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Tasmanian Anglican

October 2003

 

 

 

 


The wooden plaque with the words 'Jesus is Lord', given to Bishop John last year by Aunty Ida West. Photo courtesy Roger Lovell and the West family

 

Aunty Ida West dies

Bishop John writes...

 

 

Much loved aboriginal Elder and outstanding Christian, Aunty Ida West, died last month in Hobart.

Aunty Ida's life was one of great inspiration, flowing from a deep commitment to Jesus Christ, which in turn nurtured her love for her Aboriginal people and for all people.

I will long remember the part she played in my welcome at my ordination as Bishop of Tasmania. Aunty Ida and other Aboriginal Elders placed my hands into some Tasmanian soil as both a welcome and a reminder of who had been the original custodians of the land. It was a most meaningful moment.

At a recent farewell celebration in Glenorchy I took with me a wooden plaque Aunty Ida had given to me a year earlier, inscribed with the words 'Jesus is my Rock'. On that very special day Aunty reminded me never to forget in whom I had put my trust. What a wonderful Elder.