Revved up with a uteload of goodwill

By Paul Dunlop
PAKENHAM Reverend Dick Johnston is taking God’s work on the road.
The Uniting Church minister is loading his ute with food and household items donated by local parishioners and driving up to the Wimmera to spread goodwill around droughtravaged communities.
Rev Johnston will spend the weekend among the farmers and townspeople of Sea Lake and Berriwilock.
He will leave on Thursday for the fivehour drive and is looking forward to the chance to bring a bit of cheer.
“People are really doing it tough up there. The idea was to go up and see if we could lend a bit of a hand,” Rev Johnson said.
Uniting Church ministers and other community representatives from around the region came together recently to discuss ways to respond to some of the problems being experienced in droughtaffected areas of country Victoria.
A “Day of Listening” saw the church hear about the needs of people in farflung areas many hours from the city.
Rev Johnston, who lived and worked in the Mallee town of Nyah West before he came to Pakenham, said a lot of communities in that area did not have a Uniting Church minister. Even Mildura, population 45,000, does not have one.
“Isolation can be a big problem up there. In terms of distances in Victoria, you can’t get much further away,” Rev Johnston said.
“People relate more to Adelaide than Melbourne because it is closer.
“The tyranny of distance bites hard, and it’s not just farmers. When times are bad, entire communities operate on credit and everybody does it tough.”
Rev Johnston said the Pakenham community had responded eagerly to his offer to fill the ute with items and take some goodwill on the road.
“People here are just so generous. I’ve been given food, clothing and all sorts of other gifts to take. Whenever there is a need, local people seem to respond.”
Rev Johnston said it was possible Pakenham’s Uniting Church could establish a link with a country parish. He said any help he could bring was not too much to ask.
“People need to know they’re not on their own, we’re thinking of them,” he said.
Anybody wishing to donate items can contact Reverend Dick Johnston on 5941 1440.