General News
26 May, 2026
A Mum's World: Travel agency vibes
Yolande found herself crying over her Zucchini and Tomato Bake ingredients on Sunday afternoon and it took a moment to realise that it wasn’t the diced onions this time.
On the radio, Lauren Daigle was performing ‘How Great Thou Art’ with a stadium of souls who were singing the words back to her in uplifted unison.
I was overcome with the beauty of hearts swept up in the glorious noise of a common purpose.
My tears of gratitude were to the all-knowing God who has put me on planet earth for such a time as this – to be the chaplain at Horsham College, who has the honour of hosting the Chaplaincy Book Fair, alongside the best committee in the whole wide world.
For three days last week I worked with volunteers to set-up a gigantic bookshop where everything cost $1 or less. Almost everyone can afford a book if it’s $1.
When pre-loved books are only $1 each, many people can even afford to buy ten, and they did!
Booklovers came from all over the place to peruse the more than 10,000 paperbacks and 12,000 reference books on absolutely everything under the sun.
There was almost always a pram in the room and often a wheelchair or walker.
Teenagers came with friends, and without their parents, whilst plenty of children arrived with complete families.
There were grandparents galore, tradies, teachers and hardly any tantrums, whilst books were browsed and bought.
With plenty of room to move and lovely volunteers manning the cash tin, countless book lovers made return visits to the Friday and Saturday event.
More than once, community members made sure we knew what a local event providing lovely inexpensive books meant to them.
It is a lifeline for many, and such a blessing to those who share in providing it.
Sometimes in life, something becomes more than it was ever intended to be.
The Chaplaincy Committee decided long ago that a book fair was a terrific way to financially support the chaplaincy program at our largest public school in the region.
The Chaplaincy Book Fair has become so much more than just a fundraiser. It is a point of connection that
oozes belonging and care.
For the curious minds who may not be able to travel anywhere if not for their journeys through the pages of a book, the Chaplaincy Book Fair is their travel agency.
Books open us up to new ideas and wonderful new places to discover.
Old favourites can be revisited and relaxed with like dear familiar friends.
Cooks can tackle a new recipe, gardeners can find the proper name of that plant in their garden, and biography readers gain insight into what makes their heroes tick.
The joyful noise of booklovers chatting over the weekend was music to my ears, as they searched through boxes of books they could afford to take home, packing them carefully and passing the coins to the cashier before heading out the door, back into a wider world.
Read More: Horsham