Michael Kirby speaks

I am indebted to Calamity Jane at Pie in the Sky for the following interview.
It refers to a book  "Five Uneasy Pieces" a copy of which Calamity gave me when I was in Sydney at Christmas.  I was back in NZ by the time of the Sydney launch where parts of this video were filmed.
I think I have written before about how much I admire Michael Kirby who is a retired Justice of the High Court of Australia.
We grew up in the same suburb, he was five years older than me and his brother, also a judge, was in my class.  We went to the same 2 primary schools (North Strathfield and Summer Hill) and high school (Fort Street) then to Sydney University where he studied law and rose to great heights and I specialised in education. Parish boundaries meant that I mainly worshipped in a different Anglican church to him.  I purchased a book he wrote "A Private Life: Fragments, Memories, Friends" when I was back in Sydney in April but left it there for my sister to read as she did spend  time in the same parish as him. I found we had some of the same teachers. I hope to bring it home and reread more slowly in August. 


I note Michael refers to worshipping at St James, King Street, one of the few inclusive Anglican churches in the Sydney Diocese. The book launch had to be held in a Uniting Church although written by Anglicans. Michael Kirby refers to those who keep to the old literal interpretations of these texts as being narrow and arrogant. 
That would be one of the more polite terms I would use of Peter Jensen (archbishop of Sydney) who I believe has demanded that his vile diatribe against same-sex marriage be read in all Sydney parishes today. Just as well I am not in Sydney as, while feeling for the rector of St James, I would have no alternative but to object in some way, if he follows this directive at today's services.