May 1999 Volume 80 Number 6 "serving the protectors"
Peace Be To You
By Richard Lawton

We had to collect a $50 refundable deposit. The head office, on Fullarton Road, Dulwich, being five minutes from our Norwood home, it would take 15 minutes to slip in and get my $50.

I knew roughly where to go, but the service road dead-ended. I walked over a block, up to the first floor, where a sign on the door said that the firm was now in Greenhill Road, Wayville. As I’d come this far, I would go the rest of the way. I didn’t know that the new building was almost to Anzac Highway, nor that Greenhill Road was under roadworks. I crawled-stopped-crawled until I got there. There was no parking available in front or near the building - plenty across Greenhill Road, but you couldn’t get there from here.

I took the next left, drove around the block, parked in a side street, and walked back to the building. The new receptionist didn’t know what to do with me, but made several calls until she found someone who would come out to see me. She took my receipt and invited me to sit down, which I did - at length. Plenty of time to grizzle to myself that the firm was unreasonable in requiring the deposit, and that I shouldn’t have let myself be conned into it.

Eventually, she returned with a form, then, “I’ll send this to Melbourne, and they’ll get a cheque off to you in about a week.”

Most of the routes to Norwood were closed for the car races, so back in Greenhill Road I crawled-stopped-crawled my way home. Fifteen minutes had turned into over an hour, but seemed like five.

Nothing new? Some variation of it happens every day: things hold us up; people do or say things that we don’t like; we lose things; a job turns out to be harder than we anticipated...

We get irritated; we fume; we get short with people; we kick the dog; slam the door; throw down a drink; clench our teeth...

It’s just after Easter and I’m conscious that Jesus repeatedly said to bewildered and upset people, “Peace be to you”. He offered calm and a deep sense of wellbeing and contentment, which come from being conscious of his presence, and drawing on the perspective and strength that he gives.

Jesus was not speaking from an ivory tower. He had just been through excruciating hostility, rejection, false trial, torture and death, but he brought a gift of peace.

We all have those days, but they don’t have to get us down. Peace be to you.

SA Police Chaplains

Welfare Section 58	David Marr Tel: 8364 3567
	Senior Police Chaplain.
Academy 8	Mark Thomas. Tel: 8296 9616
Adelaide: Angas Street 158	Bruce Grindlay. Tel: 8295 2220
Adelaide: Hindley Street 62	Bruce Grindlay. Tel: 8295 2220
Adelaide Hills Division 54	Adrian Stephens. Office: 8398 2517
Berri 212	Vacant
Ceduna 214	Bob Borgas. Tel: 086 253 503
Christies Beach 20	Vacant
Clare 202	Michael Dutschke. Tel: 088 423 681
Communications 172	David Hand. Tel: 8295 6992
Elizabeth 52	Stephen Brooks. Tel: 041 884 0739
Far North 210	Tony Redden. Tel: 08 8672 5011
Focus 21	Richard Lawton. Tel: 08 8363 2536
Gawler 52	Brian Tscharke. Tel: 085 222 288
Glenelg 22	Malcolm Thomas. Tel: 8377 0772
Henley Beach 18	Brenton Daulby. Tel: 8443 8286
Holden Hill 44	Tony Swansson. Tel: 8258 8951
	Rod Dyson. Tel: 8365 1170
Kadina 71	Mark Dickens. Tel: 8823 2513
Kingston 208	Richard Dutton. Tel: 08 8767 2590
Mount Gambier 208	Brian Ashworth. Tel: 087 231 353 (W) Tel: 087 252 537 (H)
Murray Bridge 200	Malcolm Bottrill. Tel: 085 325 536
Naracoorte 208	Keith Brice. Tel: 087 622 303
Norwood 60	Vacant
Nuriootpa 204	Andy Kowald. Tel: 085 621 011
Para Hills 46	Stephanie Swansson. Tel: 8258 8951
Plympton 14	Ian Dempsey. Tel: 8210 8108
Port Adelaide 6	Jeff Oake. Tel: 8341 5930
Port Pirie 206	Vacant
Prosecution Services 176	Vacant
Port Augusta PS 210	Shirley James. Tel: 08 8641 0146
Port Lincoln PS 214	Rob Packer. Tel: 08 8683 0302
Salisbury 53	Stephanie Swansson. Tel: 8258 8951
Sturt 12	Brenton Williamson. Tel: 8270 4316
Tea Tree Gully 48	Vacant
Thebarton Barracks 32	Joe Grealy. Tel: 8338 3225
Transit Division	Wayne Shepherd. Tel: 8443 4895
Unley 28	Max Bowers. Tel: 8272 8324
Whyalla 218	John Dunckley. Tel: 08 8645 2500

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