The Spirit - Stories of Faith

In 1971 Sandy graduated from the Victorian Police Force at the age of twenty-one. At that time women could only work in the women’s division. The general public assumed female police officers didn’t have the same authorities as males. With equal opportunity laws more women entered the police force, but not all the guys appreciated this change. Female police officers were not issued hand cuffs, or firearms. They were giv...

Sonia found herself as a mother of three children in a relationship of domestic violence. She could see the patterns of abuse so clearly in those around her, but struggled to know what to do for herself. Escaping the abuse took a long time, and some help from an unexpected ally. Now Sonia is convicted that anger, hate and hurt only eat you up. She is now an outspoken advocate around issues of family and domestic violence. For Sonia...

Dave was born in England and grew up believing he would join the army, joining the officer core as he went through uni. But when Dave turned up at a work training session and found it was just him and Alana, he immediately knew she was special and his life took a very different turn! They were married and moved to Australia, but Dave still felt like an imposter whenever they would go to church. His wife Alana never stopped praying ...

Faye grew up curious about spiritual things. So when her mum suggested she go and speak to Mrs Robinson, the local spiritualist, Faye felt perhaps she had found her people. Faye was told she was very psychic. But when the visions changed, and Faye saw a sword and shield, a load of bread, and a door to Jesus, Mrs Robinson’s explanations seemed inadequate. It was an unexpected word from a speaker at one of their meetings that l...

When Jess moved from Melbourne to Bendigo she didn’t realise it would be the beginning of such an isolating period of her life. Becoming a mum at the same time as she had moved away from community and a job, not knowing anyone in her new home. For two years she felt hugely isolated, and lonely. But all it took was an invitation from a stranger at a playgroup to change things. While it took six months for Jess to accept that i...

Lena grew up in Gippsland and trained to be a nurse. When her husband bought their new family home in Echuca, she started a new life there. Lena soon found herself with five daughters under the age of five, but when she approached her Catholic Priest for dispensation to use a contraceptive, he said no. This led Lena to walk into the local Anglican church to see if perhaps she could find the support she needed there. 

Her whole ...

John was born in Colchester in Essex, England in 1934. After an administrative mix up his father was posted to Singapore in the second world war, and the family went to live in the now infamous Changi prison. This very unorthodox childhood didn’t stop John from getting up to some typical mischief; making the most of the regular downpours to slide down the city’s storm water drains with the centipedes and out into the se...