At least two important books have been launched this week – AND THE CLOCK STRUCK THIRTEEN – the thoughts of Kaurna Elder Uncle Lewis Yerloburka O’Brien, and THEY TOOK OUR LAND AND THEN OUR CHILDREN – Ngarrindjeri Elder, Veronica Brodie 2004, which was launched by Ngarrindjeri Elder Tom Trevorow at the National Sorry Day on Saturday. These three are surely national treasures! The loss of Aunty Veronica Brodie last week is keenly felt.

At a time when the discounting of gatherings by our political leaders seems to have taken the wind out of them (witness the thousands who marched over bridges in 2000 and protested Australian involvemnent in the war in Iraq) it was heartening to see the turnout for these launches and for the Reconciliation Rally on Sunday.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the generousity, kindness and wisdom of these national treasures was normal behaviour for leaders? Shouldn’t we join them in struggling against systems of power, greed and ignorance which deny others their rights to truth, justice, equity and freedom?

I have been invited to speak to the SA Governor’s Leadership Foundation on Leadership and Spirituality on Tuesday. If you want to read the paper which forms the basis for my presentation, it’s among my Occasional Papers at:
http://www.flinders.edu.au/religiouscentre/multifaith_chaplaincy/Geoff_papers/

I leave this week for the Conference of European University Chaplains in The Netherlands and a conference of UK Chaplains in Higher Education in York. All being well, I will be back in the last week of June.