This is a page dedicated to the memory and members of the (former!) North Melbourne Cell Group.

I won't claim to be a very accurate historian, so if anyone would like to correct me on what I have written, please do feel free to e-mail me!

Well, I think the NMCG started off as a bible study/home-fellowship group of the Swanston Street COC back in...um, about 1993 or so.  At about that time, my impression is that the Overseas Christian Fellowship (Melbourne Uni) was starting to head a little off its previously beaten path, with a learning towards pentecostal directions, and the committee was taking upon itself to do interesting things such as "ex-communicate" members.

As somewhat of a protest against this, certain members of OCF took it upon themselves to start the NMCG, as a bible-study group dedicated to the study of God's word, and under the auspices of the church.

From the beginning, the group had more of an "academic" bent, and, initially, general social activities were few.  Members came to learn from and be inspired by good biblical teaching (lead for some years by Ray Haverfield). There was to an emphasise on the development of skills that would be useful in leadership positions, and many inspiring members were to come from the group to take up roles in the church.

At the beginning, the group was dominated by medical students, but as time went, "normal" poeple became more numerous - and eventually the medicos fell into a minority.  Which most people would say was a good thing.

Eventually, the group was amalgamated into International Student Fellowship of the Swanston Street COC in 1998, as and such, the NMCG was no more.

If you are a former member of the NMCG and have any photos or news you would like me to post to this page, please email me.  I can scan and return any photos snail-mailed to me.

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1. The first ever NMCG camp, held at a really nice place.  Forget where.  Sorry.   Calvin M. was the speaker, I think this may have had something to do with almost everyone being medical at this stage.  Oh, the food was nice.  I think we may have been eating kangaroo at this meal.  Yum.  Nothing like eating the national symbol.
2. Another group shot from that first camp.
3. The second ever NMCG camp, held in - gee, forget the name of this place too.  Umm - anyway, the dude adjusting his collar is David - oops, forget his surname.  A mate of Ray's, and, co-incidentally, he used to teach Sunday school to David (my brother, not himself) and me, many moons ago, at the Presbyterian church in South Yarra.  We'll get back to that later.
4. Up a fire tower during the NMCG camp, after we set the church alight.  No, just joking.

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5. The first ever NMCG-YAF camp.  Also the last.  An interesting experiment in cross-cultural mixing.  Well, like I said, the last ever NMCG-YAF camp.   Actually, it was pretty good, just didn't set the world on fire.  (Um, if you're a YAFer, you guys are really nice!)
6. I think this was the first ISF camp.  At this stage, it may have just been called a joint NMCG-HKSF camp.  Anyway, it was good.  I definitely remember sitting next to Akiko in the bus on the way home - I remember interrogating her about her background, and thinking she'd never want to talk to me again.
7. This is from the third ISF camp (if you count f. as the first).  (Sorry, can't find a photo from the 2nd).  In this interesting scene, the girls are supposed to be nasty sisters who are doing something to someone else.  Forget the details.  Anyway.
8. This is in the basement of the church.  Not sure why we took this picture - it was either the farewell party for Wilfred, or simply the last meeting we had one year.

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9. A bunch of us at a restaurant - I think it was Janbo???  A farewell for Wilfred, I think.  If I'm wrong, please feel free to correct me, and sorry!
10. Dinner somewhere in Little Burke Street.
11. Taken during our trip to Melbourne in April '99, this is in the church basement, looking towards the north side - hard to tell, but in the background is a bit of the new auditorium.
12. NMCG outside the church at our wedding!

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13. The gang at Lip Wai and Selene's wedding.
14. Sorry Lip Wai - don't know how you got chopped off here!  A picture from the reception.
15. Former NMCG and other COCers at Victor and Boon's wedding reception.  The ceremony was at the Presbyterian church David used to teach Sunday school at.
16. Ray delivering a speech at Victor and Boon's reception.

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17. Here's a few more pictures from Victor and Boon's wedding.  First shot is from the hall behind the Presbyterian church in which the ceremony took place.
18. A family shot
19. A very nice picture.  Not sure of the location!