By Graeme Dawson
Dr Gail Iles, RMIT University researcher into ‘Instrumentation’, Neutron scattering’, ‘Nanoparticle magnetism’ and lectures in Physics, but is personally skilled and certified in many other areas.
She is a certified open water diver, has her ‘wings’ as a private pilot, and regularly occupies a spot on Radio 3AW, answering curly questions from many listeners.
Her recent research interests are ‘space radiation’, and ‘the micro gravity phenomena’.
Why all this detail on Dr Gail?
Well I find her fascinating, but also, because recently I have been hearing and reading of lot about ‘Flat Earth’ believers and proponents. Apparently there is a growing number of them and I guess they might team up well with those who don’t believe that there is such a thing as Covid, calling it a conspiracy, and one belief among them is that in each vaccination a foreign country is inserting a spying microchip.
I’ll vote for Dr. Gail – for her real knowledge after a life of research.
Never far away, my mind then went to the great King David, who has a city named after him in Israel, and their currant flag features the ‘Star of David.
As a teenage shepherd boy he was anointed by the prophet Samuel to eventually become King.
While still a lad and with a growing knowledge of God’s plan and protection over his people – in the face of taunting, he stepped forward and slew a giant with a stone from his sling. Yes there were giants in the land at that time.
He was handy and confident with the sling as we read of him killing wild animals while protecting his sheep.
Even as a lad he was prepared to take on responsibility: Not trained in a university but trained in life.
He became Israel’s greatest king and was celebrated in his country and surrounding areas for his victories at war – a warrior with a gentle heart. He played the harp beautifully to sooth the old king’s depression, and wrote 150 Psalms/Songs or just real expressions of his journey with his God.
Where do Dr Gail and King David meet?
Well they were both given opportunities in life. They studied life from where they were and what they observed at the time. They tested and practiced their skills.
David’s Psalm 139 has some amazing insights into life. He was not perfect but when he died of old age, God’s epitaph over him was, “This was a man after my own heart”.
As a man with failures like most, I would love to think that God might write that over me one day.
This is where Dr. Gail comes back in.
Recently while on talk back radio, she answered a listener’s question with a pause for careful consideration.
‘Q’ “What would happen if a planet or the sun expanded – what would it do to the universe?”
Hope I get this right, but in effect she said that all would collapse out of their orbits and without naming the outcome, it was clear that it would be the end of the universe.
However, she did go on to say that each planet needs every other planet to stay on their gravitational orbit to maintain theirs.
I perceived that her answer came from studying that in University – and perhaps while sitting on a rock on a starry night as well.
And the King writes in a psalm after staring at the night sky, ‘When I consider your heavens, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that he is even on your mind?’
– Graeme Dawson, Chaplain to Community
