Ministry in Australia

side of the lake, a picture of peace and tranquillity. I was often reminded of Sapowice, where I grew up. I remembered sitting on our terrace there in the evenings, overlooking our lake in moon light. There was a resemblance.

On moonless evenings, and the tide going out, we went prawning with our kerosene lamp. When they were running we just scooped the prawns with our nets from the surface, and one night they were so plentiful, that we filled half a bucket full. Unfortunately, though, and our children will never forgive me for that, I had spilled some kerosene into the bucket when filling the lamp. I didn't realise that and we put the prawns into that bucket. When we had boiled the prawns and were looking forward to a sumptuous meal, they were all tainted with kerosene taste. We had to throw them all away.

Our children still tease me about another thing. When Alison and I were tired, I just said: "We are all tired now, let's go to bed."

They would have preferred to play games all through the night, but such is life in a tent together. One night I was rudely awakened by a pull on my toe. I sat up with a start only to see the figure of Mark standing at the foot of our mattress: "Dad, you're snoring!" I was not amused.

One day we were swimming in the open sea, Mark and James on their boogie boards, I just paddling along. Suddenly Mark shouted: "Shark!"

I had just seen the tip of a fin quite close to me. My heart sank. Then I saw two fins appearing between me and Mark, and instantly I realised that these were dolphins, and not sharks.

"You stupid boy!" I shouted, "giving me such a fright." He just laughed. Boys will be boys!

Alison and I went often for a long walk along the beach to the rocks or beyond, almost to Mollymook. It was so relaxing to walk on the firm sand together, with a cool sea breeze and the waves and just sand dunes, often with not a soul in sight.

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Before George turned 17, I gave him a number of driving lessons around our home and in Albion Park in my Mini. He picked it up quickly and soon after his 17th birthday he passed the driving test in Kiama. Mark also learnt from me, so did James. We practiced on the lake side of the railway, a quiet spot, and on the new estate at Albion Park, particularly for hill starts. After George could drive, he helped Alison and me considerably by taking the others to and from sports events and to school functions, apart from the fact that he didn't have to be taken anywhere himself.

George finished school in Oak Flats with the leaving certificate at the end of 1977. He had been working very hard, and Alison and I thought it would be good for him to take a year off studying and travel around. We

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