Holden auction
Dear Editor,
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I don’t get to Canowindra as often as I would like, so I was pleased to be able to spend some time there this last long weekend supporting my uncle, Charlie McCarron at the Holden Museum auction.
The town looked wonderful.
Regardless of the floods, everywhere was fresh and bright and welcoming.
The parks were beautifully tended.
I received many compliments and heard many compliments about how lovely the town looked.
People loved the quilts and were fascinated by the museums.
Those less interested in the auction enjoyed a walk down the street and reading the strategically placed history markers.
There seemed to be plenty of food and drink options, and I’m pretty sure quite a lot of local wine was sold.
The genuine friendliness of store keepers and staff was remarked upon.
To this is a thank you to my hometown from this proud expat.
The enthusiasm with which you welcomed the auction and your generosity in supporting the various changes in arrangements made the entire weekend a momentous occasion.
So very proud of you all.
Thank you.
Julie McCarron-Benson
Response to Reverend
Reverend Bob Smith’s letter to the editor in Saturday’s Western Advocate about same-sex marriage has received a number of responses. Here, Libby Sattler of Wisemans Creek has her say.
Rev Bob Smith, I would like to correct one or two mistakes in your letter to the editor.
“Holy matrimony” can still mean something, to people who believe in a religion. No one is suggesting that it become mandatory to marry a person of the same gender.
It seems you are confusing church and state. No one is asking individual religious groups to recognise marriage equality, we are asking that the government do so.
Same sex couples are also getting married with the intention of being faithful to each other and in many cases, also to raise children.
Has the world gone mad? Now men with men want to marry, women with women and call it marriage equality. This is with some expectation that children will come along somehow.
Yes, the world has gone mad. I cite a few examples: Donald Trump, a heterosexual man, legally married several times with children. Members of the clergy who preached from their pulpits for decades while sexually interfering with boys in their care, and those who covered it up. Yes, the world has gone mad, and the best way to start to fix things is to raise our children in safe homes with people who love them.
The issue that has been raised with the plebiscite is that it will endanger an already vulnerable group in our society, and it is costly and entirely unnecessary.
Why should the fundamental human rights of some people in our society be decided by the masses? How would you feel if it was decided to vote on whether Catholic marriage was recognised by the state? Catholics pipped in at 25 per cent in the 2011 census, and this figure is in steady decline.
If we make the right to be legally married a matter for the public to vote on then it is possible that within your lifetime the 300 weddings that you presided over could be deemed null and void.
I believe that the key to understanding is to listen and learn at every opportunity.
There have been many books written since the Bible.
Some will make you laugh, others cry, and there are millions of published papers on scientific research.
Also, there are people. So many people out there. Each has a story to tell, and less than a quarter of them are Catholic.
Libby Slatter, Wisemans Creek