Sunday 21 September 2025
25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Amos 8:4-7. Praise the Lord who lifts up the poor – Ps 112(113):1-2, 4-8. 1 Timothy 2:1-8. Luke 16:1-13.
Anyone who is trustworthy in little things is trustworthy in great
From the mid-1950s to 1970s, my mother worked at Cowra Hospital. Beginning as a telephonist-receptionist, she became PA to the Secretary and eventually Pay Mistress. She would walk down the hill to the bank once a fortnight and return carrying a small fortune in notes and coins. It amazes me still that she was not mugged.
Starting work as an unknown, Mum’s work ethic was so good that the Secretary begged her to work for him. He had been a demanding boss. Mum laid down her conditions: she was to be treated with respect and consulted about requirements. He accepted.
As Pay Mistress, Mum handled all the complexities of a hospital workforce, awards, loadings, holiday and long-service leave. All she had was an adding machine. Years later, one of the senior RNs commented, ‘Ellie never made a mistake’. Eventually, suffering eye strain, she retired. Three men replaced her.
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