Ted Lambert emailed on 24 February 2004:

I boarded at Nudgee 1939-1942, Edward Lambert (better known as Ted) from a dairy farm at Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland. The times of Brothers Edwards (Slogger), Marlowe (Boots), Campbell, Matthews (Tarzan), McCarthy (Cyclone), Tierney (Chimp) and a few more and, of course Mr Ross. While I remember their nicknames almost better than their names, I respected and respect them and owe much of my later life to what they taught me and the integrity of life they coached me in.

I then worked in Commonwealth Departments in Brisbane and Alice Springs, with a 15 month break as an Air Crew Trainee in the RAAF at the end of the war. In 1951 I became a Missionary of the Sacred Heart for 33 years, 27 of them as a priest. Leaving in 1985, at age 59, because of a (belated) conscientious objection to the male clerical state, I have since been officially laicised, married in the church to Rosemary, and practising as a catholic.

My objection to the clerical male usurpation of power in the Church continues, and I am a founding member of Australian Reforming Catholics (ARC) seeking to foster this and other reforms. Some idea of what ARC is about can be gained from our website www.e-arc.org which is a work in progress. I am the webmaster, learning on the job, so it may be the worst website you have ever visited. Go there for that reason alone!

Peace. Ted Lambert

(Ed note: Ted’s email also included further personal views which are detailed on his website , so we have not replicated them in this forum. If you would like to see these, or contact Ted, you can do so though his website.)