Testimonials
Suanne Tikoft
Current FRM Board member Suanne Tikoft (pictured with her husband Erik) recently retired and relocated to Adelaide and wrote:
Erik and I moved to Alice Springs in 1996 with our three young sons. Our experience of living in Alice was a very positive one. We feel that our lives were enriched and blessed by our 25 years in the Centre and have no regrets about our decision to live there.
Pastor Rob Borgas
I got involved in Aboriginal ministry because another guy at the seminary asked me if I wanted to do my fieldwork at Adelaide Aboriginal Lutheran Fellowship at George Street Thebarton. When I went there, it really blew my mind. Just being surrounded by one hundred Indigenous people and meeting them before and after church introduced me to an amazing church, an amazing culture and a fascinating history. My mind was made up then and there – I wanted to do Aboriginal ministry. That was in 1983. Regular ministry looked very boring compared to what I witnessed at that church. You’ll never, never know if you never, never go.
Rob served as a support worker for Finke River Mission for nearly two decades!
Family life in Alice Springs
by Pastor Andrew Koehler
When we first moved to Alice Springs, our children were aged 12, 6 and 4. We didn’t really know what to expect moving from the Gold Coast. What we found was the best experience we could have had for our family life.
There are plenty of quality options for schooling in Alice Springs. There is a Catholic school from Prep to 12 (where our son completed his final 6 years of school); a Lutheran primary school (where our younger two attended); another Christian primary and secondary school; and numerous state schools. We certainly do not believe our children’s education would have been better served anywhere else.
The Centre will always be our family home, even though our children are now grown up and left home, and we moved from Alice Springs several years ago. The laidback lifestyle, openness to accepting newcomers because most people have come from somewhere, the many sporting and other leisure options. The open spaces provide more options for bush camping, walking and exploring than can be found anywhere else. These things made Alice Springs a great place to live and make many memories.
We have great memories of camping in riverbeds, four-wheel driving adventures, swimming in bush waterholes, encountering camels, dingoes and other wildlife and just enjoying the beauty of Central Australia together. Added to this is the cultural opportunity of getting to know local Indigenous people, which has given our children experiences and understandings that they might not otherwise have.
A concern for many is the supposed isolation of Alice Springs. We did not find that to be an issue. There are regular flights to most capital cities. The health services on offer are great, with a very well equipped and serviced hospital, including a large paediatric ward. Many specialists of all types regularly visit Alice Springs, and for treatment that can’t be carried out locally, NT Health transports patients to hospitals in other major cities. Add to all this the many work opportunities in many different fields and experiences that can’t be gained elsewhere.
For families, couples or individuals, Alice Springs is a great place to live. I am happy to discuss this more fully with anyone who wishes to contact me.
