A feature about domestic violence in the Anglican Church has won gold at the annual awards of the Australasian Religious Press Association, held recently in Sydney.

The cover story “Victim to their Charms”, written by Anne Lim for the August 2015 edition of Southern Cross, shared the stories of a number of women and men in the Diocese who have been subject to physical, emotional and spiritual abuse at the hands of their spouse. The story also highlighted the difficulty victims often have being believed and supported effectively. The judges of the Best Feature category described the piece as a “penetrating probe into an uncomfortable reality” and applauded Anne Lim’s writing and research skills.

SC editor Judy Adamson also received a gold award for her November 2015 cover headline about Synod, titled “Meet, Pray, Love”. The judges noted that headline played on the similarity to the title of a recent movie/novel and was “brief and punchy” while also capturing “the essence of what follows in the story”.

Contributor the Rev Mark Wormell, an associate minister at St Barnabas’, Broadway, won a bronze award in the Best Faith Reflection category for his December 2015 piece about dementia titled “God’s care throughout life”. In their comments, one of the judges described being particularly struck by this statement: “Knowing that someone is always a person in the eyes of God, and God saves until the end of this life, should encourage us to persevere in our love of people in our care”. 

ARPA’s premier Gutenberg Award was presented to Graeme Cole, the public affairs manager at Wesley Mission for the past 15 years, who attends St Andrew’s, Cronulla and has also been director of communications for Anglicare.

The citation with the award spoke of Mr Cole’s reporting as “grounded in a commitment to justice and truth and founded in personal integrity”, adding that his work was “not a venture or service for himself – it is a mission to point to the good works that are being done in the name of Jesus Christ”.