A MINISTER from Down Under will be returning to West Devon next month and, as part of her pilgrimage, she will be visiting a church which holds a special family significance for her.
The Rev Marion Millin and her husband Martin, who live in Perth, Australia, say one of the highlights of their visit will be attending Tavistock Methodist Church and taking part in worship there on Sunday, May 5.
Mrs Millin will be taking part in the morning service there at 10.30am on Sunday morning — then she will preach at the evening service at Peter Tavy Chapel at 6.30pm.
Tavistock Methodist Church holds a special significance for Mrs Millin. It was the place in which she was confirmed, her father died, her marriage took place, her younger son was baptised and this visit will also mark a special anniversary.
It was not until she wrote to Tavistock's current minister, the Rev Jeff Moles, back in December that she suddenly realised exactly 40 years to the day will have passed since she was confirmed a member at Tavistock Methodist Church.
Mr Millin's parents, Ida and Reg Millin, spent many happy years in retirement in Tavistock and Mrs Millin's own family connections go back nearly a hundred years - her maiden name was Marion Pellowe.
She said: 'My grandfather worked in the tin and copper mines at Mary Tavy and Peter Tavy.
'My father, Arthur Pellowe, was a teacher at Tavistock Primary and then at the newly formed Comprehensive School. And my mother, Muriel —later Collins — taught at Tavyside School.'
Mrs Millin is now a minister in the Uniting Church in Perth, Western Australia, working half-time in a congregation and half-time as a prison chaplain. The Millin's have lived in Perth for 30 years.
'We still love to touch base with Tavistock and the moors on our infrequent visits,' said Mrs Millin.
Mrs Millin says she has fond memories of growing up in Peter Tavy and at Warren Lane on Whitchurch Road.
She said: 'I attended Tavistock Grammar School in the late fifties to mid sixties and know of five other former pupils of that vintage living in Perth.'
Mr Moles said he was looking forward to welcoming the couple back to West Devon. 'She has got a background here and its always good to see what has happened to people who started out here and went to the other side of world,' he said.
The couple will be accompanied on the weekend visit by Mrs Millin's younger brother Michael, who is a teacher in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
Her older brother, John, became a doctor and is manager of a psychiatric hospital in New York.
If anyone wants to catch up, try contacting Marion and Martin on 001161 417 175 653, or e-mail at: [email protected]">[email protected]