After 16 years as the executive director of funds management for the synod of Victoria and Tasmania, Sue Norman is swapping her desk for a pair of hiking boots and trekking through the south-west of France.

“My immediate plan when I leave is to walk the Way of St James into Spain with my husband,” Sue told Crosslight. “The aim is to get over the Pyrenees before the snow falls.”

Although she is looking forward to a well-earned break, Sue is sad to be leaving a great team and a job she has enjoyed.

 “As an ethical investor perhaps one of the most rewarding things I was involved with was the Ok Tedi mine development in Papua New Guinea in the 1990s,” she said.

“I was part of a Uniting Church delegation to PNG; we managed to coordinate the local churches to assist the locals in their negotiations for adequate compensation from the mining company.”

Sue is loath to talk about ‘retirement’. In fact, she is quick to point out that she does not intend to leave work entirely and hopes to pursue opportunities as a board member.

But as she heads off to France, she says she feels good knowing that – even in these uncertain times – UCA funds management  has a sound future.

“We have managed to build a good business over the years, we have given the synod over $32 million in grants and I know that we’re well positioned for growth in the future,’ she said.

Swapping the sunny climes of Queensland for the bracing joy of Tasmania is just one of the challenges facing Rev Carol Bennett as she takes on the role of Synod Liaison Minister for the Uniting Church Synod of Victoria and Tasmania. In between setting up home in Launceston and shopping for a warmer wardrobe, the former assistant general secretary of the Queensland Synod is enjoying learning about her new synod. “Each synod has its own culture as does each presbytery,” Ms Bennett told Crosslight.

Most of Ms Bennett’s work will be as Presbytery Minister Pastoral Care, which involves travelling around Tasmania and providing support to ministry agents and their families.

When she dons her ‘liaison hat’ Ms Bennett will be encouraging the connections between the Presbytery of Tasmania and the Synod office in Melbourne.

Almost one hundred people gathered recently at the Kinglake West Uniting Church to chat over a cuppa and home-made cakes and sandwiches at the sixth annual ‘Heavenly Cuppa’ morning.

As the focal point of bushfire relief following the Black Saturday fires, the church has  been the site for a community kitchen, a shower block, even an internet café.

But with a fresh coat of paint and a new minister, it was time to return to the traditions of the church, to get back to some form of normality.

Organiser Bev Johns felt it was an important event for the community.

“It’s a chance to get together, share a cuppa and chat and do what we do best, which is supporting the community,” she said.

“This year the event is more important than ever. It’s a chance for those who have lost homes and are living out of the area to catch up and reconnect.”

Bev felt that it was good to gather without the focal point being the bushfires.

“Although we are giving people the choice of donating to the bushfire appeal or to cancer research, this day is not all about the bushfires.

“It’s something we do every year and we felt it was important to keep the tradition going.”

Rev Mark Prouse was kept busy directing traffic and greeting guests for most of the morning. Commissioned in early April, Mr Prouse told Crosslight that the timing of his appointment meant he had got to know people in the local area very quickly.

“It’s certainly been a very busy initiation to the job,” he said, in what might be the understatement of the year.

“This morning is a good opportunity to meet people in more normal circumstances.”