Time to... blog

Janice Creenaune meets John Roberts, a long-time resident of Austinmer who held a career in the Child Welfare Department, the Prosecutors Office in Sydney and retired in 1989 to think, blog and travel.

At 92, John Roberts remains very active, still searching for, and experiencing, the spiritual, and finding satisfaction in the production of his blog. He handles the computer and keyboard with the dexterity of a millennial and examines his views and experiences, remaining true to his Lancashire heritage.

John arrived in Australia in 1957 and entered the East Hills Hostel at age 28, with his wife and two children. He moved south and built a house in leafy Austinmer, qualified in law and joined the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Sydney. It was a busy and arduous time.

After transferring to Wollongong as a Legal Aid Officer he worked giving free legal advice and acting for 15 years as a Duty Lawyer in court.

“I have always seen my life as a life of service, with ‘service to others’ as something I have tried to live by all my life,” John says.

He retired in 1989 after 60 years of earnest work. He opened his own office and continued to provide a substantially free service in family court matters. It was the work that matters, and continues to consume him today, albeit in different directions.

In retirement, John has taken many different directions. He seized the opportunity to travel in his camper van all over Australia.

“It was an ’86 Daihatsu Delta van and it was, and still is, a travelling vehicle. We went up to the Cape, Kings Canyon, The Gulf Region, Lawn Hill, down to Victoria and the Grampians and over into the Flinders Ranges. This was in a time when most people hadn’t even considered it. I think Daylesford, in Victoria, is my very favourite destination.

“I consider myself very lucky to have had so many opportunities. It has opened my eyes to what we have in this wonderful country. I wish every person had the same opportunity to travel, especially now, and the freedom in which to travel. I still have the campervan, but it is not doing the same mileage anymore.”

For 10 years now John has explored life as a spiritualist. “I once thought I was an atheist, and I was always very interested in comparative religions as my blog will show, but I believe we all have a divine purpose, to make something of our lives, but in particular for me to produce a life of service.

“My blog exhibits articles on Humanist essays; some inspired by 18th-century poetry; others offer reflections of political and moral questions; heroism; The God World; Freedom; Slavery; Euthanasia; Divine Origin of Man; Dream experiences; Socialism in the 21st Century; Australia 50 years on; and sport.”

The breadth of John’s blog subject matter is a tribute to not only his knowledge, but the way he thinks. His mind is forever forging ahead, following new paths and new energies that at 92 years of age are not only energetic, but inspiring as he appears ageless in his communications.

But John’s focus is spirituality. As a spiritualist, his emphasis is on understanding how our minds work and how we may more effectively use them. John is happy to share some experiences from late 2010 to the present and to openly talk about his ‘visitations’. His mind shows a willingness to expand, an openness to communication and insights on many levels.

It is easy to see how John has taken his ‘life of service’ to others and opened his mind to savour all experiences.

John continues to write and occasionally share his thoughts via the ‘John-Roberts Alcove’ at templespirit.info/blog

Writer Janice Creenaune is a volunteer for the PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease) Foundation Australia. Email janicecreenaune@gmail.com