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Camp
Andrew Russell
Opening Ceremony
28th
October 2005
The
Dedication
Camp Andrew Russell
is opening today because of the vision, work and generosity of many
people. We dedicate this campsite to an ongoing vision and spirit of
generosity. May many benefit from being here.
Like many before
him Sergeant Andrew Russell made the ultimate sacrifice in the field of
duty. This campsite is dedicated for the use of the veteran community who
live their lives with memories of their own fields of duty.
This place is
dedicated as a place of peace, a place to "get away from it all". It is a
place to appreciate silence, the birds, and the feeling of being 'out in
the bush'.
It is dedicated as
a place of relaxation and healing for members of the VietnamVeteran
Federation, veterans of all conflicts, and their families and friends.
The Blessing
Loving God,
We thank you for this place.
Here in the mallee country we can draw
aside from the busyness of life, to be in the starkness and beauty of the
bush.
We acknowledge our need for spiritual
places; places of refreshment and renewal.
We dedicate this place, for the use of
veterans and their loved ones. May it be a centre of relaxation, healing
and inspiration, for all who come here.
We thank you for the generosity of those
who made the land available, those who built the facilities, and those who
contributed resources toward the campsite.
We thank you for Andrew Russell and ask
you to bless his family.
Thank you that we can use his name for
this place, and ask that all that happens here would be an honour to him,
to all those who lost their lives in war, and to you the divine inspirer
of universal life.
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