MOVEMENT FOR THE ORDINATION OF WOMEN

Kathleen Toal

I have been an Anglican all my life. I remember when I was baptised (I was 4, nearly 5) there was a light filtering down in the dark church. It seems now that the Light has always shone as I have always been ‘involved’ in church activities. The most significant has been my association with the very early days of MOW.

The parish of Eltham has been in the front line of affirmative action in the church and in 1984 the vicar encouraged parishioners to go to a meeting to set up Melbourne MOW. My friend, Susan Sandford, then encouraged me to join the national movement and I went to my first MOW conference in 1986 in Adelaide.

Thus began what I think of as the halcyon days of MOW – our movement was of interest to the secular press, Keith Mason drew up the Constitution, and I was part of the organising committee for the wonderfully successful 3^rd MOW national conference in Melbourne in 1986. We held our breath hoping the budget I had drawn up would hold – it did in fact make a profit as segments, featuring Kevin Giles, Veronica Brady and the then Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, were sold to the public.

In 1988 I remember the Canberra conference for Patricia Brennan’s response to being named ‘STRIDENT’ – STIR and TEND

There are always different ways of looking at insults.

It was then, also, that Diane Heath resigned as national treasurer (1985-89) and I took over, beginning my service to MOW in that role.