It was my delight to volunteer for a month at Campfire in the Heart in October 2023.  After attending a retreat there in July 2023 with our David’s Place community, I felt drawn to come back and be a part of this amazing place.  Being there for a week was a wonderful taste, and we experienced many of the joys of being in Mbantua (Alice Springs), including going out on Country to the Telegraph Station and Simpson’s Gap, where we had the opportunity of reflecting on the history of the place and just being in the environment and listening to what it was saying to us.  We also were welcomed to both the Uniting and Catholic Church communities and Keith and Stella’s home at White Gums. 

Being there for four weeks was a really good amount of time because it gave me the chance to get to know the place a bit better, and to really experience the many aspects of Campfire in the Heart more deeply.    Being able to assist Nicola, the Manager, was a joy and the fact that I was able to be a part of and support the two different retreats really enriched my time there.  So many interesting and wonderful people to get to know, so much to reflect upon.  Being accepted as a part of the that little community of Nicola, Jorge and Huss, plus the visitors who came to the Monday evening meditation, the Tuesday Contemplative Book Club and the Wednesday evening pot luck supper and campfire reflection, was precious to me.  So many other experiences of welcome and community punctuated my time there, but the enduring memory is of the deep silence, the birds, the magnificent skies, sunrises and sunsets, campfires, spending time in meditation, listening to people and the country.  I had a real sense of freedom and joy being there and would love to return.

– Fran Pegrem 

Volunteer applications can be made by filling out this form.

This article was first published in the WCCM Australia February 2024 Newsletter. View as PDF.