After more than 130 editions of Sandpiper e-News, this is my first and last ‘note from the editor’.
After six years working in Communications at the Chancery, today is my last day. I feel incredibly grateful to have had the privilege of listening to and sharing so many extraordinary stories from our Sandhurst community. Again and again, I’ve been struck by the way the Holy Spirit works through the lives of seemingly ‘ordinary’ people, who remind us that the Church really is the people.
The first edition of Sandpiper e-News was published on 13 July 2020, with the breaking story New Era for School Governance. It was in the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, so no surprise that then-Deacon, Fr Adi Indra, reported in with When in Rome, describing how his college community had suddenly shrunk from 180 people to 24.
One of my favourite stories was published in edition 4, when we really needed the Sandhurst community to get behind Sandpiper e-News, which had superseded the longstanding printed SandPiper. With miraculous timing, the Good Samaritan in Age no Barrier for Eaglehawk Octogenarian became a double Good Samaritan, alerting me to Mary Harrison’s uplifting story. The message? If Mary can get online, we all can!
With every edition of Sandpiper e-News, trusty volunteer proofreader, the hawk-eyed Mary Pianta, has stood by my side, clearing up rogue punctuation, not to mention the big doozies I had become blind to. Thank you, Mary, for your professionalism, your care, your grace and your friendship.
To Sandpiper readers, those who have alerted me to events and stories – you know who you are – and those who’ve taken time to give feedback, positive or negative, thank you. Your interest and engagement have shaped the Sandpiper – and the editor.
I’m especially grateful to those of you who have so generously opened your lives and trusted me with your sometimes very personal stories. We are a storytelling people, and your stories have helped us to know one another better and matter more to each other. They have changed me, and I will carry something of each of them with me.
You can look forward to some great changes in Sandhurst Communications. Bishop René RCJ has qualifications in social communications and a keen interest in communications technology. He’s also keen for more clergy involvement in diocesan communications. So, watch this space!
Two more Sandpiper e-News editions will be published this year, on 9 October and 18 December. Make sure to let Chancery know of events you’d like to promote or stories we need to share by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and don’t forget you can always submit a bulletin notice to be circulated to all parishes.
In a world flooded with negative headlines, Sandpiper shares the Good News — telling stories of faith, hope, service and community. As Jesus says, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.” (Mark 16:15)
Let’s tell it.
Katrina Strong
Communications Coordinator
Diocese of Sandhurst
