Services 2009
January 11 Poetry & Music service
January 18 LEV LAFAYETTE, Church member – ‘Unitarian Universalist view of the economic crisis’
January 25 PETER ABREHART, Chairperson of the Church–‘Rejoice in our differences’
February 1 REV DR DAVID SAMMONS, Visiting Professor of Unitarian Universalist Heritage & Ministry, Starr King School for the Ministry, California USA - 'Honesty and Love'
February 8 GRETCHEN THOMAS, Church Member – ‘Making sense of the senseless’ (Gretchen will be talking about the horrific shooting at a Unitarian Church in Knoxville Tennessee USA)
February 15 ANNE O’ROURKE, Vice President Liberty Victoria – ‘Federal Bill of Rights’
February 22 JEFF FIEDLER, Tenancy Advice Worker, Housing for the Aged (HAAG) - ‘Time for Older Person's Housing Action’
March 1 MARION HARPER, Church Secretary, 'The Truth Will Set You Free'
March 8 JOAN COXSEDGE, Former MLC, International Women's Day Address - 'Feminism Needs Socialism to be Relevant'
March 15 CLARE LAND, Member of the Committee of Management, ANTaR Victoria – 'The ‘Welfare Control’ Experiment and the Sacred Treaty Circle Epilogue'
March 22 PETER ABREHART, Chairperson of the Church – ‘Darwin’s dangerous idea’
March 29 JOHN STONE, Australasian Centre for the Governance & Management of Urban Transport (GAMUT), Melbourne University – ‘Fixing Melbourne’s Public transport: what we need and how we can get it’
April 5 JASON ROSTANT, Senior Adviser, Human Rights Education, Victorian Equal Opportunity & Human Rights Commission – ‘Charter of Human Rights’
April 12 POETRY & MUSIC SERVICE
April 19 DAVID COPOLOV, Senior Advisor, Office of the Vice Chancellor, Monash University – ‘De-hospitalising the mental health sector – seriously negative Consequences of a policy born of good intentions’
April 26 LINDA GALE, Senior Industrial Officer, National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) Victorian Division – ‘Where next for Universities Current issues in Australia’s higher education system’
May 3 RICHARD TATE, Church Member – ‘Throwing shoes at banking & financial networks’
May 10 MICHAEL SHAIK, Public Advocate for Australians for Palestine – ‘Palestine: A challenge to Humanity’
May 17 LEV LAFAYETTE, Church Member – ‘Sympathy for the devil: the use and abuse of supernatural evil’
May 24 PROFESSOR DICK GUNSTONE, Emeritus Professor of Science & Technology Education, Monash University – ‘Why creationism has no place In science education’
May 31 PAUL DAHAN, Church Member – ‘Saving our souls from fundamentalism’
June 7 PAUL DANIELS, Convenor, The Melbourne School of Continental Philosophy -‘Kant’s Worldview’
June 14 SIMON MOYLE – ‘Another world is possible, another world is necessary, another world is already here’- We also have the pleasure in having the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology Choir (RMIT)
June 21 ROBYN KILPATRICK, Speakers Network, Victorian Activist Centre, Amnesty International Australia – ‘Sri Lanka and Human Rights’
June 28 FRANK CHERRY, National Secretary, Australian Workers Union (AMW) Retired Members – ‘Pensioners – Struggle for recognition’
July 5 CHURCH CONCERT – funds raised to go to Medecins Sans Frontieres. Concert as a huge success raising $1,560.00 for Medecins Sans Frontieres (doctors without Borders), with a promissory note for a further $500 which will bring the total up to $2,060.00. We wish to thank the artists who performed on the day, giving their services free for the cause.
July 12 MARTIN PRITCHARD, Volunteer at Friends of the Earth and coordinate the Real Food Campaign – ‘Smart food choices: helping the environment, empowering the poor and improving your health’
July 19 PETER ABREHART, Church Chairperson – ‘The Greatest dissenters’
July 26 ROB WATTS, Professor of Social Policy in the School of Global Studies, Social Sciences Planning, RMIT University – ‘Is there such a thing as social capitalism?’
August 2 PETER FERGUSON, Minister Unitarian Fellowship WA – ‘The Iron Bed of Procrustes’
August 9 PAULINE MITCHELL, Secretary for International Cooperation & Disarmament (CICD) – ‘Hiroshima’
August 16 JULIAN BURNSIDE AO QC, Barrister & Author – ‘Does Australia need a Charter of Rights?’
August 23 LEV LAFAYETTE. Church Member – ‘Religion & Culture of the Malay Archipelago’
August 30 ANNE TUOHEY. 'The Face of Homelessness Today?'
September 6 DENIS FITZGERALD, Executive Director, Catholic Social Services Victoria - ‘Social Justice from a Catholic Perspective’
September 13 ELIZABETH REAL, Federal Professional Research Officer & Librarian, Australian Nursing Federation, Federal Office – 'Climate Change; The Future is in Our Hands’
September 20 LEV LAFAYETTE, Church Member – ‘The Other Half: The Universalist Tradition’
September 27 KENNETH DAVIDSON, Co-Editor, D!SSENT Magazine – ‘Global warming – avoiding the issues’
October 2 MARION HARPER, Secretary of the Church – ‘Preliminary history of the Beacon’
October 11 MIKE SALVARIS, Adjunct Professor, Applied Human Rights & Community Wellbeing School of Global Studies, Social Science & Planning, RMIT - ‘Community progress measurement: a new democratic vision for Australia’
October 18, PETER ABREHART, Chairperson of the church – ‘Where to now?’
October 25, REV DEREK POUPARD, Pastoral Care Coordinator, Melbourne City Mission – ‘Being Noticed’
November 1, LYN ALLISON, President, Dying with dignity and Former Democrat Senator – ‘Dying with Dignity’
November 8 TONY KEENAN, CEO, Hanover Welfare Services – ‘Can we halve homelessness by 2020 in Australia?’
November 15 GAVIN GUFTY, Manager of Policy & Research St Vincent de Paul – ‘Smart Meters - Issues & implications’
November 22 PAULINE MITCHELL, Secretary Campaign for International Co-operation & Disarmament (CICD) – ‘Dangerous occupations’
November 29 157TH ANNIVERSARY SERVICE – DR ERIC HELLER, Unitarian Minister who has served in many Unitarian Churches in Australia and overseas – ‘Will the Revolution be Televised?’ with a performance from Thursdays Children Choir – Director Therese Virtue
December 6 LEV LAFAYETE - '2012: From Ancient Brilliance to Modern Nonsense’
December 13 PETER ABREHART, Church chairperson, 'World Parliament of Religions'
December 20 Church Concert; monies raised to Humane Society International