Templer · Templer Reflections formerly Templer Record March 2014 The Temple Society Australia is...

Templer Reflections

MARCH 2014ISSUE NO 761

ldquoSet your mind on Godrsquos kingdom and his justice before everything else and all the rest will come to you as wellrdquo

(Matt 633)

Templer Reflections

formerly Templer Record

March 2014

The Temple Society Australia is an independent faith community

free of fixed statements of belief Jesusrsquo core messagemdashto love God

and to love your neighbour as yourselfmdashunderpins our religious

purpose and the individualrsquos spiritual journey guided by their

conscience The Temple Society Australia is based on shared aims

and ideals valuing compassion cooperation and diversity Trust

acceptance and respect are the cornerstones of our community

Issue no 761

Editors Renate Beilharz Irene Bouzo

Design Tamara Bouzo Angela Woodburn

Subediting Peter Hornung

LOSS amp RENEWAL

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven Time to be born and a time to die A time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted A time to weep and a time to laugh A time to mourn and a time to dance

Ecclesiastes 3124

From the Regional Head

From the Editors

Easter

InspireDietrich P Ruff

AwakenOskar Krockenberger

ResurrectMorna Kortschak

Community

PoemmdashLetting go

Bayswatermdashwhy did the Templers go thereHelmut Glenk

Heritage Pages

Bayswater fire destroys life workKnox Leader December 2013

The day of the fireHorst Blaich

Do you know a Haipfel or a GelteDoris Frank and Horst Blaich

2

4

6

10

12

16

18

26

28

36

Contents

March 2014 Templer Reflections - Loss amp Renewal2

God help usIf our world should grow darkAnd there is no way of seeing or knowing

Grant us courage and trustTo touch and be touchedTo find our way onwardsBy feelingAmen1

The Templer community provides strength support and comfort to members in times of loss We can never know what life holds for us tomorrow Living in communities of like-minded people provides an intangible fulfilment in our lives and the Temple Society Australia is a community-based faith In the past month of February was the fifth

MARK HERRMANN

1 Leunig M 1998 The Prayer Tree HarperCollins Sydney Australia

From the

RegionalHead

3March 2014 Templer Reflections - Loss amp Renewal

anniversary of the horrific Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria The coming month of April is Easter when we come together with family friends and community to reflect on our spiritual renewal

The flower that wilted last year is gone Petals once fallen are fallen forever Flowers do not return in the spring rather they are replaced It is in this difference between returned and replaced that the price of renewal is paid And as it is for spring flowers so it is for us2

I am pleased to welcome readers to the first Templer Reflections issue for 2014

2 Abraham D 2009 The Price of Spring Tor Books New York USA


To everything there is a season (Eccl 31) There comes a time when it is better to let go of the past without regrets to grow and live for the future The theme of this issue is Loss and Renewal

For renewal to occur it is important to let go and move on

As we look ahead into April it is inspiring to reflect on the Biblical accounts of Good Friday and Easter a time of loss and renewal for Jesus and his followers This issue opens with three extracts from Good Friday services given by Elders of the Temple Society Dietrich Ruff Oskar Krockenberger and Morna Kortschak Their different approaches to Easter reflect the strength in diversity that typifies the Templer attitude in matters of faith which allows individuals to develop their personal understandings

Events of loss are common in all communities Helmut Glenkrsquos article

RENATE BEILHARZ AND IRENE BOUZO

From the

Editors


describes how and why some Templers moved from the internment camps in rural Victoria to Bayswater to start a new life Horst Blaich shares his experience of losing an amazing lifework on family and Templer history through the tragic fire

Finally the regular Heritage Pages are there to awaken your interest in the past for the future


The events we commemorate each year at Easter broadly encompass the triumphant entry into Jerusalem the last supper the betrayal and the trial the crucifixion and death of Jesus his

burial and resurrection and finally the appearance of the risen Jesus to the disciples

Reflecting on the sequence of the reported Easter events as a whole we recognise a remarkably broad spectrum of human experience Jesus faced in the course of his undertaking to spread a new consciousness of the transcendent dimension and to encourage his contemporaries to change their way accordingly We behold good and bad courage and fear trust and misgiving hope and despair

On Good Friday a window opens on human failings such as quarrel and hatred betrayal maltreatment scorn and cruelty There opens

DIETRICH P RUFF

Inspire


an abyss of pain of suffering of rejection But there also stands out a peak of unsurpassed dignity and commitment of integrity of good will and compassion

And then Easter reveals the measure of the man Jesus who shows a saving way a way of unlocking the potential for goodness for inner growth and fulfilment a way of reaching out towards a higher state of consciousness and the promise of peace of mind and heart

At Easter we partake of the inspiring message of the indomitable power of life which death cannot contain A message offering a glimpse of a realm of being which is greater than the life we know from ordinary experience

All of this we may acknowledge But still the question remains What did happen in the days after Jesusrsquo death on the cross Something unusual must have happened triggering the turnabout in the outlook and conduct of the women and men who had been close to Jesus How else could the dejected and desperate band of his followers have changed into a courageous outspoken and purposeful group of believers able to convincingly spread their former masterrsquos teaching

The story of the risen Jesus to me strongly suggests that underneath the Gospel stories there is another layer indicative of some different kind of truth

According to Matthew 281-10 Jesus appeared to his disciples in Galilee Why not Jerusalem

Compared to Jerusalem Galilee was an insignificant place tranquil and a little backward But it was a place where people knew each other where meaning was still to be found in the simple chores of life like tending sheep growing crops baking bread or catching fish for the local market


In Galilee the disciples had grown up and were at home There in familiar surroundings their tormented minds would find rest their grieving hearts would begin to heal Then they would grasp the meaning and the far-reaching consequences of the last phase in the life of Jesus And then they would also comprehend the unshakable loyalty of their masterrsquos love as a supreme parable of Godrsquos timeless unconditional love

There in Galilee among simple folk where small events and daily graces mattered it would dawn upon the disciples that the spirit of Christ was to rise foremost inside themselves and also in their neighbour and the visitor from the next village The spirit of the crucified Jesus would speak to them not from high heaven above but would be reflected in their own decisions and actions That spirit would show its hand in the conduct of ordinary people as they live day by day

In Galilee the disciples were to be transformed There the impact of their enlightening spiritual experience would be heightened leading them to the source within From the depths of that inner source were they to draw the strength to go forward and to become ambassadors

for their masterrsquos vision of Godrsquos kingdom of love on earth

It is this sort of perception which for me provides the grounding for finding real meaning in the traditional Good Friday and Easter stories This way I can comprehend why in Galilee the proverbial scales fell from the disciplesrsquo eyes and how in their very personal and profound spiritual experiences the legacy of Jesus came to life as the risen Christ

The spirit of Christ was to rise foremost inside

themselvesDietrich P Ruff


Having said and accepted this it no longer seems surprising that such a decisive intense and uplifting experience changed them from a dejected lot to an elated vigorous brotherhood growing into a movement committed to spreading a new faith a faith which in time was destined to bring about far-reaching changes

Viewed in this light the Gospel reports of the sequence of events during Easter week may open for us new avenues of understanding and insight leading us anew to deeply moving experiences in our inner world experiences of enrichment arching like rainbows of Godrsquos presence to touch us in the reality of our everyday life experiences taking us another step forward in our ongoing faith journey as we seek to give substance to Godrsquos kingdom of love in our conduct

At Easter we remember the final act in the life and work of the man Jesus and as we recall the time when the Christ spirit arose in the disciples to mark a new beginning let us be grateful grateful for the fullness of life for its Easter joys and triumphs and its Good Friday hurts and failings grateful for the experience of Godrsquos presence in all we share with our family and friends within our community and also with strangers grateful for rainbows of the spiritual kind balancing and expanding our hearts and minds and beckoning us to put the gift of our life in the service of the love Jesus spoke about and demonstrated to the bitter end

Edited extracts of Good Friday Service 1999


OSKAR KROCKENBERGER

If we accept that there are other realities besides our physical world and accept that Jesus did not remain in a state of death as he himself had expected then we could believe that he appeared before his

disciples breaking through a barrier manifesting himself as an entity This acceptance can be substantiated by Jesusrsquo statement on an earlier occasion namely that before God we are alive whether we are in life or in death

In our time it is open to doubt if this could be called a physical resurrection For me a spiritual resurrection of his message his teaching and actions is the most credible explanation A spiritual power an all-conquering certainty returned to the disciples as fear and doubt vanished Jesus had taught them to love one another as he had loved them to recognise and receive the truth of his teaching and to have faith in Godrsquos infinite

Awaken


forbearance This gave them strength to face adversity

We today can still experience this spiritual awakening The truth of the strength of love and faith in the forbearance of God can fill our heart and soul It is up to us as we all have that potential The man Jesus was the perfect human and it is our task to follow his example

This is the message of Easter and that is why I feel that Easter is the most important time in the Christian calendar It is an ever repeated reminder to us of the opportunity of spiritual awakening

Edited extract of Good Friday Service 1993

We today can still experience

this spiritual awakening

Oskar Krockenberger


T he resurrection of Jesus is probably the most important aspect of Christianity Without it Christianity would not have had such a great impact on mankind for nearly two thousand years

What does the resurrection mean to us This is a question many have asked especially in modern times when people have become critical and sceptical

Some churches still believe in a physical resurrection of Jesus such as reported in some of the biblical accounts Many of us find that impossible or at least hard to believe So some interpret the event symbolically They say it is Christrsquos ideas his teachings which have lived on and are still relevant today They are certainly right in one way

MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect


For me however and I know for other Templers as well it does mean more If you see Man not just as a physical being whose mental and spiritual qualities are dependent on his physical body and its functions then it is easy to accept the resurrection of Jesus Christ as proof that Manrsquos spiritual Self lives on beyond his physical death It must have been a shaking and yet elating and uplifting experience for the disciples to witness that their master that is his spiritual being was alive and communicating with them It showed them that Jesus had spoken the truth when he was with them and it convinced them of Godrsquos love for Man It also gave them courage to spread good news in the face of adversity and persecution

Similarly ordinary people like ourselves today derive great comfort strength and courage when they are given an experience which shows them that Manrsquos inner Self survives after death

John 2019-23 tells us that Jesus showed the disciples his wounds so that they would recognise him What do we make of this detail

From many accounts by people who have a so-called lsquosixth sensersquo ie who are clairvoyant we know that their dead loved ones appeared to them with the distinctive marks or features which their physical body had For me it is natural that our spiritual body minus some call it our astral or our etheric body minus and our physical body penetrate each other Therefore when one of them is injured or sick the other one is affected too Consequently I can easily imagine that Jesusrsquo wounds from the crucifixion were also visible on his spiritual body

I myself firmly believe in the resurrection of Jesus as a resurrection of his spiritual Self This is also how the Apostle Paul saw the event In his letter to the Corinthians he contrasted Manrsquos physical body with his spiritual body which survived death


John 2022 tells us that Jesus in this encounter with his disciples commissioned them to go forth into the world and spread the gospel He breathed on them saying ldquoReceive the Holy Spiritrdquo This means they were penetrated by the power of God which gave them the authority and strength to act in Jesusrsquo name and to carry out what he had asked them to do

The wonderful thing for us today is that this Holy Spirit or Christ-spirit has been in our world ever since It was not only given to the disciples but to many many others and by the grace of God we too can receive it

So in my opinion the two most outstanding features of Christianity are for us Templers

1 Jesus Christrsquos teaching about love of and for God and our neighbour This he demonstrated by his own example to the extent of accepting death as a consequence of it

2 The second is that Christ or the Christ-spirit is alive I think we all have a divine spark within us But it is often dormant or suppressed by our material interests and negative attitudes But through the Christ-spirit it can be connected again with our creator (whether we talk about Holy Spirit Christ-spirit Christ-light or Christ-impulse does not matter) If we let it grow within us it helps us to lead a decent honest life and it strengthens and comforts us in adversity

To receive this Divine Spirit is partly grace I think Yet it is up to us not to close ourselves off but rather to become open and receptive for it

We all have a divine spark

within usMorna

Kortschak


It is therefore important to follow Christrsquos commandment of practising love and forgiveness and to make space for the Divine in our lives by having times for quietness and worship

That it is possible for each one of us to receive this living Christ-spirit is to me the wonderful message and gift of Easter



To let go doesnrsquot mean to stop caring

it means I canrsquot do it for someone else

To let go is not to cut myself off

it is the realization that I canrsquot control another

To let go is not to enable

but to allow learning from natural consequences

To let go is to admit powerlessness

which means the outcome is not in my hands

To let go is not to try to change or blame another

I can only change myself

To let go is not to care for

but to care about

To let go is not to fix

Letting Go Author Unknown


but to be supportive

To let go is not to judge

but to allow another to be a human being

To let go is not to be in the middle arranging outcomes

but to allow others to affect their own outcomes

To let go is not to be protective

it is to permit another to face reality

To let go is not to deny

but to accept

To let go is not to nag scold or argue

but to search out my own shortcomings and to correct them

To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires

but to take each day as it comes and to cherish the moment

To let go is not to criticize and regulate anyone

but to try to become what I dream I can be

To let go is not to regret the past

but to grow and live for the future

To let go is to fear less

and love more


HELMUT GLENK

It is interesting to reflect and ask why did the Templers come to Bayswater in 194647 It was probably the first concentration of liberated Templers at one location in Australia and still is the core of

the Templer Community in Australia today even though the TSA Office is in Bentleigh The number of Templers living in and around Bayswater together with the Aged Care Facility Chapel Hall Bowling Alley Tennis Courts Templer Village and importantly the substantial parcel of land on which all this is located makes it the focal point of TSA activities

How did this come about

It had its genesis in the latter years of internment at Tatura when after the war was over the internees were looking forward to being released and rebuilding their lives in freedom The Templers had been advised

Bayswater why did the

Templersgo there


that they would not be permitted to return to Palestine ndash still under British Mandate administration at the time (the State of Israel was not established until 1948) ndash or to start communal settlements similar to those they had left If they wished to remain in Australia they would have to integrate and assimilate with the wider Australian community It was also recommended that the released internees take out Australian citizenship as soon as practicable

In 1945 and 1946 after return to Palestine had been ruled out the Australian Government appointed Mr Justice Hutchins from the Supreme Court of Tasmania to interview all adult internees to assess their suitability for settlement in Australia if they wished to do so3

The interviews covered a wide range of issues Adult internees were asked along these lines ldquoDo you want to stay in Australiardquo ldquoYou know you cannot go back to Palestine and it is a case of Australia or Germanyrdquo and ldquoWhat do you want to dordquo

Some of the internees gave direct answers and others were more ambivalent and wanted time to think It is interesting to note that a large number indicated ldquoI wish to go with the Temple Societyrdquo or ldquoI wish to stay with the Temple Societyrdquo This clearly reflects the uncertainty people were facing and that belonging to the Templer Community was seen as a kind of safety net after their release Release from the camp was possible on proof of employment and accommodation they had to show that they were able to fend for themselves and not become a burden to the Australian Government By December 1946 the internees were required to fill out a questionnaire as to their intentions The Australian government wished to close down the camps and have the civilian internees either settle in Australia or be repatriated

3 ldquoHis services were made available to the Commonwealth Government when he was chairman of a commission investigating the cases of aliens interned after the war began and recommending what should be done with each of themrdquo quoted from an obituary in The Examiner (Launceston Tas) 24 March 1950


The Auer Factor

Rudolf Auer an Austrian (non-Templer) had been deported with the Templers and other Germans from Palestine with his family in 1941 and was interned in Tatura Through the Bruckner family in East St Kilda (friends of Mrs Auer) Rudolf was able to be released from camp in August 1946 and obtain work with Mr Lapin the owner of a poultry farm in Bayswater

On November 51946 Mr Lapin wrote the following letter to Mr Temby4

SUNBEAM POULTRY FARMMountain HighwayBAYSWATER Tel Bay 28Head Office Mr Temby Victoria Barracks Melbourne154 Flinders Lane Melbourne Tel Cen 2695

Dear Sir

I am the proprietor of the Sunbeam Poultry Farm at Bayswater which is a large farm at present in two separate farms and containing 10000 fowls

In order to maintain production overcome labour shortages and make the farm one of the best in the state with every modern and scientific improvement it is necessary for me to transfer all the pens buildings etc on to the home property Messrs Clark and King who are experts on all poultry farm matters have been trying unsuccessfully for the past two months to obtain labour for the work which they will supervise The matter is an urgent one as the

4 Henry Temby appointed by the Australian Immigration Dept to determine the Templersrsquo suitability as migrants after WW II


young stock of 7000 pullets coming on require accommodation

Mr Auer who for 7 years was a civilian internee at the Tatura Camp is in my employ at the farm He has suggested that I may be able to procure the necessary labour from the Tatura Camp My requirements would be one foreman 4 carpenters 4 labourers 1 plumber and one girl to assist Mrs Auer with the necessary cooking and housework

The men would live in the house with Mr and Mrs Auer and the work would last about five months

There are several aspects in my employing such labour which I would like to place before you

I am a naturalised British subject of Jewish nationality and would submit to you the necessity of having men who would be amicable to me and would also fit in well with Mr and Mrs Auer in their living quarters There is also the question of trade unions to be considered As you will understand I do not desire any friction in the district

May I suggest to you that Mr Auer after his seven year association with the men in Tatura would know the men most likely to work amicably taking all the above conditions into consideration and that he may be given permission to go to Tatura to select the men

Your early help and advice with regard to this matter would be very much appreciated by me

Yours faithfully (Sgd Lapin)


On November 8 1946 Mr Lapin was advised as follows-

Dear Sir

I have arranged for Mr Auer to visit Rushworth Camp in accordance with the request you made in your letter of November 5 and hope that he has been able to arrange satisfactorily for this labour you require

Yours faithfullySecretary Overseas Internees Investigation Commission

I consider this correspondence to be the key as to why a group of Templer internees from Tatura came to Bayswater and settled there eventually encouraging other Templer families to come and live in Bayswater

Auer did return to the Tatura Camp in November 1946 to recruit the labour required for the poultry farm He offered the invited internees employment and some accommodation He assured them of the available work and spoke enthusiastically about Bayswaterrsquos location ndash especially the sight of the lsquoBlue Dandenongsrsquo none of the internees had seen anything like mountains or even hills during their long years of internment His offers were gratefully accepted by people wanting to get out and be free to start a new life in an unknown environment

The Early Templers in Bayswater

On November 19 1946 the Ewald Glenk family was the first Templer family to come to Bayswater Not far from his new poultry farm Mr Auer had arranged two rooms in an old house which had to be shared with another family They were followed by Waldemar Sawatzky Abram Dyck Karl Wied Ludwig Ehnis Roland Frank Kurt Frank and their


families ndash some of them within weeks ndash as well as single Kurt Beilharz In some cases the men arrived before being joined by their families and were put up in an ex-army marquee behind the large house on the corner of Pine and Myrtle Streets Lily Auer and Nelly Wied cooked for the men until accommodation was found for their families Several families shared living in the large house which eventually became Roland Frankrsquos family home

The late Friedrich (Fred) Sawatzky provides a wonderful personal insight of that time

I came to Bayswater in 1946 [hellip] our family was released when I was 13 years of age I will never forget that day It was 29 November 1946 and I had to leave my friends behind in those shiny metal army huts [hellip] They were my lsquohomersquo for many many years The heart was heavy and yet there were exciting times ahead in this new yet so far unknown lsquooutsidersquo world

The lsquooutsidersquo world was new and beautiful Even the sleepy quiet town of Bayswater was heaven on earth [hellip] Most of the families lived in a huge house on the corner of PineMyrtle Streets Bayswater Employment was offered to the families on a poultry farm5

The main task for the men was to demolish the old sheds on the slope on the corner of Myrtle and Pine Streets and build a modern poultry farm in Mountain Highway Bayswater where Eliza Cl is today The land was just open paddocks surrounded by orchards and market gardens Some of the men did the construction work ndash digging foundations laying water pipes and building the chicken coops and sheds ndash whilst others were busy looking after the actual running of the farm and its thousands of chickens and laying hens5 Hodgkin E 2002 The Fruits of Bayswater Wantirna self-published


It was not long before the new Sunbeam Poultry Farm was built the stock moved and all operations consolidated at the new location It was a major enterprise in Bayswater and one of the prime White Leghorn chicken farms in Victoria Abram Dyck was its first manager The farm continued to provide employment for Templer families for many years including new arrivals from overseas in the early 1950s

The German Templers were the first lsquoNew Australiansrsquo in the district and quickly adapted to the Australian way of life The children went to primary school at the beginning of 1947 and were a novelty with their different clothes and lunches However they soon learnt English and put into grades with their Australian contemporaries soon adjusted to become part of the school and local community

In the late 1940s and early 1950s when some of the orchards and market gardens in the Myrtle Street Orange Grove and Elm Street areas were subdivided a number of other Templer families bought

Templers at 2 Pine Road Bayswater

(L to R) AdultsAbram Dyck Emilie Ehnis Hannelore Dyck Eleonore Ehnis Gottlieb Glenk Ludwig Ehnis Paula Glenk Horst Grunberg Ewald Glenk (partly obscured) Nelly Wied

ChildrenGisela Wied (next to Nelly) (front standing) Helmut Glenk Gisela Grunberg Unknown (sitting) Unknown Dieter Glenk Peter Dyck

Photo personal collection Helmut Glenk


building blocks and built homes in Bayswater Thus this accumulation of Templers gave rise to the Bayswater Templer Community


Fire has destroyed the lifersquos work of genealogist Horst Blaich of Bayswater

Firefighters were called to a John Street home at 951am on December 2 after flames engulfed the large bungalow at the back of the property

A plume of smoke could be seen from several kilometres away CFA crews from The Basin Bayswater and Boronia took 15 minutes to

A LIFETIMErsquoS RESEARCH GOES UP IN FLAMES (condensed from Knox Leader Dec 2013)

Bayswater firedestroys

life work

After the fire on December 2 2013


control the fire but were on site mopping up until 1220pm The fire believed to have be caused by an electrical fault also damaged fences from three adjoining properties

Horst Blaich 81 was involved in the publication of several books on the Temple Society a Christian community founded in Germany in 1861 Mr Blaichrsquos research papers were lost when the bungalow was destroyed He featured in the Knox Leader earlier this year when he attended university for the first time


I got up early as usual and worked on my computer in the archive for some time I also sorted out some of my many so painfully identified Templer family photos and matched the typed captions with the

relevant photographs which Christine Herrmann of Canberra had put together

At 935am I went to Officeworks to get my 2014 diary so I could plan my activities for the coming year On the way home I followed a speeding red fire engine wondering where the fire was not in the least suspecting that it actually was in John Street I kept following the truck and when I arrived at home there were three more fire trucks parked outside our place The firemen were running around furiously trying to quench the fire that seemed to be coming from behind my neighbourrsquos house The smoke was black and billowed high into the clouds I suddenly realised that the fire was in my own bungalow

The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH


With great apprehension I walked up our driveway Irene my wife came running towards me saying ldquoI am so glad you are hererdquo I still did not understand what had happened until I reached my carport and saw my beloved bungalow fully alight ndash the flames raged sky high I wanted to run into the building but a fireman held me back and warned me to stay away It was unbelievable How was it possible that my work had gone up in flames Irene kept saying ldquoThank goodness you are here and not inside the bungalowrdquo

I regretted that I had not been on the scene to prevent the disaster but the fire brigade chief said ldquoYou are lucky to have been out ndash that saved your liferdquo The flames were soon put out and I then became aware of the damage caused It looked bleak dark and full of smoke What a pity

The fire assessor said that in his opinion the fire must have started in or near my computer because that area was more severely burnt and all the items near the computer were totally destroyed He also remarked that judging from the way the walls collapsed the fire must have started from there

Horst Blaichrsquos bungalow his family archive before the fire


Gradually it dawned on me that my lifersquos work ndash my archive with all my genealogical research papers books diaries historical photos and years of correspondence with many restoration teams in Israel had just gone up in smoke

The Red Cross arrived to check on our health and the Anglicare representative asked whether we had a bed to sleep in for the night and had enough to eat It was comforting to see how much support was offered to us The neighbours came to see what help we needed What a day What a tragedy

Irene held fast onto me saying over and over again ldquoI am so glad you were not inside because you could have burnt to death in thererdquo Yes it was a miracle that I just happened to be away when the fire started

Our daughter Desiree saw the smoke of the fire from Bayswater South Primary School but had no idea that it was at our place She was devastated when she arrived home after school But nothing could be done all we could do was to look at the remains and assess the

Part of Horstrsquos study before the fire


damage All my documents papers books and photographs were totally destroyed

The next two weeks were occupied by trying to salvage whatever possible In fact despite the disaster some of the diaries and journals albeit damaged were miraculously saved Wet they were but many of our friends helped us dry the pages with a hairdryer and store them in a rack in my carport

This is what was left of Horstrsquos filing cabinets and the fence hellip

hellip and fifty years of family history research


In essence 95 per cent of my books and photos of Templer history assiduously collected over a lifetime were destroyed To restore it all would take another fifty years and cost a million dollars

With this drastic event my research and writing period seems to have come to an end but I am confident that the Heritage Pages will continue to flourish in the future I say thank you to all my readers for their loyalty and ongoing interest

Some of the photos that survived

The Fire Brigade putting out the fire


1Genealogical Research Papers for the following families with photos selected ready to be published (researched back to the 1500s and Thirty Years War) Katz Sickinger Messerle Stecher Ehmann Seeger Wied Pfaumlnder Unger and Frick

2Templer Family History Research Papers ready for sorting and publishing (stored in two steel filing cabinets) 213 family names

3Draft of The Blaich Genealogy ndash Vol 2 (Palestine Egypt Syria Africa Australia) with descendants of2a Johann Georg Blaich (1813-1872) went to the Holy Land in 1870 2b Sebastian Blaich (1822-1874) went to the Holy Land in 1872 500 pages with photos maps and stories

4Draft of The Blaich Genealogy 1578-2010 ndash Vol 3 with descendants of Friedrich Blaich (1815-1885) from Oberkollwangen in the Black Forest 260 pages with photos maps and stories

List of Losses

5Draft of The Blaich Genealogy 1578-2010 ndash Vol 4 with descendants of Johannes Blaich (1785-1860) soldier in Russia and Mayor in Zwerenberg 200 pages with photos maps and stories


6Draft of The Blaich Genealogy 1578-2010 ndash Vol 5 with a variety of Blaich families including Johannes Blaich (1746-1832) and his descendants plus Albert Blaich II (WW II hero relationship not certain) Theo Blaich fighting under Rommel in North Africa and Fred Blaich family in Los Angeles USA 170 pages with photos maps and stories

7Draft of Templer Families in the Settlements of the Holy Land(all photos identified with names) approximately 450 photos of families and events in the Templer settlements 470 pages Christine Herrmann worked on this project for two years

9Draft of Horst Blaich Begegnungen(Encounters with people and events collected over many years)

10Draft of In Search of Truth ndash Horst Blaich Autobiography notes and stories plus photos and art works collected over thirty years and kept in 17 folders with only 20 per cent stored on external drives one for each life period 680 pages

8Draft of Wilhelma ndash Templer Settlement in Turbulent Times 1902-1948 with historical photos from the beginning of the settlement of families school community groups and landscapes plus maps and 150 photos from WW I WW II and the deportation to Australia in 1941 280 pages


11Draft of Ex-Templer Settlements Street Directory in The Holy Landstreet maps of Templer settlements with explanations by Jakob Eisler for each settlement with many photos Designed for visitors to Israel who want to know who lived where in the settlements 45 pages

12Draft of The Art Book drawings sketches paintings craft and commercial art work by Horst Blaich from 1941 with explanations 320 colour reproductions 650 pages

13Draft of Cemeteries ndash Templer Graves photo collection of gravestones in Haifa Jerusalem Germany Australia

14Research Papers and correspondence with Israel ndash Sarona and Waldheim Restoration Projects with emails to and from Israel Germany and Britain eg to Tel-Aviv City Archive Schumacher Institute Haifa TGD Archiv Stuttgart Folders with detailed explanations re buildings in the German settlements Beirut and Deutsch-Ost Afrika prepared for the Israeli restoration teams

15Library (including booklets) more than 500 items


W hen reading the dowry or Aussteuer document of Katharina Staumlbler (1847-1874) who two months earlier had become Matthaumlus Frankrsquos (1847-1908) wife in Jaffa Palestine I came

across these two German words written in May 1873 This Inventarium-Aufnahme was written in the fledgling Jaffa colony and details cash and items brought into the marriage The words Haipfel and Gelte are among the items listed

A Federhaipfel also spelled Heipfel or Haipfl is an old-fashioned Swabian word for a pillow of a particular size (80x100cm) in this case a feather pillow found on beds This was sometimes used as a backrest not to sleep on

A Gelte in this case eine Wassergelte is another word for a small tub to carry water in usually oval in shape with handles on either side

HORST BLAICH AND DORIS FRANK

The

HeritagePages


so it can be carried in front of you Originally made from wood it was later made from metal

Both pictures are taken from the web I found no photos of these original items

The internet and Google in particular is a wonderful source of information Did you know there is an online Schwaumlbisch dictionary found at wwwundingerdedictionairleschwaebischwort1242 or that the following link is on the Heimatverein Moumlglingen website wwwheimatverein-moeglingendevereinschwaebischschwaebisch1htm which lists not only die ersten hundert schwaumlbischen Woumlrter but also a sound file giving a definition of each one in Schwaumlbisch

In addition to the internet our best resources are still living members of our Templer community some of whom still remembered those words used both in Swabia and Palestine

Deciphering the Inventarium document took a team of willing participants First locating the document in the archives then decoding the Suumltterlin script and finally deciphering unknown expressions such as the above-mentioned words by checking with

Federhaipfel

Gelte


early Templers from Palestine as well as confirming the same and finding suitable pictures on the internet

This document with others of the same era were found in the Templer Archives in Bentleigh What a privilege it is to be able to source and read these original documents ndash albeit wearing gloves and exercising due caution Some have now been scanned and digital copies are available on request

152 TUCKER ROAD BENTLEIGH VIC 3204P 03 9557 6713

E tsatemplesocietyorgauW wwwtemplesocietyorgau

ISSN 2202-1329PRINT POST APPROVED PP32694000008

TRMarch2014_CoverOnly

TRMarch2014

ldquoSet your mind on Godrsquos kingdom and his justice before everything else and all the rest will come to you as wellrdquo

(Matt 633)

Templer Reflections


March 2014








Issue no 761




LOSS amp RENEWAL


Ecclesiastes 3124


From the Editors

Easter




Community

PoemmdashLetting go


Heritage Pages




2

4

6

10

12

16

18

26

28

36

Contents





MARK HERRMANN


From the

RegionalHead












From the

Editors









DIETRICH P RUFF

Inspire























OSKAR KROCKENBERGER




Awaken








Oskar Krockenberger





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014

Templer Reflections


March 2014








Issue no 761




LOSS amp RENEWAL


Ecclesiastes 3124


From the Editors

Easter




Community

PoemmdashLetting go


Heritage Pages




2

4

6

10

12

16

18

26

28

36

Contents





MARK HERRMANN


From the

RegionalHead












From the

Editors









DIETRICH P RUFF

Inspire























OSKAR KROCKENBERGER




Awaken








Oskar Krockenberger





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014




LOSS amp RENEWAL


Ecclesiastes 3124


From the Editors

Easter




Community

PoemmdashLetting go


Heritage Pages




2

4

6

10

12

16

18

26

28

36

Contents





MARK HERRMANN


From the

RegionalHead












From the

Editors









DIETRICH P RUFF

Inspire























OSKAR KROCKENBERGER




Awaken








Oskar Krockenberger





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014


From the Editors

Easter




Community

PoemmdashLetting go


Heritage Pages




2

4

6

10

12

16

18

26

28

36

Contents





MARK HERRMANN


From the

RegionalHead












From the

Editors









DIETRICH P RUFF

Inspire























OSKAR KROCKENBERGER




Awaken








Oskar Krockenberger





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014





MARK HERRMANN


From the

RegionalHead












From the

Editors









DIETRICH P RUFF

Inspire























OSKAR KROCKENBERGER




Awaken








Oskar Krockenberger





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014












From the

Editors









DIETRICH P RUFF

Inspire























OSKAR KROCKENBERGER




Awaken








Oskar Krockenberger





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014









DIETRICH P RUFF

Inspire























OSKAR KROCKENBERGER




Awaken








Oskar Krockenberger





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014























OSKAR KROCKENBERGER




Awaken








Oskar Krockenberger





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014








Oskar Krockenberger





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014





MORNA KORTSCHAK

Resurrect















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014















within usMorna

Kortschak

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014

















but to care about












but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014










but to accept










and love more


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014


HELMUT GLENK






Templersgo there








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014








The Auer Factor




Dear Sir















Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014












Dear Sir





























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014























life work









The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014








The day of the

fire

HORST BLAICH



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014



























List of Losses




















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014



















The

HeritagePages







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014







Federhaipfel

Gelte








TRMarch2014








TRMarch2014

Templer · Templer Reflections formerly Templer Record March 2014 The Temple Society Australia is...

Documents

Transcript of Templer · Templer Reflections formerly Templer Record March 2014 The Temple Society Australia is...