Melbourne's Anglican Ordination of Priests. By Uncle Monty.

Melbourne's Anglican

Ordination of Priests.

By Uncle Monty.

Photos By Alex Albion.

+

If I failed to see and met Catholic

Archbishop Mark Coleridge of Canberra

while visiting Australia's capital two dayz

ago, I certainly didn't miss this afternoon

the chance to meet and chat with the

Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne Dr.

Philip Freier. Plus, taking a number of up-

front photos of him in all his archiepiscopal

vestment. No sir, I did not ... Also present

was the Bishop of Melbourne and the Dean

of the St. Paul's Cathedral Rt. Rev'd Dr.

Mark Burton. They came towards me

at the close of the four-hour Service of

Candidates for the Ordination to the

Priesthood of the Church of Australia.

+

The 27-page service booklet outlined

the ordaination rites of 9 female and 5

male candidates of those being called to

the ministry of the Anglican faith. The

cathedral was packed when I arrived

some two hours after the beginning

of the service with perhaps well over a

1,000 people present at Melbourne's

reknowned St. Paul's, which sits exactly

across from Federation Square that will

host the 6th World Homeless Cup 2oo8

that I am here in Australia to personally

and primarily attend. Melbourne also

hosted the 1956 Olympic Games and

the 2oo6 Commonwealth Games, too.

And, The National Eurcharistic Con-

gress in 1934 with the Papal Legate

under Pope Pius XI. I've just picked

up at the old Flinder Street bookshop

some rare b+w images of the congress

itself, which I will share later with you.

+

A bastion of Australian Anglicanism,

St. Paul's is an impressive Gothic-

style cathedral that isn't as big as

London's own St. Paul's Cathedral.

Through the processional doors they

came did the mass of Aussie clergy

from the archbishop down to the

theological students at the close of

the ordination service. Along with

a canopy of retired bishops, visiting

bishops, and suffragan bishops

all in their full vestments.

+

This year alone, I have now met

and photographed two Australian

archbishops - Archbishop Peter

Jensen of Sydney at the GAFCON

Meeting held earlier this year in

London - and today Archbishop

Philip Freier of Melbourne. Aside

from them, this year has been what

I call my "Archiepiscopal Year" upon

having now encountered and photo-

graphed the Archbishops of Albania,

Baghdad, Nigeria, South Cone, and

Canterbury. In all, 7 archbishops all

in one go. Not to mention a couple of

dozen other Anglican, Catholic and

Orthodox bishops to round out the year

of 2oo8 for me. Next, I can perhaps get

a writing job as religion critic for some

secular news media, yes? I don't

think so ... I'm too fond of all things

about The Church to write for the

secular and oftentimes godless media.

+

Today, I also visited St. Kilda which is

just a tram ride outside of Melbourne

itself. Lined with palm trees and a gold-

en beach and cute Edwardian bunglows

with terraced front porches, it was a

glorious visit for me. Dogs went crazy

digging big holes in the sand and rolling

happily in the sand as if born free.

Children hopped, skipped and jumped for

sheer joy on the beach with a bouyancy

and happiness of such healthy kidz who

seem so much happier and healthier here

than I've seen of kidz in America or England

or Europe. Sun-tanned women are every-

where, too, with a style all of their own that

speaks of tasteful self-assuredness and

brimming self-confidence. In the bright

blue sky above my sunburned head, I

saw loadz of guyz and girlz para-board

sailing with their kite-like and coluorful

sails that allows them to fly on the surf

and wind of the sea. It was a thrilling

sight just to watch them doing their thing.

Birds that I've never seen before in my

life are also here at St. Kilda. I don't quite

know how to describe then accurately, but

all I can say was they were very noisy

and strange and fascinating to me. On my

tram ride back to downtown Melbourne, I

bumped into a British-born retiree from

Manchester who had lived here in Oz for

the past 51 years as a tool maker when

he emigrated in his early 20's. He said he

wouldn't be seen dead in England - "It's a

hole now. Who destroyed England should

be hung by the neck ..." I couldn't agree

more with the old fellow. I only wish I

was young again for I would emigrate to

Australia in a minute. It is just a wonder-

ful country to live in. If you're young

and hold a needed trade or skill, then

Oz is the place for you. Unlike cramped

and overcrowded and damp and rip-

off England, Oz is a living dream from

what I have so far seen of the people

and country. What it must have been

like 50 years ago for the tool maker I

met must have been even more welcom-

ing than it is now. The fellow told me -

still with his clear Northern accent - that

he'd pick up the paper back then and found

lists and lists of jobs for tool makers like

him. He seemed so happy and so glad he

has forsaken England for good and will

never go back for a million dolllars

that's for sure. I almost don't want to

go back myself now to "Broken Little

Britain" after now visiting enchanting

St. Kilda ... Pity, I cannot stay for

the rest of my dayz here at Oz.

+

Your's, Uncle Monty.

+First Day of the Church Calender,

2oo9.

+

All's Not Well After 60.000 Years of Aboriginal History. By Uncle Monty.

All's Not Well After 60.000

Years of Aboriginal History.

By Uncle Monty.
:::

Failure to mention Australia's Aboriginals,

is like trying to paint a picture of Oz with-

out the oils and bushes to start to paint

on a blank canvas. The Aboriginals have

suffered historically so much at the rough

hands of the first European settlers here

and much like their American counter-

parts now called Native Americans or

better known as The American Indians.

<.>

While I know abit about White America's

hideous treatment and out and out discrim-

ination against their Native Americans, I

know almost nothing about the Aboriginals

other than what I've read about them in

tourist guides and what I just read in today's

edition of the mass circulation daily newspaper

called "The Australian," with its indepth report

by staff writer Caroline Overington on the

pitiful and horrible state and condition of some

Aboriginal children. I was absolutely shocked

at what I read. Caroline's story also left shivers

down my back after reading her graphic report

entitled "Horror of abuse among children."

<.>

"THE rape of toddlers by other children is

commonplace in Aboriginal communities and,

in one case, a girl was attacked so violently

she has to wear a colostomy bag," so

wrote Caroline Overington's opening

sentence that rivetted my attention right

away. Raping toddlers by children? Is

that really possible, I asked myself? It

sounds quite unbelieveable to me, but her

report doesn't spare us from even more

gruesome details of children-on-children

and children-on-adult crime:

a) Packs of boys aged as young as 10

have raped drunk Aboriginal women

who had collapsed in the street.

b) Animals are also among the victims.

c) A 12 year old boy interfering with a

three-year old, a 13 year old boy interfer-

ing with a five year old and a 15 year old

interfering with (another) three year old.

d) One boy showed pornographic DVD's

to other children so they could re-enact

the scenes, and another, aged 11, gave

sexually transmitted disease to two

pre-school girls.

d) "The recent NSW Aboriginal child

sexual assault taskforce reported that

sibling sexual abuse is rife," reports

Caroline Overington, too.

And, e) In Brisbane, two 10 year old

boys raped a four year old boy. In central

Queensland, two juveniles and an adult

raped a three year old girl. At Aurukun,

an 11 year old boy was repeatedly

sexually assaulted by a gang of children

who spent their days watching porno-

graphy and smoking marijuana. While

at Balgo, NSW, an 11 year old male

forced two pre-school girls into having

sex with him and then infecting both

of them with his STD's.

<.>

Such gruesome details were provided

by Dr. Wendy O'Brien and her report

issued under an Australian Crime Com-

mission yesterday that had gathered

evidence from the testimony of those

involved with Aboriginal issues and

from the courts where such accused

children are handled by juvenile court

prosecution.

<.>

The more I read the news report, the

more I discovered the present break-

down of Aboriginal law and morality

stems from more than close to four

decades of such rot in the native

culture that now sees children doing

the kind of things most other non-

Aboriginal children do not usually

do because they live in a society

that is far removed from the

"horror of abuse among children."

<.>

I do not condemn such problem

children living in an Aboriginal culture

that they have not devised nor have

much control over. They are perhaps

as much the real victims as their crime

victims living in such isolation and mar-

ginalization inside an otherwise modern

Australian society that is rooted in

the historical injustice against such

Aboriginal people. I can and do con-

demn the savage crime, but not the

people who have been living in national

victimhood since the beginning of those

Europeans that first came by brutal force

themselves as transported convicts and

social rejects to what was then the first

British Penal Colony called Australia

and Tasmania.

<.>

Still here in Oz, Uncle Monty.

+Eve of Advent, 2oo8.

<.>

Just got this lovely email from my

London dear friend Jill Ferguson:

"Monty, it's great reading about your

adventures in Oz. Sounds like you are having

a wonderful time. I envy you the warm weather

and suntan ... send some of it our way will you!
I hope the (World Homeless) Games are a big

success next week and I'll look forward to cat-

ching up with your blog again before BT cut

off my connection. Take care and keep

having fun. Love Jill (in London).

Nov. 28th, 2008.

>> All my love Jill, my dear. Monty <<

<.>

Via Wagga Wagga To Canberra. By Uncle Monty.

Via Wagga Wagga To Canberra.

Story By Uncle Monty.

Photos By Alex Albion.

***

To journey across the territories

of Victoria and New South Wales

(NSW) for almost 10 hours to arrive

at the Australian Capital Territory

(ACT) of Canberra, I was amazed to

find the landscape reminded me so

much of the American Prairieland.

Indeed, if I didn't know I was actually

in Oz, I'd swear under oath that I was

back in America just by the sheer

landscape itself.

***

Beyond that, I have now spent some time

at both the Old (shown above) and New

Parliament Houses at Canberra. The folkz

here aren't so open and friendly that I have

found Aussies elsewhere to be in Australia.

The localz of Canberra don't even look at

you let alone offer you a nice word to say.

Though, such wasn't true with Carl Fromnel,

the New Parliament House's Police Service

Protection Officer, who couldn't have been

more open and friendly to me when we en-

countered each other while I was photograph-

ing the Australian Parliament from all of its

various angles. With his broad smile and

strong handshake, Carl was like most Aussies

that I have had the pleasure to meet. I've

found them to be helpful and not just friendly

and outgoing. They're gnerally pretty laid

back and casual and show little coldness or

suspicion toward strangers and visitors.

Canberra seems to be the exception ...

***

While here in Canberra - with no

skyscrapers like Melbourne and

Sydney - I visited the Archbishop's

House on Commonwealth Avenue at

where a number of embassies or High

Commissions are also located. My aim

in visiting Archbishop Mark Coleridge's

archiepiscopal residence was to meet

him personally and to also get some

upfront photographs of him, if he

granted me his personal permission to

do so. Regretably for me, there was no

sign of the Australian Prince of the Holy

Catholic Church nor any sign of his

staff or any vehicles in the driveway

I waited for awhile in the hope that

someone would appear at the 6-feet

high locked black iron gates so that

I could find out if the archbishop

was home or otherwise indisposed.

Nobody appeared at the gates with the

Episcopal Coat-of-Arms mounted on

both the front and back entrance gates

of his lovely white-painted residence. I

spent, in any event, a good time getting

some upclose shot of the Archbishop's

House itself, which I may included here

once I am able to upload my shots ..

***

Later I also photographed the British High

Commission that was like a complete gated-

community in which the Britsh diplomatic

staff there seemed to be under lock and key

in which the public had no access beyond

the side door. At the New Zealand and

Canadian High Commissions, located

next door and next door but one to the

Pommies, there was little evidence of

being under siege with their open access

unlike the Brits who seemed to be suffer-

ing from a "Seizure Mentality" toward

the general public. I found the same

mentality at South Africa's Pretoria when

I visited the British High Commission

there after being robbed by a street

gang at Johannesburg; and at our

embassy at Washington, D.C., too.

***

"Downtown" Canberra is hardly one to

speak of. There is a plainness and flatness

about the capital city of Australia to me.

It's dull, too, with the exception of the Parl-

iamentary Zone. I was unable to get to see

the famed Australian War Memorial due

to time constrains while staying at Can-

berra before going onto Adelaide some

800 miles away. I'll be visiting with Carl

and Mryna Hancock at nearby Adelaide

Hills. They're Welsh by birth, but they

moved some years ago to Oz to be with

their daughter after Carl retired as a prep

school housemaster at Kenya. His first book

was published this year entitled "Angel

Over Africa," of which Carl gave me a love-

ly autographed copy to read and keep.

I first met them at my Big Issue pitch

at London's Covent Garden. I'm looking

forward to us getting together again on

the other side of the world from my pitch.

***

And talking of my pitch, I still have

yet to see a Aussie Big Issue vendor

selling on the streets of Melbourne or

here at the capital city of Australia.

Perhaps, I'll finally will see such street

vendors at the opening of the 6th

World Homeless Cup next Monday.

I hope so. Another thing, I've yet to

see my first kangroo. Not a one have

I seen thus far in almost a week here.

I did, however, see my first camels

near a town called Yass in New South

Wales. Yes, camels but no kangaroos.

The camel trade is a growing Aussie

export business at where they're

sold and shipped to Saudi Arabia and

the Middle East because Australian

camels are not totally inbred like many

camels are in the their native Arabian

habitat.

***

I'm getting a deep sun burn already

with the daylight beginning just before

5:00am and sunset just after 8:00pm.

So the dayz here are full of 15 hours of

welcome sunlight to me and I assume,

too, for the local folkz of Oz.

***

My only real sour note at Canberra

was at the local Lan Games and Inter-

net Cafe called "The Barracks" at the

corner of Verity Lane and Alinga Street.

What they did was pulled the plug on

my computer without warning me that

my time was up and thus I lost all the

data to this online story of mine called

"Via Wagga Wagga To Canberra." I was

forced to re-do my story from memory

when I got back to Melbourne this morning.

I walked out in disgust at their bastard

business attitude, especially after I was

first assured I would simply be charged

for whatever time I used beyond my first

AUS$8 - 4 quid - of use. Instead, they

pulled the plug without any time warning.

It is easy to lose track of precise time when

you're writing your blog for your growing

readership like mine. "The Barracks"

was packed with 'puter gamesterz and

the place was like a loud drinking bar

with screams and laughter from the

punk-type crowd that was beyond rea-

son. Every minute or so, they'd scream

more and more like lunatics at some

game score or other of their's. If you

ever arrive at Canberra, be sure to

NOT patronize such a cold and greedy

business like "The Barracks." I was al-

most going to ask them to refund my

money, but I realised I was out num-

bered anyway. One of the guyz did say

"sorry," but I told him "Sorry doesn't

cut it mate," and I stormed out of the

bloody rip-off place.

***

As for the homeless of Canberra, I did

see the big white truck of "Vinnies Night

Patrol" that feeds the capital city home-

less on the streets every night with their

Soup Kitchen or Tea Runs. That's the

closest I've gotten so far to the Australian

homeless, since I've seen no begging on

the streets or Aussie Big Issue vendors.

***
Although Christmas is just around the

corner, I see fairly subdued displays

of Christmastide here. When I was in

Iran's Shiite last Christmas, I think

ironically there was more elaborate

Christmas shop window displays than what

I have seen so far in Canberra or Melbourne.

Perhaps next at Adelaide - The City of

Churches - I'll see alot more of the Christmas

Spirit there than I have so far in Victoria

and New South Wales. Adelaide is in the

territory of South Australia, by the way.

***

I'm trying to think if I have missed telling

you something else about my wonderful

trip, but for now I'll just close my story

line since I need to get elsewhere pretty

fast after having a great Aussie breakfast

at Sam Serhan's 3FOUR2 upon my arrival

back to Melbourne at 6:15 this morning ...

***

Take care everybody, Uncle Monty.

+Santa Maria, 2oo8.

***

Dear Monty,
Thank you for your second e-mail. I would have

replied yesterday but the machine kept telling me

that I was making some error which it did not explain.

We look forward to the phone contact (from you.).

You certainly get about. We have never been to

Canberra. But we have seen kangaroos, two this

morning looking out at us over a fence close by this

place. 'The World Homeless Games'. Sounds amazing.

I hope it gets a lot of coverage. Are the media up to it.

Perhaps they are getting coverage but just haven't

seen/read it. Coach to Adelaide, sounds tough going

to me but I lack the adventurous spirit of you,

Monty. Best wishes for now -and good luck!
Carl and Myrna (of Adelaide Hills). I'll shortly be

visiting with them after my 12 hour or so drive

to Adelaide from here at Melbourne).

Nov. 28th, 2008.

<.>

Skydeck88 at Australia's Melbourne. By Uncle Monty.

Skydeck88 at Australia's Melbourne.

Story By Uncle Monty.

Photos By Alex Albion.

^^^

A modern skyline city, Melbourne is the capital

of the State of Victoria with a population of

4.8 million people. It has a mix of old Italian

and Greek immigrants from the 1950's and

later in the 1980's a large inflow of Lebanese

and Pacific Island people. The most recent and

newest immigrants are Sudanese and Somalians,

who are being blamed now for the latest skyrock-

ing crime rates at Melbourne, at Victoria, and

at South Australia's capital of Adelaide. Reading

the Andrew Bolt column in Australia's local Sun

Herald newspaper with his story "Race Offense

Against Truth," it seems that to say something

bad about bad immigrants is fround upon here

much like in England at where almost 2 million

Africans have been allowed to flood the country

under New Labour's policy of mass immigration

of the scale unseen ever before in the UK. But

looking around Melbourne in the past two days

looks to me to be pretty mild of the numbers of

African immigrants here compared to London.

In fact, the numbers of Asians far outnumber

the Africans I have seen on the streets here.

But no matter at wherever they show up,

African immigrants invarably bring trouble

and bad news with them. It seems at Oz,

they've done pretty much the same although

their numbers here are a trife compared to

those found in Britain and Europe itself.

^^^

Elsewhere at Melbourne there stands the

tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere

that is named The Eureka Tower (shown

above) with its 88-floor high magnificent

structure that confirm's Melbourne's

status as indeed a modern skyline city

that rivals the biggest and best of any

American city today, architectually

speaking. The street layout of Mel-

bourne is much like an American city,

too, with the city centre of straight-

lined streets and town blocks.

^^^

Known simply as Skydeck88, the Eureka

Tower's panoramic view from the top deck is

truly awesome and a photographer's delight to

be able to capture, like I did, the Aussie city

in all its true size and modern shape.

Although with that said, I don't consider

Melbourne to be a beautiful or grandly state

territorial capital by far. In some ways, it's

rather unattractive to the eye at first.

At least to me ...

^^^

Here's alittle more about Skydeck88.

It's the world tallest residential tower.

The facade consists of glass and alumin-

ium panels covering an area of 40.000

square meters. And, 24 carat gold-plated

glass is found at the top 10 of the 88

floors. It has 3.680 stairs and the build-

ing cost AUS$500 million when it opened

in 2006 after over 4 years to complete.

My panoramic photos of Skydeck 88 will

be uploaded once I have access to do so.

^^^

Today at Melbourne as turned out to

be a very hot summer's day after being

damp and dreary yesterday. The heat

now is enough to give me a nice and

needed sun tan ... I'm now off to

Australia's capital of Canberra that is

a 9 to 10 hour drive and not a 5 or 6

hour one that I first believed was

the case.

^^^

Must rush again to be off elsewhere in

The Land of Oz, which I am enjoying so

much just being here for the first time in

my life. It also mean I have now visited

ever continent in the world, except Antar-

tica, by my visit here to Australiasia ...

^^^

Cheers, Uncle Monty.

+St. Richard, 2oo8.

<.>

WALTZING IN MATILDA AT DOWN UNDER. By Uncle Monty.

Waltzing In Matilda At Down Under.
Oz Story By Uncle Monty.
+
On this the other side of the world I now gaze on

Down Under from its second largest city at spring-

time Melbourne. I’m here to attend the 6th World

Homeless Cup in which 59 nations will be repre-

sented by homeless folkz from all around the world
and with some of them playing soccer like profess-

ionals despite their footie status as only humble

and amateur ball players.
+
I have now travelled, with one stopover at Hong Kong,
almost 10.000 miles just only one way to get here to see
what "The Land of Oz" is all about. So far, so good. Here,

too, they naturally go “Waltzing in Matilda” and so now

do I. I’ve also gained around 14 hours on the world

clock since it’s pretty first thing Monday morning

here rather than at what is still England’s very late

Saturday night or very early Sunday morning.

+
I’ll report online from Melbourne and elsewhere in
Australia from time to time. I’m staying here initially

at the former Old Nunnery of the Sisters of Charity.
I’m here primarily to enjoy some of the homeless foot-

ball games and meeting many homeless people from

around the world. And, of course, to explore whatever

I can of Australia itself and even her famous Outback

and all thingz kangaroo ... while I’m here for the

next 12 days or so …

+

Will post some of my photographs from here, too,

if I have access to upload such pictures to my

blog at thebiggerissue.org. If not, I’ll put them all

together to upload upon my return to frigid Olde

London Towne at where I am told it's now icy

cold while I am now enjoying the full blossom
of warm summertime here at Big Oz.
+
And no, no, no, I’m not representing John Bird
nor his Vauxhall gang at London’s Big Issue HQ.

They’ve not asked me to do that nor offered me a

dime to get to Oz. I’m here due entirely to Contessa

Maria’s kindness and never-failing personal gener-

osity to me and not due in anyway to The Big Issue

sponsoring me as some first thought was the case in

me travelling almost halfway around of the world.

+

Here at Australia, The Big Issue is Australian

and it is completely independent of London's

Big Issue folkz. Perhaps the only disappointment

for me is that the Aussie Big Issue was unable to
put together the open proposal to inaugurate The
1st International Conference on Homelessness that

would have nicely coincided with The 6th World

Homeless Cup, which the Aussie Big Issue has

so ably sponsored. Such a homeless conference

wasn’t to be, according to what I was told earlier

by Aussie Big Issue's Sandra Del Monaco. Pity.

Perhaps next time. The pressing issue of
homelessness is a global problem of ever-

growing proportion and complexity it

seems to me and to many of those who

are experts on the issue of homelessness

and social marginalization.
+
And so before I now sign off from Down Under it-

self, I must express without a doubt my complete

"THANK YOU" to Maria for her so fully under-

writing all the financial expenses of me being able

to come here to Australia in the first place as an

English approved-sheltered and housed pensioner,

as a big busy body and as an opinionated blogger, and

as an unsponsored and non-representative of the

British Big Issue even though I am one of its long-

standing street vendors at London's Covent Garden.

Thank you ever so much my dear Maria …
THANK U, AGAIN AND AGAIN.

LOVE U, I DO.
+
Uncle Monty Now At Down Under.

Do take care everybody and my good

wishes to you all as I happily go

"Waltzing in Matilda At Down Under."
Every Cheer, Uncle Monty.
+Eve of Christ The King, 2oo8.
+

Waltzing Matilda - Our Other National Anthem!!

+
:: UPDATE ::
My first full day inside Australia has been a day
of basic discovery of Melbourne itself which today
seems quite dreary with the weather now quite
damped and overcast. They say here that it isn't
unusual for Melbourne to have the 4 Seasons in
just a day going from winter to spring to summer
and then to autumn all rolled-up in one. Whatever
I'm going next to Canberra, the capital, some 5 to
6 hours away from here tomorrow and later in the
week I will visit Adelaide - The City of Churches -
that is another 5 hour ride on the other side of

the country and south the other way from Mel-
bourne. I plan also to see the famous Penguin
Parade at Phillips Island off the coast of Victoria.
Must run, have much more to do today ...
Cheers, Uncle Monty from Down Under, 2oo8.
+

JOHN EVELYN : An Anglican Diarist. Notes By Uncle Monty.

JOHN EVELYN: An Anglican Diarist.

Notes By Uncle Monty.

~~~

John Evelyn (1620-1706) was an English lay

Anglican from the top of his 17th century

head to the bottom of prolific diarist's feet.

~~~

Now, more than 300 years after his

death, John Evelyn has become the

focus of interest again among modern-

day academic scholars and some imbued

European and American theologians.

~~~

An Albion Royalist by deep disposition

and a sound diarist by almost any standard,

Evelyn is noted to have been "a represent-

ative of much that was best in 17th century

lay Anglicanism," states the late Lady Mar-

garet Professor of Divinity Dr. F. L. Cross.

~~~
Professor Cross adds, "Among his (Evelyn's)

best known works include Fumifugium (1661),

Sculptura (1662), and Sylva (1664). Of more

specifically religious interest are his Mystery

of Jesuitism (1664), The Pernicious Conse-

quences of the New Heresie of the Jesuites

Against the King and the State (anon. 1666)

and his translation of The Golden Book of St.

John Chrysostom concerning the Education

of Children (1659); and two posthumous

publications, The Life of Mrs. (Margaret)

Godolphin (ed. by Sidney Wilberforce, 1847)

and The History of Religion (ed. by R. M.

Evanson, 2 vols., 1850."

~~~

The latest biogaphy of John Evelyn appeared

earlier this year at The Yale University Press:

"Gillian Darley provides a rounded portrait of

Evelyn’s eighty-five years--his family life, his exile in

Paris, his interests, and his preoccupations. Evelyn

lived through some of England’s most tumultuous

history, through five reigns, the Civil War, the

Restoration, and the Revolution of 1688. He was

author or translator of countless publications, tackling

an enormous variety of contemporary issues. Both a

religious man and a key figure in the Royal Society,

he viewed Christianity and the new science as wholly

compatible. Evelyn remained endlessly curious and

engaged into very old age, and this absorbing bio-

graphy demonstrates the liveliness of his hugely

busy mind," states the online book review at Yale's

website. The only fault with the review is no mention

is made there of John Evelyn's staunch Anglicanism

and his prominent part in lay church affairs,

"especially in the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral,"

notes Professor Cross in his written Evelyn synopsis

found in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian

Church, p. 479, 1961.

~~~

At age 27, John Evelyn married Mary the daughter

of Sir Richard Browne (1605-83) at Paris. She was

only 12 year old at her marriage to him. They also

both lived at the same time as the most noted

English diarist of the day called Samuel

Pepys (1633-1703).

~~~

At London's Deptford at where Evelyn settled

at Sayes Court in 1652, there is to this very

day a local British pub that bears his name.

And for today's worldwide Anglicans, John

Evelyn should be honoured almost as a lay

saint by those who respect and cherish the

extraordinary history of the English Church

and her rootednes in Historic Anglicanism.

~~~

Faithfully, Uncle Monty.

+Edmund, King-Martyr of East Angles,

2oo8.

~~~

Episcopal Church dissidents aim for new church.

By Michael Conlon, Religion Writer.

http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE4AJ89120081120
Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:24pm EST

...

Come, Let Us Worship At The New Temple of Greed. By Uncle Monty.

Come, Let Us Worship At

The New Temple of Greed.

Story By Uncle Monty.

Photos By Alex Albion.
<>

Cold, clinical, and classless was Europe’s newest,

biggest, costliest, and most unfriendly, £1.7 billion

Westfield Shopping Centre that opened with great

and contrived public fanfare just over two weeks
ago at the seven million-populated

British capital of London.
<>
With thousands of blinding neon and regular

lights, coupled with gaudy trappings, tacky

and loud displays, expensive designer goods,

and a constant uniformity of major brand
name stores, Westfield gave little or no

warmth or comfort to the sheep-like wond-

erings of its new shoppers or curious visitors

checking out the spacious interior and its floor

plan that required lengthy and tiring walks
to view the whole shebang. Everywhere in-

side Westfield, seemed so mechanical and

impersonal. Plus, somehow it was even frozen

in its artificial atompshere and its rude and
blatant "grab-by-the-throat" commercialism.
<>
Main Entrance To Westfield.

<>
There was also, being so new, a shining strange-

ness about the place that prevented any real or

discernable ambience. No depth of creditability
or any standing of a good business reputation

seemed evident despite the moneyed accolades

by city business leaders and rhetorical political

officials at the grand opening of the Westfield

Shopping Centre.

<>

Westfield itself is so overly ostentatious,

too, it could give giddy spells and spasms to

some folkz on the spot. Despite that, what
Westfield really is is just a fancy, cosmetic,

and shallow strip mall by any other name.
Even worse, it beckons and allures without

saying “Come, Let Us Worship At The

New Temple of Greed.”

That it surely is …
<>
An Exterior View of Westfield Mall.

<>
With 265 retail stores on two levels, with 14-

screen cinemas set to open by mid-2oo9,
along with parking space for 4.500 cars and

£250 million spent to revamp the local public
transport system at Shepherd’s Bush, White

City and Wood Lane, Westfield could well land-

up as a huge White Elephant despite its fancy

entrances called The Atrium and The Village.

<>

It’s also a “shopaholic’s paradise,” declared

boldly the four-page supplement in the daily free-

sheet called “thelondonpaper.” Ah yes, “paradise”
does then exist at The New Temple of Greed? For

some, most definitely yes. How empty are these

people spiritually and emotionally for their need

to be consummate consumers with avaricious de-

light and gluttonous taste? Where have all the roses
gone? What have we done to be so seduced by such

a hollow commercial contraption and so-called

“shopping revolution” like Westfield Shopping Centre?
Perhaps, after all is said and done, Westfield maybe

little more than a “shopping revulsion” for some

at Europe’s "New Temple of Greed."
<>

Bigger Than Life At Westfield Shopping Mall.

<>
Give it 10, 15 or 20 years from now and Westfield
will start crumbling as a physical structure. Chips
and dents were already seen on the some of the
outdoor furniture and the place has only been
opened less than three weeks ... Let alone, if it
can commercially-survive for say 10 or 15 or so

long years as Europe’s present largest shopping
mall. If last Thursday's morning visit was any
indication at all of the future commercial via-
bility of Westfield, then it looks pretty grim
with most stores quite empty and few
shoppers carrying any shopping bagz.
<>
Westfield, with its 1 and 2 level shopping areas,
would require a small fortune to patronize just
five percent of the 265 business stores. Fatigue
soon sets in just walking about to window shop
let alone actually spending time and good money
in each store of one’s desire and fancy. In reality,
London's Westfield Shopping Centre is a complete
overkill no matter how you shuffle the cards.
<>
Westfield's Main Walking Artery.
<>
Talk could be sorrowfully heard just 18 months ago
about helping the corner shop or small store owner
in England from being gobbled up and put out of
business by such gangly commercial ventures like
Westfield. They die do the little guyz, while the big,
greedy, and ugly guyz continue to dominate the mar-
ket share and choice of the shopping public that quickly
flock to buy from the big stores and not the little ones.
Folkz will travel miles to go to the New Temples of
Greed like Westfield, but won’t walk just down the
street to buy something from their local family-owned
store. “My mom only shops at Waitrose and never at
Woolies,” was the refrain of one lady who rarely shops,
she said, at her corner shop. Why? ”Because the produce
is too expensive and past-dated,” she said. She was
impressed by Westfield, declaring “It’s a lovely
shopping place … “ Isn’t it like a New Temple
of Greed?, she was asked. “Oh, goodness me,
NO.” Then she jokingly added, "I’m a good
Catholic girl, so there you are …” Guess she
was about 40 years of age and dressed like an
English soccer mom of sorts with her own mom
at her side. It was noticeable and abit odd, too,
the number of old age pensioners seen visiting
Westfield primarily to look and not to shop
and buy, presumably.
<>
An Interior View of Westfield Shopping Centre.
<>
Having spent about an hour inside Westfield, within
the first ten minutes of being there a young brash
security employee stated no photographs were
permitted. Dozen of folkz were photographing inside
the new shopping centre without any fear of being
ordered to stop taking harmless picture. So a nasty
taste of Westfield was immediately left in the mouth
at such a petty policy of anti-photography. Whatever,
be damned or not, there was no reason not to continue
taking whatever photos were needed to tell the story
herein of The Westfield Shopping Mall. Such, then,
are seen here of the images presented of the in-
side and outside of The New Temple of Greed
after being told not to take photographs. To
hell with such small-minded idiots.
<>
And so now let us worship and take home with
you the lifeless goods that gives you a sense of
earthly paradise. If not that, then a feeling of
momentary happiness despite the credit crunch
and the coming recession (that's already here
for many) and the impending joblessness for
millions of British folkz to bite their teeth on with
distress and anger. Those Westfield shopping
bagz will then soon look like a waste of time
and, of course, a big waste of money. True.
<>
Regards to everybody, Uncle Monty.
+Third Sunday Before Advent, 2oo8.
<>
Not Quite Westfield ...
<>