¤ ¤
00:00:02.10\00:00:33.70
Any town is proud of its
Olympians and tiny Emmaville
00:00:33.73\00:00:36.97
in the New England district of
00:00:37.00\00:00:38.90
New South Wales with a
population of just 500 is no
00:00:38.93\00:00:43.14
exception. Sprinter Debbie Wells
first represented Australia as a
00:00:43.17\00:00:52.91
teenager at the Montreal
Olympics and later at Moscow and
00:00:52.95\00:00:56.38
Los Angeles Olympics. But
you know I wonder if this little
00:00:56.42\00:01:00.49
town realizes that it
holds the bragging rights to an
00:01:00.52\00:01:04.23
even greater legend.
00:01:04.26\00:01:06.93
¤ ¤
00:01:06.96\00:01:15.34
Well I believe Tom Richards
was born here in Emmaville
00:01:15.37\00:01:19.47
which was kind of a vegetable
crate back in 1890, 92. And I
00:01:19.51\00:01:22.74
dare say that Tom Richards'
father could well have been
00:01:22.78\00:01:26.68
here digging here in
these shafts digging shafts from
00:01:26.72\00:01:29.05
6 o'clock in the morning
00:01:29.08\00:01:30.42
till 6 o'clock in the afternoon
just to make a living out of_.
00:01:30.45\00:01:34.72
It was very hard, very hard
times back in those days and
00:01:34.76\00:01:38.73
they had to work
00:01:38.76\00:01:40.10
hard to make a living on
_ otherwise they just didn't
00:01:40.13\00:01:42.36
survive. Well Emmaville
was a bustling town back in the
00:01:42.40\00:01:50.84
1890s. There was
00:01:50.87\00:01:52.81
nine hotels and there were
three churches and each hotel
00:01:52.84\00:01:57.68
had a union team which was their
relaxing time of a weekend when
00:01:57.71\00:02:01.58
the men would come to town
and play Union Rugby with _
00:02:01.62\00:02:06.39
in Emmaville.
00:02:06.42\00:02:07.76
Like most small towns around
Australia Emmaville has its war
00:02:12.06\00:02:20.07
memorial complete with the names
of those who volunteered from
00:02:20.10\00:02:22.54
this area. But the name of
Emmaville' s most remarkable son
00:02:22.57\00:02:27.14
isn't here. For by the time he
enlisted he had long moved away.
00:02:27.18\00:02:32.51
But over the next 35 years the
man born here would become the
00:02:32.55\00:02:38.35
only name to represent both
Australia and the United Kingdom
00:02:38.39\00:02:42.32
in Rugby Union and eventually
the trophy for one of the
00:02:42.36\00:02:48.10
British Lion contests would be
named after him. He would win a
00:02:48.13\00:02:53.17
gold medal at the 1908 Olympic
games in London and then win
00:02:53.20\00:02:58.84
the military cross for
conspicuous gallantry on the
00:02:58.87\00:03:03.14
battlefields of France.
00:03:03.18\00:03:04.51
¤ ¤
00:03:04.55\00:03:33.91
Richards grew up to be an
athletic young man and his speed
00:03:33.94\00:03:37.58
strength and intelligent
play led to a selection in the
00:03:37.61\00:03:41.05
Queensland team in 1905 as a
breakaway. His light brown hair
00:03:41.08\00:03:46.35
led to the nickname of Rusty.
That same year, his father,
00:03:46.39\00:03:51.66
still chasing a fortune on new
gold fields traveled across the
00:03:51.69\00:03:56.40
Indian Ocean to the Transvaal
Province of South Africa.
00:03:56.43\00:03:59.47
Joining him the following year,
Rusty was soon playing in the
00:03:59.50\00:04:04.01
Cary Cup competition. His name
was in the mix for selection
00:04:04.04\00:04:07.38
for the Spring Box
00:04:07.41\00:04:09.08
tour to Britain, but he was
ruled ineligible for selection
00:04:09.11\00:04:13.48
so he went to England in the
hope of playing against them.
00:04:13.52\00:04:17.29
The dream was realized. Playing
for Gloustershire he was in a
00:04:17.32\00:04:22.89
warmup match against the Spring
Box. Hearing that an Australian
00:04:22.92\00:04:28.06
team might tour England,
he returned to Queensland
00:04:28.10\00:04:30.57
where his performances
00:04:31.33\00:04:32.67
ensured his selection for the
1908 tour. The first ever tour
00:04:32.70\00:04:37.54
of Britain by the Australians
was where they gained the name
00:04:37.57\00:04:43.31
Wallabies.
00:04:43.35\00:04:45.08
¤ ¤
00:04:45.11\00:04:57.96
Behind me where these buildings
are now was once the wide city
00:04:57.99\00:05:02.33
stadium where many of the
main events of the 1908 London
00:05:02.36\00:05:06.67
Olympic games were staged. Rugby
was then an Olympic sport and
00:05:06.70\00:05:11.74
the Wallabies met the champion
county side Cornwall's which
00:05:11.77\00:05:16.64
represented England to play for
the gold medal on the 26th of
00:05:16.68\00:05:21.18
October. Richards scored another
try in the comprehensive 32 to
00:05:21.22\00:05:26.96
3 win and so became an Olympic
gold medalist. Richards returned
00:05:26.99\00:05:34.66
South Africa and in 1910
an injury-ravaged British
00:05:34.70\00:05:39.50
Lions team called him up. As his
time playing for British club
00:05:39.53\00:05:43.07
qualified him. He played in
12 games including the first two
00:05:43.10\00:05:48.78
tests. He remains the only man
to have played for the Wallabies
00:05:48.81\00:05:53.55
and the British Lions. Richards
played more Rugby in Australia
00:05:53.58\00:05:58.95
Britain and France and played
a test for Australia against the
00:05:58.99\00:06:03.09
all American side in 1912.
He retired from Rugby in 1913
00:06:03.12\00:06:08.86
returning to Australia
to work as a journalist.
00:06:08.90\00:06:12.93
¤drums and bugle¤
00:06:12.97\00:06:22.18
When Australia found itself
at war with Germany in 1914 the
00:06:22.21\00:06:28.55
call for volunteers drew
Richards. He enlisted in the
00:06:28.58\00:06:32.02
Australian Imperial Force,
the AIF, in August 1914 and was
00:06:32.05\00:06:37.59
allocated as a stretcher barer
in the first in the first field
00:06:37.63\00:06:40.80
ambulance. Richards kept a very
detailed diary of his time in
00:06:40.83\00:06:45.77
the AIF. Not only does it tell
us a lot about his activities,
00:06:45.80\00:06:50.71
it is also a fascinating insight
into his own soul. Richards
00:06:50.74\00:06:55.64
recorded his own journey and
own emotional struggles in this
00:06:55.68\00:07:00.92
very intimate picture of his
heart. In order to learn more
00:07:00.95\00:07:03.65
about Richards we're going to
get some insight from Dr Daniel
00:07:03.69\00:07:07.12
Reynaud, associate professor of
history at Avondale College of
00:07:07.16\00:07:10.79
Avondale College of Higher
Education who has read Richards'
00:07:10.83\00:07:15.03
diary as part of his research.
Daniel, what have you learned
00:07:15.06\00:07:18.27
about Tom from his war diaries?
00:07:18.30\00:07:20.44
Well I think it's one of the
most interesting diaries I've
00:07:20.47\00:07:24.21
ever read and having read many.
First of all, we get a really
00:07:24.24\00:07:29.01
complex character coming through
He's a very detailed writer, a
00:07:29.04\00:07:33.38
very prolific writer and writer
who explores much of what he
00:07:33.42\00:07:38.15
does and what he sees but how
he feels about it. And what we
00:07:38.19\00:07:42.46
learn is he's kind of
volunteered to join the army
00:07:42.49\00:07:46.80
but at the same time
00:07:46.83\00:07:48.16
he's not fully convinced that
it's a just cause. He kind of
00:07:48.20\00:07:53.47
feels like he ought to be doing
more for the war. He's a medic,
00:07:53.50\00:07:56.34
he's a stretcher barer but
he feels he really should be in
00:07:56.37\00:08:00.38
combat but he's opposed to war.
He doesn't like the officers. He
00:08:00.41\00:08:06.61
in fact, tries to get out of
being Lance corporal because he
00:08:06.65\00:08:10.72
doesn't want the responsibility
yet feels bad about not wanting
00:08:10.75\00:08:14.59
that. He ends up becoming
an officer in a combat unit and
00:08:14.62\00:08:18.93
winning the military cross
for bravery. So all of these
00:08:18.96\00:08:21.76
incredible tensions in his life.
Now the other really interesting
00:08:21.80\00:08:26.43
entries of his diary which
he hardly ever see is his really
00:08:26.47\00:08:30.61
detailed descriptions of his own
spiritual journey. He uses his
00:08:30.64\00:08:34.34
diary to put down his thoughts
on God and faith and church.
00:08:34.38\00:08:38.45
Fascinating
journey that he's on.
00:08:38.48\00:08:42.88
¤ ¤
00:08:42.92\00:08:47.72
He's quite cynical, quite
cynical about the British cause.
00:08:47.76\00:08:52.69
He recognizes that it's not a
clear cut goodies versus baddies
00:08:52.73\00:08:57.63
British versus the nasty
Hun. And yet, he still joins up.
00:08:57.67\00:09:03.24
He still participates but all
the way through in his diaries
00:09:03.27\00:09:07.18
he's aware that this is
ambiguous, that war isn't this
00:09:08.64\00:09:15.38
clean good versus bad. He's
a man of quite a bit of world
00:09:15.42\00:09:20.42
experience. He's traveled a lot
and he certainly doesn't relate
00:09:20.46\00:09:24.39
to a lot of his fellow Anzacs.
He feels different from them.
00:09:24.43\00:09:27.40
Remember he's come from a very
working-class background and
00:09:27.43\00:09:30.27
he's kind of worked himself
up in society and he's very
00:09:30.30\00:09:35.17
conscious of being different.
00:09:35.20\00:09:40.31
A woman continued to wave her
handkerchief enthusiastically
00:09:40.34\00:09:44.65
to give us encouragement on our
voyage of legalized murder. The
00:09:44.68\00:09:49.98
whole business seems almost
unbelievable. Church service was
00:09:50.02\00:09:55.42
held at 11:30 when the chaplain
tried to justify the Allies
00:09:55.46\00:09:59.69
position and asked God for
protection and deliverance.
00:09:59.73\00:10:04.67
The irony of it all, such
hypocrisy. Surely this great God
00:10:04.70\00:10:09.74
if he has the power to influence
victory in any particular way
00:10:09.77\00:10:13.94
would also have the power
to prevent it at the very first
00:10:13.98\00:10:18.08
and before lives were sacrificed
It seems to be a difference that
00:10:18.11\00:10:23.15
men alone can settle and might
takes precedence over right.
00:10:23.18\00:10:28.16
Richards really objected to the
idea that God was on one side
00:10:28.19\00:10:36.13
or another in this war. Now when
the chaplain preached a sermon
00:10:36.16\00:10:40.40
it was going to be God rather
than the French or Russians
00:10:40.44\00:10:44.57
who destroyed the German
army. He wrote in his diary:
00:10:44.61\00:10:49.24
This does not savor of a
way a righteous God should be.
00:10:49.28\00:10:56.58
¤ ¤
00:10:56.62\00:11:10.57
After training Richards sailed
for Europe on board the trade
00:11:10.60\00:11:13.10
ship Euripides, part of the
huge convoy that carried the
00:11:13.13\00:11:17.31
Australian and New Zealand
forces. He had fun teasing a
00:11:17.34\00:11:21.21
Jewish colleague who asked the
identity of a dish of pickled
00:11:21.24\00:11:25.65
pork. Veal, said Richards, which
was good enough for his friend
00:11:25.68\00:11:29.48
who ate it with a clear
conscience. The troop ship was
00:11:29.52\00:11:36.93
diverted to Egypt and the
Australians disembarked and were
00:11:36.96\00:11:40.93
taken to a camp outside of Cairo
Richards was involved in helping
00:11:40.96\00:11:45.80
set up the YMCA recreation hut
which was the venue not only for
00:11:45.83\00:11:50.74
quiet relaxation and letter
writing, but also concerts and
00:11:50.77\00:11:55.24
lectures for the troops.
00:11:55.28\00:12:03.18
But there are lots of things
on Richards' mind maybe. His
00:12:03.22\00:12:06.19
brother's been killed in a
mining accident in South Africa.
00:12:06.22\00:12:10.03
His mother's returned to
Australia and his dad is unwell.
00:12:10.06\00:12:14.40
He's quite concerned about
conflict he's having with his
00:12:14.43\00:12:17.40
father about religion. His
father really is pushing him in
00:12:17.43\00:12:20.47
a particular direction but
Richards is struggling with very
00:12:20.50\00:12:24.91
formalized religion
and wants something dynamic
00:12:24.94\00:12:29.24
at the same time.
00:12:29.28\00:12:30.61
In April, the Anzacs were packed
onto ships and they sailed for
00:12:30.65\00:12:36.95
the islands off the Turkish
peninsula of Gallipoli. On the
00:12:36.99\00:12:42.12
evening of the 24th of April
they prepared for the landings
00:12:42.16\00:12:45.59
the next day.
00:12:45.63\00:12:48.96
Tonight although the fellows are
naturally a little excited they
00:12:49.00\00:12:53.57
are in really good spirits.
There has been a stronger
00:12:53.60\00:12:57.14
tendency for sacred music also
of late with mouth organ and
00:12:57.17\00:13:01.14
concertina. Only a few minutes
ago they were playing and
00:13:01.18\00:13:05.48
singing Nearer My God to
Thee and Lead Kindly Light. It's
00:13:05.51\00:13:10.69
wonderful how religion gets them
down when there's danger about.
00:13:10.72\00:13:16.42
This ordeal shall also test
bringing my lack of faith home
00:13:16.46\00:13:20.60
to me. I keep leaning right in
that direction as I walk blindly
00:13:20.63\00:13:24.90
and aimlessly now.
00:13:24.93\00:13:30.51
¤sinister music¤
00:13:30.54\00:13:51.96
This is the fateful beach at
Anzac Cove. Daniel tell us about
00:13:51.99\00:13:58.23
Tom Richards and what he would
have experienced right here.
00:13:58.27\00:14:01.64
Well on the morning of the 25th
he was on his ship out in the
00:14:01.67\00:14:06.54
harbor here and about 8:30
he got down into the boats that
00:14:06.57\00:14:10.75
were bringing the men ashore.
He would have been hearing
00:14:10.78\00:14:13.78
gunfire since the dawn and as
he got closer he would have seen
00:14:13.82\00:14:17.89
men on the beach and perhaps
running up the hills behind us.
00:14:17.92\00:14:22.59
The first thing he did when
he landed was to pull out his
00:14:22.62\00:14:25.56
camera and take seven
photographs. He shouldn't have
00:14:25.59\00:14:28.46
had a camera. Soldiers were
not supposed to be taking snaps
00:14:28.50\00:14:32.60
especially in a battle.
But there was his journalistic
00:14:32.63\00:14:36.37
instincts from before the
war coming out. And then in the
00:14:36.40\00:14:41.51
afternoon he was helping load
the boats with wounded soldiers
00:14:41.54\00:14:44.68
who were being taken out to
the ships. And over the next few
00:14:44.71\00:14:48.08
days he was smoothing up
shrapnel gully behind us and
00:14:48.12\00:14:51.22
brining the
wounded down to the beach.
00:14:51.25\00:14:53.79
How does his spirituality
hold up in the heat of battle?
00:14:53.82\00:14:58.89
Well it does hold up. He keeps
noting spiritual things in his
00:14:58.93\00:15:02.93
diary. He often records church
services which he wants to share
00:15:02.96\00:15:07.20
with his father knowing how much
his father would enjoy having
00:15:07.24\00:15:11.11
that subject discussed. But of
course in the first few weeks of
00:15:11.14\00:15:15.14
the battle there were no
services held. Many of the
00:15:15.18\00:15:17.78
chaplains are still on board
ships. They're dealing with the
00:15:17.81\00:15:20.12
many wounded that are there. So
there's not much to write about
00:15:20.15\00:15:24.52
at first. On the 24th of May, he
writes about Chaplain McKenzie,
00:15:24.55\00:15:30.36
the famous Scotsman who
conducted many of the burial
00:15:30.39\00:15:35.06
services during the truce when
they buried thousands of Turkish
00:15:35.10\00:15:39.70
dead from the battle a few days
earlier. And then he records the
00:15:39.73\00:15:43.61
very first church service on the
13th of June that McKinzie holds
00:15:43.64\00:15:47.84
holds in a bowl of hills up
behind us there and hearing the
00:15:47.88\00:15:51.65
men sing as the sun sets over
the Mediterranean and a shell
00:15:51.68\00:15:56.18
came along and exploded over the
service and knocked over a few
00:15:56.22\00:16:00.89
men. But fortunately
the injuries were slight.
00:16:00.92\00:16:08.30
The church service was held
spellbound and silent for the
00:16:08.33\00:16:14.14
few minutes that the above above
drama was being enacted and the
00:16:14.17\00:16:18.11
prayer concluded, they all rose
and sang Abide With Me. Parson
00:16:18.14\00:16:23.88
Andrews went on explaining the
beauty of St. Paul's letter to
00:16:23.91\00:16:26.51
the misbelieving people of
Corinth punctuated here and
00:16:26.55\00:16:30.39
there by the callous bursting
of shrapnel shells. Before we
00:16:30.42\00:16:34.69
rose to the final hymn, Nearer
My God to Thee, the casualties
00:16:34.72\00:16:38.79
numbered five, bad enough in all
truth, but still an astoundingly
00:16:38.83\00:16:43.93
small toll considering
the number of shells.
00:16:43.97\00:16:46.77
¤mournful music¤
00:16:46.80\00:16:59.15
So this location played an
important role in the course of
00:16:59.18\00:17:01.88
the battle.
00:17:01.92\00:17:03.25
Yes this is Wire Gully.
Now where we're standing didn't
00:17:03.28\00:17:06.89
exist; it was much lower and
this hill came down either side
00:17:06.92\00:17:12.99
into this very steep gully that
was too steep for trenches so
00:17:13.03\00:17:17.37
they just put barbed wire there
to create the front line. Now
00:17:17.40\00:17:21.70
on the 19th of May, the Turks
launched a major counter attack
00:17:21.74\00:17:25.87
to drive the Australians back
into the sea. And in moving from
00:17:25.91\00:17:29.94
this direction up to the hills
here to hit Queen's post and
00:17:29.98\00:17:34.62
Steel's post. But across Wire
Gully no cover at all and the
00:17:34.65\00:17:39.95
Australians here mowed them
down line after line, hundreds
00:17:39.99\00:17:44.59
of men killed and wounded at
this spot. Now the Australians
00:17:44.63\00:17:48.66
are here and they're also
suffering some casualties from
00:17:48.70\00:17:51.70
the Turks as they're attacking.
00:17:51.73\00:17:53.90
Now was Tom Richards
involved in any of this?
00:17:53.94\00:17:56.57
Yes. He's here just right at the
Australian line and he's taking
00:17:56.60\00:18:00.41
the Australian wounded from this
battle down to the outpost. In
00:18:00.44\00:18:04.81
fact, he's so heavily involved
and so conspicuously involved
00:18:04.85\00:18:08.68
that the general who writes the
report of the battle mentions
00:18:08.72\00:18:12.79
him by name. It's called a
"mentioned in dispatches" and
00:18:12.82\00:18:15.59
it indicates particularly
distinguished service.
00:18:15.62\00:18:18.89
So Richards plays
an important role here.
00:18:18.93\00:18:21.70
He does. In fact, let's go down
and have a look where he worked.
00:18:21.73\00:18:25.10
¤ ¤
00:18:25.13\00:18:37.11
So this is where
Richards would have been based?
00:18:37.15\00:18:39.98
Yes this is 4th battalion parade
ground, just below Wire Gully.
00:18:40.02\00:18:44.75
It's a semi-sheltered spot where
they can bring the wounded and
00:18:44.79\00:18:47.56
as you can see some of the
men who died are buried here.
00:18:47.59\00:18:50.16
I wonder how he must have
felt amongst all this death and
00:18:50.19\00:18:54.73
carnage?
00:18:54.76\00:18:56.63
Well it's his usual mixed
emotions. He's been writing
00:18:56.67\00:18:59.97
hopefully to a couple of
girls in Australia. He finds out
00:19:00.00\00:19:03.74
that they've got married.
He's worried that he's becoming
00:19:03.77\00:19:07.54
cynical and negative. He wants
to live up to his ideals. He
00:19:07.58\00:19:11.25
hears a sermon about purity that
makes him feel better. He feels
00:19:11.28\00:19:16.08
sick at heart at these good men
who've been killed. And he hears
00:19:16.12\00:19:21.32
another sermon that really
challenges him and inspires him.
00:19:21.36\00:19:26.66
The preacher attacked the
Australia for the Australians
00:19:26.70\00:19:32.83
mob by telling them they
were woefully swelled headed and
00:19:32.87\00:19:36.64
thought only of their
own achievements belittling
00:19:36.67\00:19:39.41
foolishly those of the timing.
I am not in the humor to deal in
00:19:39.44\00:19:44.58
detail with this remarkable
service but suffer me to say
00:19:44.61\00:19:47.95
that it raised considerable
discussion amongst the boys
00:19:47.98\00:19:51.89
but it will do them quite a
lot of good as we are hardly
00:19:51.92\00:19:56.42
broad-minded and fair enough
to our opponents or even our
00:19:56.46\00:20:00.20
friends. ¤ ¤
00:20:00.23\00:20:03.67
It sounds like this sermon made
a real impression on him. He's
00:20:03.70\00:20:06.53
struggling with
spiritual issues here.
00:20:06.57\00:20:08.57
He certainly is. He's wrestling
with a whole lot of things.
00:20:08.60\00:20:11.04
Now he's evacuated from
Gallipoli with malaria and this
00:20:11.07\00:20:15.21
gives him time and space to
think. And he gets angry with
00:20:15.24\00:20:19.41
the preacher. His sermon tried
to scare soldiers into obeying
00:20:19.45\00:20:23.79
God, with threats of punishment.
It's not the God he recognizes.
00:20:23.82\00:20:27.96
On the other hand, he doesn't
like the way religions compete
00:20:27.99\00:20:31.66
against each other when they
all claim to serve the same God.
00:20:31.69\00:20:36.16
What he's looking for is
religion that's intelligent,
00:20:36.20\00:20:39.50
it's practical and
relevant to everyday life and he
00:20:39.53\00:20:43.94
particularly finds a
connection through music to God.
00:20:43.97\00:20:48.64
¤ ¤
00:20:48.68\00:21:12.87
In 1916, the Australians moved
to the battlefields of France.
00:21:12.90\00:21:17.61
While the countryside behind the
lines was idyllic and beautiful
00:21:17.64\00:21:21.18
the front lines were places of
boredom punctuated by periodic
00:21:21.21\00:21:26.35
violence and
unpredictable death.
00:21:26.38\00:21:29.08
¤ ¤
00:21:29.12\00:21:40.03
In December 1916, Richards was
commissioned a Lieutenant and
00:21:40.06\00:21:46.57
became a combat officer in the
first battalion. Daniel, what
00:21:46.60\00:21:50.64
did this mean?
00:21:50.67\00:21:52.01
Well it's part of the complexity
of his character. He doesn't
00:21:52.04\00:21:54.74
like officers but he becomes one
because he wants to improve his
00:21:54.78\00:21:59.61
lot in life. He doesn't
really agree with the war but he
00:21:59.65\00:22:02.55
becomes combat officer and as a
platoon commander he's in charge
00:22:02.58\00:22:06.49
of about 40 men. And at first
he's not really comfortable in
00:22:06.52\00:22:10.69
that role. He's not sure what
he's doing, but he gradually
00:22:10.73\00:22:13.96
grows incompetence and
confidence. Then at the second
00:22:14.00\00:22:17.73
battle of Bancor on the 4th of
May he leads his platoon along
00:22:17.77\00:22:22.50
on a German trench and he's a
bomber which means that he and
00:22:22.54\00:22:26.44
his men are carrying bags
of hand grenades and they're
00:22:26.47\00:22:29.04
dropping them in the bunkers,
they're throwing them around the
00:22:29.08\00:22:31.71
corners of the trench
clearing the German line and
00:22:31.75\00:22:34.95
then have done that
00:22:34.98\00:22:36.32
build a barricade and throw
bombs to prevent the Germans
00:22:36.35\00:22:39.82
from recapturing it. For this
excellent work, he's decorated
00:22:39.85\00:22:44.03
with the military cross.
00:22:44.06\00:22:45.49
And did he continue his
interest in spiritual things?
00:22:45.53\00:22:48.76
Yes he did, but his diary
records things that are similar
00:22:48.80\00:22:53.27
to other people who went to the
front line. The references to
00:22:53.30\00:22:56.91
religion and spirituality
drop while they're in the front
00:22:56.94\00:23:00.78
trenches. Their mind is actually
occupied with survival. But
00:23:00.81\00:23:04.61
Richards is still asking
questions. He's investigating.
00:23:04.65\00:23:08.18
He's still trying to find what
it is that he's searching for in
00:23:08.22\00:23:12.99
life.
00:23:13.02\00:23:15.92
The English preacher was in
attendance today to administer
00:23:15.96\00:23:18.26
unto our sinfulness and he put
up a jolly good showing, too.
00:23:18.29\00:23:22.60
He took Christianity
00:23:22.63\00:23:25.10
in a broad sense and
clenched his arguments
00:23:25.13\00:23:28.30
well down. He didn't
hold himself up as an example.
00:23:28.34\00:23:32.44
He knew his shortcomings only
too well but it's cross purity,
00:23:32.47\00:23:37.38
his holiness that I
want to impress upon you.
00:23:37.41\00:23:45.49
Thomas "Rusty" Richards is
remembered now every time the
00:23:45.52\00:23:49.02
Wallabies and British and Irish
Lions meet. Yet his story as an
00:23:49.06\00:23:53.26
Anzac hero also deserves
remembering. And perhaps above
00:23:53.29\00:23:58.13
that was his own constant
spiritual quest of meaning in
00:23:58.17\00:24:02.00
life. For all of his wondering
and flaws Richards remained
00:24:02.04\00:24:07.41
committed to trying to discover
who God is and how we can best
00:24:07.44\00:24:12.48
worship him. Perhaps that's
a quest for all of us to pursue
00:24:12.51\00:24:16.15
and to contemplate
right now as we pray.
00:24:16.18\00:24:19.89
Dear Heavenly Father, we
remember the battles, physical,
00:24:19.92\00:24:26.13
emotional and spiritual that Tom
Richards fought during his time
00:24:26.16\00:24:30.63
on Gallipoli and in France.
We honor his commitment to
00:24:30.67\00:24:35.87
spiritual searching and
pray that we many also have the
00:24:35.90\00:24:39.04
courage to look for faith, to
seek out and find a real faith
00:24:39.07\00:24:43.71
in God. Please bless us and our
families and we ask for this in
00:24:43.75\00:24:51.32
Jesus' name. Amen.
00:24:51.35\00:24:53.66
¤ ¤
00:24:53.69\00:25:11.64
If you'd like to find out more
about trusting Jesus and find
00:25:11.67\00:25:14.48
that real hope that the Anzacs
found during the challenges of
00:25:14.51\00:25:18.11
war, if you'd like to experience
how God is with us even during
00:25:18.15\00:25:22.25
our darkest and most difficult
trials then I'd like to
00:25:22.28\00:25:26.32
recommend a free gift we have
for all our Incredible Journey
00:25:26.35\00:25:31.39
Viewers today. It's the booklet
Secrets of True Greatness. I'm
00:25:31.43\00:25:38.03
sure you will want to read this
small booklet that shows how
00:25:38.07\00:25:41.97
God is with us even when
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00:25:42.00\00:25:46.07
challenges. This booklet is our
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00:25:46.11\00:25:51.18
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00:25:51.21\00:25:55.62
So make sure you take this
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00:25:55.65\00:25:59.95
the free gift we have for
you today. Phone or text us:
00:25:59.99\00:26:05.29
at 0436333555 in Australia
or 0204222042 in New Zealand or
00:26:05.33\00:26:15.17
visit our website TiJ.tv to
request today's free offer and
00:26:15.20\00:26:21.18
we'll send it to you totally
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Call or text 0436333555 in
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Australia or 0204222042 in
New Zealand or visit our website
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to request today's
offer. Write to us at:
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Don't delay,
call or text us now.
00:26:54.48\00:26:58.18
If you've enjoyed our journey
through the life and times of
00:26:58.21\00:27:03.02
Tom Richards from Emmaville
to Gallipoli and then onto
00:27:03.05\00:27:05.52
London and our reflections on
what faith in God really means
00:27:05.55\00:27:11.26
then be sure to join us again
next week when we will share
00:27:11.29\00:27:14.53
another of life's journeys
together. Until next week
00:27:14.56\00:27:17.87
remember the ultimate
destination of life's journey.
00:27:17.90\00:27:21.74
Now I saw a new heaven and a
new earth and God will wipe away
00:27:21.77\00:27:26.54
every tear from their eyes.
There shall be no more death
00:27:26.57\00:27:29.68
nor sorrow nor crying. There
shall be no more pain for the
00:27:29.71\00:27:34.28
former things have passed away.
00:27:34.32\00:27:37.92
¤ ¤
00:27:37.95\00:28:20.00