Frontier Services lunch

A lunchtime panel discussion with Frontier Services on Day 4 gave attendees an insight into the life of a Bush Chaplain.

Three Frontier Services Bush Chaplains, who are also members of the Assembly, shared in a conversation about their ministry supporting people in remote places - Pastor Jill Doolan from the Finke/Aputula Remote Area, Benjamin Quilliam from the Centralian Remote Area and David Jackson from the Pilbara Remote Area. 

David shared that the area of his ministry is twice the size of Victoria. Based out of Tom Price, and currently living in a caravan with his wife, he travels around 2500km each month, visiting the bigger towns of Karratha and Port Hedland, mining sites and tiny communities. 

Usually by invitation, David visits Aboriginal communities across the region, often supporting communities that experience high levels of grief and loss. David said plans are underway for a new program in Marble Bar supporting youth to be “mentored, supported, and to get alongside them in challenging situations.”

In Port Hedland he supports a migrant Fijian community with a monthly service, creating space for them in a vacant church building for worship and outreach. 

David shared an inspiring story about a young man he had supported through drug and alcohol issues who is trying to turn his life around.

“It’s good to be able to stand alongside people in those situations and to say we are with you and we are providing support and to link them into services when they need it.”

Jill, a Yankunytjatjara Anangu woman, is based in Finke and works in and supports her Aputula community and other First Nation communities across the APY Lands. Her ministry is varied, providing support, pastoral care, spiritual leadership and simply being there for people wherever she can. This includes sorry business, running funerals and celebrating other sacraments, and sometimes just driving people to the places they need to be. 

“One good story I have is helping out with sorry business. Some family members don’t have food, so I will cook a feed and take it to the sorry camps.” Another is Jill’s availability to accompany older people to medical appointments, sometimes helping with transport and often assisting with language translation. 

She said travelling is a big part of the job. “Travelling where I am, driving is my thing. There’s no bitumen, but I'm a country girl, I love my dirt road!”

“When I learned that Frontier Services is about supporting people with a helping hand, I thought, I’ve done that before, that’s in my culture, that’s who I am. We care for people as Bush Chaplains, just helping one another.”  

Benjamin covers an area encompassing the lower third of the Northern Territory. His ministry takes him to roadhouses, pastoral stations and tourist hot spots. 

He supports groups of migrant workers living and working in remote areas under the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme including a Fijian population living at Yulara, the township next to Uluru. The town doesn’t have a church building or a pastor, so Benjamin has become a regular visitor. 

“In the beginning, I helped with some warm clothes. Most were expecting hot weather, but when it got to winter their shorts and singlets weren’t enough, so I shipped them some boxes of clothing from Op Shops in Alice Springs.”

Benjamin shared how in smaller communities, Christians were accustomed to working closely together, irrespective of their denomination or background. He said a lot of outreach and worship services in remote areas are ecumenical and open to all, with Bush Chaplains supporting local faith communities wherever they can. 

Frontier Services has 20 Bush Chaplains who travel tens of thousands of kilometres every year, providing support and care across remote Australia. Find out more: https://frontierservices.org/