Dinner is ready

Catherine Andrews

An edited version of this story is in the book.

Several years ago, before I retired, I was asked if I would help organise frozen meals for Cana Communities. I was really thrilled to be asked to do this as I had known Sister Anne in a past life. Yes, believe it or not we went to Teacher’s College together – many moons ago!

At the time I was teaching at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Baulkham Hills, so I was to organise the children to bring in the frozen meals. As there were usually between 25 and 30 children in each class, I expected to collect around 30 meals.

The morning of the first Friday delivery date arrived and I set off to school with a tarpaulin in the boot of my car, thinking this would protect the interior if any of the food started to melt that afternoon, during the journey to Redfern. However I simply was not in any way prepared for the generosity of the children and parents at our little school. The moment I arrived at school that day mothers and children came with so much food that I needed a gang of helpers to fill the freezer in the school canteen. I called on my friend Lesley to bring her hatchback as I didn’t have enough room in my car for all the food. Then we set off for Redfern in the Friday afternoon traffic. That was the first, and last time we went on a Friday afternoon. The next day I purchased an upright freezer so we could store the food overnight at my place and head off to Redfern on Saturday mornings.

Lesley had two polystyrene white eskys delivered to her each week from her diet plan and we used those and our own eskys plus doubled garbage bags to bring all the food home to our freezers each Friday.

On Saturday mornings Lesley would come to my place and we’d pack up everything again. It just struck me that we were always able to get a parking spot in the driveway, where we’d be welcomed by a smiling Sister Anne with a band of helpers close behind, ready to unpack the car, and carry the food in to the awaiting freezers.

When all was unloaded and packed away, it would be time for morning tea or lunch, sometimes at Sister Ann’s place or sometimes at the Cana Café, where we enjoyed the company of down to earth people who just lived life their way, showing no interest in impressing anyone, but simply taking each day at a very slow pace. A pace most of us have lost sight of because we just have to rush around and fit so much into every 24 hours. Sitting around the kitchen table at Sister Anne’s house, listening and joining in the chit chat and banter going back and forth was always the high light of the week for both Lesley and me. We were always touched deeply by the sense of community we had shared, and would spend the hour-long drive back home reflecting on our morning and discuss how we had benefited from the experience.

Thank you Cana Communities, Sister Anne and all those characters we met over the years for your wonderful warm welcome each time Lesley and I went to give, but found ourselves receiving much more than we could ever hope to give to you.