The Afterword

Author: Peter

  • Politics Is Personal

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    Peter
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    A Poem for Ali France In 2011, Ali France and her younger son were at a shopping centre when an elderly driver lost control of his car and ran into them. She pushed her son in his stroller out of the way but was seriously injured and had her leg amputated as a result. In…

  • Strange Fire – Leviticus 10:1–3

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    Peter
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    Some jobs are really importantbut not very dangerous—teachers with whiteboard pens.Some are dangerous,but don’t seem to matter much—sword-swallowers in shows no one remembers. But then, some are both:like those who run toward burning buildings,those who take a bulletto protect another’s life. And priests.Ancient priests.Their job:Vital.Holy.Dangerous. Set apart—washed with water,dressed in garments too sacredfor an ordinary…

  • Let’s Talk About Tension

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    Peter
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    When I hear the phrase “work-life balance,” I get uneasy. It conjures images of perfect equilibrium—neatly arranged schedules, harmonious transitions, nothing out of place. But that has never felt real to me. My experience is far closer to a game of Whac-A-Mole: get one thing under control and another pops up. Harmony, if it comes…

  • A Different Road

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    Peter
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    When I think about sacrifice, it rarely feels like I’ve given something up. I chose this path—this calling—and it has been full of meaning, challenge, and joy. But sacrifice has a way of surfacing not just in what we surrender personally, but in what those close to us carry because of our choices. If there’s…

  • The Ring I Never Take Off

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    Peter
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    The oldest thing I’m wearing today is my wedding ring. It’s been nearly 39 years since I first slipped it on—a simple gold band with a bevelled edge, unchanged by time, though life has changed around it many times over. New homes, different cities, changing routines. We’ve faced health scares, taken long-awaited holidays, chased goals…

  • The Questions They’re Always Asking

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    Peter
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    Leadership is never just about position.It is not granted by title or assumed through expertise.Leadership is a relationship —an unspoken agreement between people and the one they choose to follow.And at the heart of that agreement are questions. They are rarely asked aloud,but they echo in every hallway, every handover, every moment of trust:Do you…

  • On Being a Leader and a Follower

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    Peter
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    Ask me whether I’m a leader or a follower, and I’ll tell you I am both. Not because I’m hedging my bets, but because one role doesn’t make sense without the other. Leadership without followership is a performance without a stage. And followership without the capacity to lead is submission, not service. I serve as…

  • The Orchard’s Got Taste

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    Peter
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    Speeches by Nominees for the 2025 Orchard’s Got Taste Awards 🎤 Papaya’s Speech — “The Gentle Healer” Steps up slowly, with a calm smile, arms wide. “Friends, I may not be the loudest fruit in the market,but I bring something no hype can offer—healing.Digestion? I’ve got enzymes.Immunity? I’m rich in Vitamin C and A.I soothe,…

  • Not Later, But Now

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    Peter
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    For a while now, I’ve carried a quiet intention:to spend more time in nature — not just walking through it, but working with it.To be part of something restorative, to give back to the land in small, steady ways. I’ve told myself that this kind of thing belongs to the “next season” of life.When things…

  • You Saw Me

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    Peter
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    I was fifteen when I decided it was time—time to take my learning seriously. Not in the way school usually defined it, but in my own way. I had already learned that I didn’t thrive in traditional classrooms. I’m a visual learner. Spoken words dissolve into fog; lectures become a blur. I don’t absorb information…

  • Aroma of Obedience – Leviticus 4–7

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    Peter
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    I’ll confess—I’ve read Leviticusthrough gritted teeth.Ticked the box,moved on.This God?Not the one I’ve loved all these years. But digging inI saw what I’d missed.Not a different God—just a deeper one.Holy.Utterly other.Not tame, not safe.But always making a wayfor us to come close. The Sin Offering Sin doesn’t need intentto be real.The priest sins,leaders sin,any one…

  • Freedom, Desire, and the Mirage of Power

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    Peter
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    There’s a kind of freedom that’s easy to sell.It looks like confidence.It sounds like influence.It promises strength, wealth, admiration, and endless choice.But it’s a mirage. False liberators know how to speak to pain.They speak to young men:You’ve been ignored. You’re not wanted. You’re powerless.Take what you deserve. Be feared, not overlooked. Be served.It sounds like…

  • There Is Freedom and Then There Is Freedom

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    Peter
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    In a world that worships the self, Augustine’s Confessions reads like a heresy. Where our age insists, “Be true to yourself,” Augustine responds, “But what if I don’t know who that is?” We often link freedom with the power to choose—what we eat, where we live, how we present ourselves to the world. Desire becomes…

  • A Way of Being in the World

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    Peter
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    There is a kind of public influence that disturbs the soul. It cloaks itself in authority, but what it reveals—again and again—is a profound betrayal of moral responsibility. It is not simply a matter of disagreeing with policies or positions. What is at stake is something deeper: a way of being in the world. This…

  • You Trust the Next Chapter

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    Peter
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    After 45 years across multiple careers — as a parish minister, university lecturer, and now principal of a university residential college — I find myself in the change-over zone of a relay race. I’ve spent my working life helping people grow and develop, and that won’t stop anytime soon. But the way I contribute will…

  • Brilliance Too Bright to Bear

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    Peter
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    The last live performance I attended was Nijinsky by The Australian Ballet. It was also, perhaps surprisingly, the first ballet I’ve ever seen. I’ve always appreciated the performing arts—music, theatre, poetry—but ballet had remained at a distance. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I certainly didn’t expect it to stay with me the way it…

  • The Outward-Facing Heart of Community

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    Peter
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    At Robert Menzies College, we’ve always believed that being a residential community means more than simply offering services to students. Yes, we provide accommodation, academic support, and a place to belong—but if we stop there, we’ve missed something vital. Our calling is to be outward-looking. We are not a closed circle. We are part of…

  • A Job for One Day, A Longing for More

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    Peter
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    There’s something meaningful about watching an animal return to the wild. After weeks or months of care—feeding, tending injuries, creating safe spaces—it comes down to a simple moment: a gate opens, and the animal walks or hops or flies back into the world. I’d like to be there for that. For a day. Maybe more.…

  • You Shape the World with What You Wear

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    Peter
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    Most of us want to do the right thing.We want to make good choices—not just for ourselves, but for others, too.But the world of ethical shopping can feel overwhelming.Too many labels, too much spin, not enough clarity.Where do you even start? The Ethical Fashion Report, published by Baptist World Aid, is a good place.It doesn’t…

  • Those Who Speak into Your Life

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    Peter
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    It’s hard to know where to begin. Influence isn’t always loud or immediate. Sometimes it’s a quiet thread that weaves through years of life, shaping convictions, opening possibilities, naming things we already knew but couldn’t yet articulate. For me, a few people stand out—some well-known, others known mostly to me. Parker Palmer is one of…