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Panorama
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Report from Australia
Three-day Recreational Retreat -- Celebrating the Australian National Holiday
[Goulburn] At long last, with Master's blessings, initiates from Sydney and Australia's capital of Canberra purchased a piece of land on which to hold retreats. The 40-hectare center is located in Goulburn, a large town about a two-and-a-half-hour drive southwest of Sydney within convenient access of initiates from that city, Canberra and Melbourne.
During the Australia Day 2002 national holiday, about 100 initiates from Perth, Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney participated in a three-day retreat at this venue. The retreat was also open to teenagers, for whom the local center designed a series of activities, including computer games, outdoor activities, meditation sessions and a tour of the land, along with healthy foods and beverages. The adult initiates meditated together, shared their understanding of Master's teachings, enjoyed tea and admired the full moon. Besides, some work activities were shared by fellow practitioners, such as cleaning up the environment, selecting spots for planting trees, and making feasible plans to turn the new center into a potential site for international retreats.
After the retreat, Australian initiates expressed satisfaction with the results of the first stage of construction at the site, proposed turning it into a place where initiates could come for short or long stays, and discussed the purchase of necessary facilities. The initiates left their new center reluctantly and looked forward to seeing each other again during the Easter holidays at the end of March.
