education or research for operational staff) and working with ambulance staff to deliver community education programs.
We are pleased to be part of this important service. Annette is the secretary and Graham is the Vice President of our local committee.
Healthy Living
In the end, we want to leave the world a better place than it was when we arrived.
Over three decades ago, the late Tom Mower, Sr. came to a shocking realization: He found that many of the same harsh chemicals used in industrial-strength cleaners were also used in common household personal care items. These chemicals were reported to pose health risks when in contact with the skin. Why would personal care products contain chemicals that do so much damage?
Tom, along with his son Tom, Jr., was determined to spread the word and find alternatives to these potentially harmful ingredients. And so began the Mowers' quest to produce a historic explosion of activity—a new awakening in the health and wellness community called the Mower Mission.
We are pleased to have rejoined the Mower Mission.
Church
There is no doubt that we live in uncertain times and the opportunity for distraction, offense and isolation abound.
Christian community is the biblical prescription for the ailments of modern society and the impetus for human flourishing. In connection with each other, we have opportunity to best express God’s love, empower each other to fulfill destiny and equip one another to withstand adversity. The church as a community is good armor against every enemy and good soil for transformative growth.
We want to encourage Church Growth.
Bringing Joy to Others
Research has shown that singing can be good for you on many levels. It may help lower stress, boost immunity and lung function, enhance memory, improve mental health, and help you cope with physical and emotional pain.
One of the best things about singing is that you don’t have to be good at it to reap the rewards. You can sing on your own in the shower or to your favorite tunes on the radio or TV. Or, you can join a choir or singing group for even more benefits such as connectedness and a sense of belonging.
Johnstone River Singers is not a choir - we are simply a group who love to sing and bring joy to others through our concerts and visits to nursing homes in our area.