Tim Malone.id.au

I went to Black Stump on the weekend. I’ve lost count, but I think it’s about my third or fourth stump.

It was a great weekend. Having not settled right into my new life yet (with my activities changing almost weekly so far since I’ve been back from Thailand – no work, breakfast on radio, breakfast on radio + full time work, full time work + funeral in Sydney, and now a more normal sort of week), I opted for the un-Stumplike experience of staying with relatives rather than camping. I know, I know. You miss out on some of the community experience, but there was no way I could have camped there at this point! It was out of the question. Tiredness and a current lack of continuity in my weekly schedule would have thrown me out.

So we got to stay with my uncle & aunty and three little cousins in Menangle – about a 30 minute drive from Black Stump. It was of course great to see them again! I’m very aware now of the fact that since my parents no longer live near me, I am completely independent. I thought I was independent before, but now I have to be independent on another level – keeping up the relationship with relatives. Before, even when I didn’t live at home, I just followed my family along as we visited interstate relatives (all of our relatives are interstate). Now it’s up to me. But that’s good – without parents I have the freedom to be myself more. I don’t mean that in some secret, hidden way in that I can’t be myself around my parents (I know they’re reading this, haha) but more of the fact that it’s now up to me to find out what’s happening in the lives of my relatives. I can’t just sit there and listen to my parents ask the questions. It’s me asking the questions – which lets me be myself more and find out what I’m interested in knowing (I also don’t have to keep to my parent’s schedule – with my laid back attitude to time, we often conflicted ).

This was my second trip to Sydney in the last week. Unfortunately my great aunty passed away almost two weeks ago now – she was 75, but active and healthy so it was a shock. Her funeral was held last week and I got to attend it along with my extended family not only as a great nephew, but also as a representative of the rest of my immediate family – who, being in Thailand, couldn’t make it. There’s not much I can say about the funeral… it was a funeral. I won’t try to outline my thoughts on it, especially when I haven’t got them all together myself yet. But it was great, again, to catch up with relatives. I stayed with cousins & saw other cousins who I haven’t seen for awhile… and, again, now that I’m on my own and independent, it was a good opportunity to catch up and make sure I know where each of my relatives are at in their own lives. I would have loved to have been able to do that with Aunty Lem too, but God had other ideas.

But, and back to a lighter note, I started this post talking about Black Stump! We went up on the Saturday morning and were working at the Tears of the Oppressed stand in the missions tent, and on the Artist Support team. I find that with festivals like Black Stump, I no longer have enough of an interest in the goings-on to be able to be entertained the whole time without something else to do as well. Not that I don’t enjoy it of course, but there’s only a few bands that I absolutely had to see and only a few more which I wouldn’t mind seeing. There were a few workshop/seminars that caught my interest, and a couple of the arts performances (especially the comedy debate) but apart from that – as far as the official programme goes – there’s alot of time that I have with nothing to do. Hence why I like volunteering in some sort of capacity. It keeps me busy, contributes to the enjoyment of the festival for others, and hey, I get in cheaper so that’s a bonus.

Working at the Tears of the Oppressed stand (for James Scott, also the breakfast announcer at 1WAY FM) meant that I could be seen at various points during the festival standing at the stand, as you do, explaining to people what Tears of the Oppressed does – and getting them to sign an important petition – aiming for a length, on one piece of paper, of 30 meters – to free a Chinese house church pastor who has had a pretty tough life in and out of prison for his faith, and is now in a state of declining health. Pastor Zhang Rongliang (I may have spelt that incorrectly) is a friend and ministry partner of Brother Yun, author of The Heavenly Man. We didn’t get the petition to 30 metres when I last saw it, but we had a fair whack of signatures, which will hopefully make a difference when the petition is sent off to Alexander Downer!

Being on the Artist Support team is a great privilege. We were assigned to particular performances in the performing arts section of Stump (not the bands – another team does them) and, in showing up ten or so minutes before the performance started, had the opportunity to pray for the performing person or group. When we could, we’d then stay and watch the performance and give them feedback afterwards. We would pray specifically or generally, depending on what the needs of the performer(s) were. And we’d also help them practically by bringing them water or organising anything else we could. I could tell that what we were doing made a difference in the performance, so I was very glad to be able to help out in that way. We were referred to as “spiritual groupies”. Alot of people probably don’t know this part of Stump exists, but it certainly is an integral part of the lineup.

But by far, the thing I like most about Stump is the fact that a great number of the Christians I know are in the one place at the one time. I love the conversations. I love the fact that I can just walk through the festival, see tons of people I know, and find people to catch up with over coffee (or hot chocolate). Back ‘in real life’, as we say after being to a festival such as Stump, catching up with someone over coffee takes effort to organise especially when both schedules are rather full. At Black Stump, a catch up can be organised in two seconds, and there’s usually nothing to have to race off to afterwards! I had some great conversations at Stump this year, and I even got the chance to meet a friend who I have only talked to online before – she originally found my website when searching for Black Stump photos, and e-mailed me after reading my testimony. And then we met at Black Stump. How cool is that?

So that’s my wrapup of my thoughts at present. I suppose I should read over all of this to make sure it does make at least a little bit of sense, because I’m at work and work isn’t the best environment to collect your thoughts for a meaningful post.

As far as Christian festivals go, the next for me is Soul in the City Canberra in April 2008 – which I am most definitely looking forward to – and I’m also looking forward to Black Stump next year in its new venue – the Sydney International Equestrian Centre! A new venue should breathe some life into a festival which I thought had lost a little character this year. Can’t wait.