Welcome back to a new season (3) of Central Coast Stories.  My name is Kayleen Bell.  I am a journalist and audio storyteller.  If you are joining as a new listener for the first time, a very big welcome to you.  I am so glad to be back for a new season after a ridiculously long unexpected break.  Life has come in like a flood several times and steered me off course for awhile.  But I am so glad to be back, doing what I love, finding and producing audio stories and interviewing lovely people on the Central Coast and sometimes people not living here but connected to the lovely Central Coast in some way.

Nestled amongst some magnificent gum trees on the NSW Central Coast, Australia, you will find the Ken Duncan Gallery.  Ken Duncan is a world renown photographer.  His stunning photography is a reflection of the talent that he has spent five decades developing.  But what many people may not know about Ken Duncan is his passion and dedication and service to the remote Indigenous communities in and around Haasts Bluff in the Northern Territory.  Haasts Bluff is home to the Ikuntji community.

In May this year, 2024, I had the wonderful privilege and opportunity to travel to the NT with Ken Duncan and fellow travellers on the first cultural tour to the lovely Haasts Bluff community.  I was blown away by this community, the peace in this community, the beauty of this community and the scenery.  It is not every day you get the chance to eat a honey ant straight out of the beautiful red earth of Australia, or wait at sunrise by  a waterhole for wild brumbies (two of my favourite experiences besides the walk up Memory Mountain).  

We were warmly greeted when we arrived at the Alice Springs Terminal after flying in from all over the country.  There was myself and ten other fellow travellers and we headed in landrovers and made the three hour journey out to Haasts Bluff and we arrived on dusk just as the sun was setting to get our first glimpse of the cross up there on Memory Mountain.  I can't recommend it highly enough.  It was one of the most special experiences of my life.  The majesty from up there on that mountain when you are standing at that enormous cross and you are looking out at that 360 degree panorama is just breathtaking.  It is worth going just for that!  

But to also get to be in the community, walk alongside the members of the community, and get to know them was also a real treat.  So as part of my collection of interviews from this NT trip.  First of all I have an interview with Ken Duncan and I chatting with a little bit of audio special magic in the background.  Then there will be  a second piece with mostly the voices of the community and fellow travellers and I will be narrating that one.  And then lastly, there is a third piece that I would like to play, which is more along the Christian history of the communities around Haasts Bluff and why they wanted the cross, and also the Indigenous evangelists that came to this area over 100 years ago.  And in the background of that piece there is some beautiful singing in language and one of their lovely elders Douglas is singing The Rugged Cross and it is just beautiful.  So I will be publishing these over the next few weeks and sit back and enjoy.   It is good to be back.

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For more information about the cross on memory mountain at Haasts Bluff and the tours or to make a donation you can go to the links below.

https://walkawhile.org.au/ or https://memorymountain.com.au/

Please contact me if you wish at TalkingPFAS@gmail.com

TalkingPFAS is my other podcast (covering PFAS in Australia and around the world).

All information in this podcast is copyright.  This podcast episode in its entirety can by shared but no part of this podcast can be reproduced in any form without permission from the rights holder, Kayleen Bell Journalist.  

Thank you so much for listening !!

HISTORY:

NB This history contains names of deceased Indigenous people. 

From the plaques at the Memory Mountain Monument:

Out the front of the Church at Haasts Bluff is a sign with the following information:

The Lutheran Church at Ikuntji/Haasts Bluff

"The first mission journey to this area was made in 1923 by Aboriginal Evangelists Nathanael and his wife Maria and Jacobus and his wife Alma.  It is because of them and the people who followed that the Haasts Bluff settlement was established."

"On Sunday 25 September 1949 the old Lobethal SA bell sounded the call to come to worship and celebrate the dedication of the Haasts Bluff Lutheran Church.  The Church leaders who took part were Pastors Reuther and Pech, Pastors F W Albrecht and Gross, Evangelists Moses, Abel, Titus, Alexander, Obed, Joses, Albert, Richard and Traugott and Mr Kischade who was in charge at Areyonga.  Pastor Albrecht and Mr T G H Strehlow had translated into Arrarnta an order of service for opening the church doors and dedicating the church at the altar."

1930 - Evangelists

"In 1930 Titus and Rolf were the first evangelists to make a permanent camp in the Haasts Bluff area.  These men were to provide food for the people coming in from the desert and to encourage them to settle down in the area.  Frank River Mission."

1946 - The Building

"The church building was erected in 1946 by Lou Borgelt, Cliff Thompson and Erwin Heinrich assisted by local men Benjamin, Gordon, Stephen, Henry, Talbolba and Nabo.  The building  had been pre-fabricated in Adelaide by Mr Thompson.  Money was raised by showing films of Central Australia down south."

Herman and Elizabeth Pech

"In 1947 Pastor Herman Pech and his wife Elizabeth were appointed the first full-time missionaries at Haasts Bluff.  They established a huge vegetable garden which provided food for the whole settlement and also kept a herd of goats.  Herman and Elizabeth stayed until 1955 when Pastor P A Scherer took over."

1948 - A Hospital

"When a measles epidemic broke out in 1948, the only building to house the patients was the church building.  This was before it was dedicated as a church.  In this building many lives were saved."

2019 - 70th Anniversary

In 2019 the Church celebrated its 70th Anniversary.  Services are still held in the Church and it is also used for funerals and sing-alongs.