Monthly Archives: Oct 2019

Re the number of celebrants and the sustained deluging of the market (Australia).

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I am still alarmed that no discussion seems to be allowed on the one and most important problem, which is so destructive of the celebrant program—that of excessive numbers.
I keep my ear to the ground and talk to celebrants and the general public all the time. There are a few quite wonderful celebrants who, by dint of skilled advertising on the internet and a good reputation, manage to gain enough ceremonies to earn a part-time income. There are a few celebrants who are so well off financially that they are able to spend a great deal of money to hire internet skills.

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Celebrants: Links to selected articles from previous years

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Topics include threats to the Civil Celebrant program, the French model raised by AG Mr Philip Ruddock the importance of focusing on celebrancy, if I were attorney general for a day, how things should be in the program, the question of a valid marriage, the wedding vows as a compact, a celebrants’ meeting with the public service, civil celebrants established officially in New Jersey, USA, signatures on a decorative marriage certificate, and how civil ceremonies enrich the culture and transmit values. Open letters from Dally Messenger to attorneys-general George Brandis, Nicola Roxen, and Mark Dreyfus.

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Celebrants: The objective, the plan, the vision

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Tuesday, 17 September 2019

Dear public servants and fellow delegates,

Without a vision, the people perish.

In the last few years I have been looking at your agendas and minutes and find myself with a growing feeling of despair. I cannot detect the vision any more.
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Let me explain. There are two groups in Australia who are good examples of those who understand deeply what the word “culture” means—the Aboriginal people and the Jewish community. Their lives are full of ceremonies and rituals all year round and all life through. They know who they are and to whom they belong because their values and beliefs are enshrined in these events.
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