Bill Thompson Interview

1. How long have you been attending Cornerstone Stratheld? Cornerstone Stratheld was
born out of the amalgamation of St David's Presbyterian Church Stratheld and The
Cornerstone Presbyterian community of Churches in 2011. I was one of the Elders and Session
Clerk at St David's at the time and had been a member of St David's since 1975. So I have
been attending the Presbyterian Church in Stratheld for 39 years, with a short break of 2
years when we lived in Alstonville (near Lismore on the far North Coast of NSW) from 1979-81.

2. What were the culture groups at the start of St David's? St David's was mono-cultural in its
beginnings on 3 December 1938. There had been very little migration to that time other than those
who came for the gold rushes in the 1800s (mainly Chinese). At the time the church was planted,
the local area in West Stratheld, now bounded by Barker Rd, Chalmers Rd and the Rookwood
Cemetry was a dairy farm. Around the time of the 2nd World War and immediately afterwards, the
locality burgeoned with new housing for young families which was taken up by families of English,
Scottish and Irish heritage.


3. Has the culture of Stratheld impacted the cultures that attended St Davids? I understand
the question to be asking if the present culture(s?) of Stratheld have impacted the culture of those
who attended the former St David's. That is a difcult question to answer. Certainly the church as it
is at present (cornerstone Stratheld) is made up of a mixture of cultural heritages, including the
former Anglo-Celtic heritage, Chinese heritage and other Asian cultures. However most of the
people of Chinese / Asian origin are second and even third generation Australian born and no
longer hold strongly to the culture (including language) of their countries of origin. There are some
more recent migrants who have joined the church but not many (they prefer ethnic-specic
churches within the denomination). So the degree of impact is difcult to tell. I think it has had the
effect of increasing the outward, more inclusive focus of the church.

Looking at the impact of the cultural changes of the wider demographic of Stratheld generally,
again it is very difcult to assign cause to changes. Many of those who attended the former St
David's are now well into their retirement years and have moved away. Their children could not
afford to buy property in Stratheld and moved away because of that. My guess is that those who
have stayed have accepted the changes somewhat guardedly and there has been little impact on
their culture, if any. Possibly the increased availability of Asian food outlets has had the greatest
impact. Within homes, I doubt there has been much, if any change. I think I see a readiness in
young people for inter-cultural marriage and that will undoubtedly have the greatest impact.


4. In the past few years has there been any change in the culture diversity? Why? Again, I
am not sure if you refer to the Church at Stratheld or Stratheld generally.
In the church specically - see above. In Stratheld generally, the change has been massive over
the past 20 years. Stratheld was almost exclusively Anglo-Celtic, with some small populations of
migrants from European countries and small numbers of Chinese. However around the turn of this
century, there was initially an inux of Hong Kong Chinese, partly because of the impending hand-
over of the territory at the end of the 99 year lease. Subsequently, the Chinese migration has been
overtaken by Korean migration and the sub-continent of India, including Sri-Lanka, with people
seeking economic security, a stable society and in some cases, freedom from persecution. The
extent of change is seen in the commercial centre of Stratheld, where almost all of the shops are
operated by people who have recently migrated. Also, there are several new ethnic-specic
churches and the fastest growing churches in Stratheld are those which are ethnic-specic.


5. Was the involvement of members more consistent in the earlier years? Why?
Another big question!
I think in the very earliest years, involvement was more consistent, because society was different. I
think society has become much more individualistic and conversely, less community oriented. So in
the past our church had a very strong "family feel" to it. The strength of community was, I think,
promoted by the world wars we had been through (WW1 and WW2) together with the fact that post
war development was a shared thing. Also, the building of the church property at the Pressy
Church Stratheld gave focus to the community and much of the work was done by voluntary
labour. People donated the land and the money to build and there was a strong sense of
ownership and commitment.
Today the property is there for our use as we feel inclined and there are many alternative options
for our time. Transport is more readily available to take us anywhere in the world and most homes
have more than one motor vehicle. Electronic devices, many and varied also lay claim to our time
in ways that weren't available in the not-distant past. All of these things have the effect of making
us more self-sufcient, less dependent on one another and consequently less inclined to seek
involvement with others.


6. Have women been less involved than before? Why?
Yes and no. Basically, I think their involvement has changed. In the past, women could not be
Ministers in the Church. Now, in some churches, there are many women Ministers leading
congregations and there are strong movements working for that to increase. This reects the trend
in wider society for gender equality. It is not a trend that has taken hold in the local church and the
role of women has continued in music, teaching of women and children and in hospitality. All these
roles are shared with men as they have been in the past. I think the role of hospitality has become
slightly more a shared role than previously, as men have increasingly accepted a shared
responsibility for domestic functions. There was a time when men only entered the kitchen to do
the wiping up (if that)! You do occasionally see women mowing the lawn these days too!


7. Has there been any changing nature and of work patterns that has happened in your time
at St Davids?
Do you mean work patterns generally? I assume so.
Yes. Many more women in the work force. Parental leave. Sometimes women return to work and
their husbands take time off to care for the new baby. Hours of work have changed. Shops are
open as much as 24 hours/day. Sundays are no longer work-free. Not that it affects us at my
church, but some are affected by Fly-in/Fly-out (Fy-Fo) working arrangements. Some work from
home (effects of computerisation of the work-place). Internationalisation of industry has its effects
on the mobility of family life. Need I go on?


8. What age group has been more involved in your time at St Davids?
We always seem to have had a void of teenagers and young adults 15 - 25. We still do!

9. Has there been a group that has decreased or increased in involvement through the
years?
Not really.

10. How have all these changes been positive or negative for the community of Cornerstone
Stratheld?
Difcult to say, mainly because it is hard to know cause and effect. I think I could say we live in
challenging times for the church in Stratheld. The individual nature of society and the focus on
getting ahead makes it difcult for the wider community of Stratheld to hear the call of the gospel
of Jesus. I think that for most people the view is that my family comes rst, my career second (in
some cases, the other way around) and the claim of Jesus on their time has little, if any
recognition. However I have also lived long enough to see that people change and I believe God is
big enough to bring about change that will grow his Church. What seems impossible to me is
possible for Him. The job of the church is to remain faithful to God and live according to His word. I
sense that the community of Cornerstone Stratheld shares this view and a condent trust in the
sovereignty of God.