Roy's Retreat is an Incorporated Association. Governance of Roy's Retreat is through an ecumenical board appointed annually at the Association's Annual General Meeting in accordance with the association's constitution.
Roy’s Retreat as an Incorporated Association invites and encourages spiritual seekers to become a member. Annual membership is $30 for waged people or $20 for unwaged. Membership is open all year round. To become a member of Roy’s Retreat please complete the Membership Form PDF and post or email to Roy’s Retreat P.O. Box 142 Willunga South Australia 5172. Payment can be by enclosing cheque or Money Order with your membership application or payment can also be done through the PayPal
function on this page.
Members need to agree to abide by the rules of the Constitution (see Constitution PDF below). Members of Roy’s Retreat are welcome to attend any Team planning or prayer days. Members are invited to our Annual General Meeting and are eligible to stand for the Board or to take on key volunteering roles within Roy’s Retreat. Those who become members of Roy’s Retreat have the satisfaction of knowing that through their prayer and membership fee they are contributing to the faith development
of more than 300 people each year.
Margaret Bennett
Tim Deslandes
Janet Edwards
Tim is a Catholic married layperson with four adult children. He has a background in Community Development, Narrative Therapy and Faith Formation. Tim is a trained Spiritual Director, currently in his last year of formation in the Jesuit’s Arrupe program which trains Spiritual Directors to become givers of the Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius of Loyola. Tim founded Roy’s Retreat in 2006.
Janet is an experienced Prayer Companion and giver of Retreats in Daily Life. Janet has a Diploma of Church Ministry and has worked as a Pastoral Associate in a Catholic Parish. For a number of years Janet worked as a Community Information Officer and with South-East Life Line. Janet is currently in formation to become a Spiritual Director. She is a mother of three adult children and six grandchildren.
Elaine Lee
Des O'Grady
Elaine is a Spiritual Director, Retreat Director and Grief and loss Counsellor. She has worked in Hospital ministries and respite services in Chaplaincy. For many years Elaine worked in Catholic Secondary Schools. Elaine now finds she is the student who still has much to learn from her adult children and grandchildren.
Des is a Christian Brother living in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. For many years Des has been involved in Adult Education and congregational leadership. Des has been a pioneer in the area of Adult Education within the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide. Des is a very experienced and extensively trained Spiritual Director and has recently completed a twelve month intensive formation program in Centering Prayer. Des describes himself as “a work in progress”.
Margaret Oomens
Roz Park
Margaret is an experienced Prayer Companion and giver of Retreats in Daily Life. A Benedictine Oblate and mother of 7 adult children and 14 grandchildren, Marg has recently completed a twelve month intensive formation program in Centering Prayer. Marg has grown up in the Catholic tradition and is currently a member of the Willunga Catholic parish. Marg is a member of the Roy’s Retreat Board.
Roz is a married layperson whose denominational background is Churches of Christ. Roz is a Spiritual Director and Retreat Director who has recently completed the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. Roz is a past President of the Churches of Christ in South Australia and is currently a member of the Roy’s Retreat Board.
Tina Adams
Tina is a married layperson, mother of three and grandmother of five. Tina works as a Youth Worker in the community of Hackham West. For 20 years Tina has been involved in community leadership through the Hackham West Community Centre where she has been given the honour of Life Membership. Tina is a member of the Roy’s Retreat Board.
Milton Crothers
Leonie Staunton
Milton is a member of the Marion Churches of Christ. He has a background in Local Government, administration and personal caring. Milton currently works in the homeless men’s sector and is committed to his local faith community.
.
The Roy’s Retreat story:
Tim Deslandes opened Roy’s Retreat in 2006 after returning from the Men’s Rites of Passage Retreat through the Centre for Action and Contemplation, Richard Rohr’s Centre in New Mexico. A year prior to this, Tim’s 88 year old dad, Roy, had a cottage built to live in, in the beautiful township of Willunga. Roy only lived to enjoy 3 weeks in his new home, leaving empty a beautiful cottage on Tim’s Willunga property. Tim soon began making the cottage available as a place where people could come and make a silent Retreat.
Before long the cottage began being referred to as Roy’s Retreat. Given that a Roy’s Retreat website had already been established, when Tim began offering other programs away from the Willunga property in 2008, he did so under the name of Roy’s Retreat. The year 2009 saw a number of people from a range of Christian denominations joining with Tim to offer Retreats and Spiritual Direction. In March 2010 Roy’s Retreat became an Incorporated Association.
The cottage at Willunga is currently used as a centre for Spiritual Direction and Contemplative Prayer classes, while Retreats and Spiritual Direction are offered through a number of venues across South Australia. Roy has left us a wonderful space where the sacred can be explored, honoured and celebrated.
