I was born in Latrobe Tasmania, the fourth in a family of six children. One boy and five girls. We tended to move around a bit so my schooling was all over the state, from Latrobe to Smithton to Queenstown, finally onto Launceston.
At the end of year 10 I left school and worked at the Launceston hospital for nine years as a hospital aid.
Like most girls (especially in my era) I was praying for and looking for a husband. I met Steve my husband at Memorial Baptist ( now Gateway ) while he was attending Bible College here in Launceston, Worldwide Evangelistic Crusade (WEC).
We married after he finished college in 1981 (there was a rule at that time and continued for many years among evangelical bible colleges around Australia that you were married before you came into college, or you married after graduation, but not when in bible college).
Steve is trained as an aircraft engineer (did his training with Qantas), he is also a car and diesel mechanic. (Well-Being Australia's Dr Mark Tronson has often said that Steve only needs to listen to an engine, even 100 metres away and he can tell you all about it).
Steve felt led into some sort of overseas mission work, and as I was married to him that meant I would be going as well. (Mark Tronson says this is a classic saying that Delma has also experienced in their ministry).
After some praying and thinking we ended up joining A.B.M.S. (Australian Baptist Missionary Society now renamed Global Interaction).
We could serve overseas after I completed twelve months of college at WEC, and we spent two and a half years living in P.N.G. where our first daughter was born. I could write many pages on our experiences as missionaries, I won't here as we've all read so many such stories and they are not that different in what we - saw, experienced, felt, the difficulties, the joys, and the like.
We returned from PNG to live in Sydney where number two daughter born.
For 15 years Steve worked for Ansett until they closed down, and that was a shock to all of us. We were left in limbo for some time and then Steve was contacted by a good friend with Virgin and his aircraft engineering story was able to continue.
This Virgin aircraft engineering role was in Tasmania so we had the chance to move back to Launceston and Steve was very pleased to take up the offered position with Virgin Australia.
So we have been here since 2003, both our daughters have married local men, and who happen to be the children of friends we have known since my youth group days at Memorial. How funny is that!!
God has been a faithful friend and provider to us over the years. We are now the very proud grandparents of little Joshua.
Steve has served with Mark Tronson in his mission activities for 28 years and since moving to Tassie, Steve has coordinated the mission activities here. For example, over the last two years, Steve arranged for Mark to speak at a Gideon's function, Steve helped coordinate two Country Town Tours (these are very welcome in Tasmania) and linked several young writers from both Launceston and Hobart to the young writer program.
As part of our coordinating role with Well-Being Australia we have met with the young writers over luncheons and developed with Mark Tronson other community programs and services.
Last year Mark Tronson needed the vehicle at the Laguna Quays Respite changed over, so we went up there for a week and found a suitable exchange vehicle which Steve negotiated down to an appropriate price. The Holden dealer proprietor lives five doors down from the respite cottage.
Mark Tronson asked me to become a Panellist two years ago, as he thought I fitted the criteria he had in mind which seemed to be a former missionary, a home maker, someone within the pew not up front, a different perspective.
It's been an interesting two years, where I have been challenged by a lot of the articles, and also encouraged by them. It's been a discipline for me. I'm of the opinion we're in good hands with this next generation of young Christians leaders.
Dr Mark Tronson is a Baptist minister (retired) who served as the Australian cricket team chaplain for 17 years (2000 ret) and established Life After Cricket in 2001. He was recognised by the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 presented by Carl Lewis Olympian of the Century. He mentors young writers and has written 24 books, and enjoys writing. He is married to Delma, with four adult children and grand-children.
Mark Tronson's archive of articles can be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/mark-tronson.html
