Sharing the Eucharist with Ruth then aged four when she asked "Could she have some special bread too” (at Neutral Bay and the mafia reported you to “the cathedral”.
Standing so many traditional Gospel interpretations on their head and making of them contemporary and pertinent sense.
Your courage and rage in working for justice for our Aboriginal brothers and sisters.
Your defiant anticlericalism in making over the presbytery for their care.
Your telling quotes from Australian and Irish poets and their insights in expanding your theology.
Your book Who Is Worthy? and its compassionate embrace of the gay and Aboriginal communities and those wounded and cast out by the institutional post-3rd century Church. It has helped give a new hope to so many whom I know personally and for whom I know it has shown a new way to the true face of Jesus.
That great quote from Tertullian.
Your abundant hospitality and refuge on so many occasions at Burrawang and sharing its special magic.
Your wit and ironic understatement.
Maintaining the vision and challenge of the John XXIII post-Vatican II Church
Your courage in continuing to celebrate the Mass and share the Eucharist with us way past the point when health would have dictated to 99.9% of people that they retire, my profound thanks Ted.
Your guts in your struggle generally with your ill-health and remaining intellectually productive. Your good company shared over a glass of good red (and not so good).
Above all your acceptance of our shared human frailty.
This of course is not to canonise you. You old bastard. Thank you for your perception on the day you asked me to do the readings at Redfern that opened the garden gate to the path back into the human race.
A deep and warm thank you Ted from both Ruth and Kate for your support of us during some huge crashing surfs and vicious undertows. God love you Ted.