News from Mackay
21 August, 2023
The men’s dinner was held on July 31st. Chairman Peter Sheedy welcomed a good crowd including guest speaker Lui Giannangelo, Fr Terry Loft, Fr Anthony Nguyen and recently ordained Deacon Peter Doherty. Fr Anthony said Grace and we said the prayer to Mary MacKillop.
Rex’s Reflection: Feed on the Bible. Every day we are bombarded with messages from the world around us. They influence our thoughts and Satan is very active in this realm. Firstly he feeds you; temptation, depression, and worry. Second, he distracts you from noticing what is going into your mind. Resist his snares. Jesus said, “I come to give you life more abundantly,” (John 10:10). Feed on healthy thoughts for a healthy mind. Instead of constantly striving for peace, joy, and happiness, firstly pay attention to what your mind is focused on. Jeremiah said, ‘ When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and heart’s delight’.
God’s greatest gift to us is His Word (made flesh), in scripture – The Bible. Never turn His Word into a burden. Rather say, “ What can I feed my mind on today so I might flourish?” ‘When you delight in God’s Word, you will prosper in whatever you do.’ (Psalm 1:1-3) You too can have what successful people enjoy by doing what they do, which is to delight in the Word of God day and night. Start tonight.
Graham thanked the clergy: Fr Anthony and Fr Terry for attending as well as Deacon Peter Doherty. He then introduced Lui Giannangelo the guest speaker from Walkerston who is a ‘Learn To Drive Instructor.
Lui noticed many familiar faces: friends and neighbours and wished us ‘Safe Driving’. He grew up in Mackay and has a wife and four children. Lui was a boiler maker with the Key Solutions group and in 2020 he took up an opportunity to become a Driving Instructor. He trained up with good support for a career change, began part-time, and is now full-time providing lessons across Mackay. His friends’ kids helped start up the business and now there is a good flow.
Lui told us how young adults take time to trust what they are being told, which can get scary! His job is to help them on their adventure. Lui spoke about the Mackay Region’s population which has grown from 152,000 in 2019 to 163,000 in 2022 and continues to grow. The “bad drivers” stem from the large influx of tourists and foreign people in our district. He spoke of a number of problems learning drivers face: E-bikes, and scooters, problem intersections and what licensed drivers often fail to do. He described the ‘Fit to drive’ status. Using common sense in driving goes a long way to driving safely. Numerous questions were posed to Lui.
Our members learnt a lot from the talk. Mick thanked Lui for his encouragement and for passing on the necessary skills to ‘drive safely’.”
Our next dinner is on Monday 21st August, a week earlier than usual. The change of date allows us to have Bishop Michael McCarthy as our guest speaker. Ladies are also invited for this dinner.”
