Karisma July 2015

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Official Newsletter of

St. Peters Charismatic


Prayer Group (KNK)
Vol No 5/July 2015

St. Peter Apostle Mission Parish, Hoppers Crossing, VIC Australia 3029 Ph: 9749 4300
Email: [email protected] Helping to build the Body

of Christ Facebook a/c: Katawan N. Kristo

Come Holy Spirit fill us with your Life, Power and Love!
KNK Miscella-News

PENTECOST VlGIL

KNKs 20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

The Pentecost vigil was held at St Peter


Apostle Mission Parish on Saturday 23rd
May. It began with exposition of the
Blessed Sacrament after the 6pm mass.
The KNK members started from 11pm
onwards. We were led in praise and
worship by Sherwin Simangan followed by
a talk given by Lito Ramirez. After the
prayers of intercession and a short break,
Br Gregory from the Brothers of the Two
Hearts gave an inspiring talk. The music
ministry sang beautiful hymns throughout
the night and the Martha ministry provided

Our prayer community will be celebrating


our 20th anniversary on 25th July. Please
see our invitation below. We hope to see
you there.

us snacks and tea/coffee to keep us


awake throughout the night.
The night vigil concluded with the Holy
Mass at 5 am celebrated by our parish
priest, Fr Pius Kodakkathanath. It was a
spirit filled night and everyone felt the
presence of the Holy Spirit.

TWEET FROM POPE FRANCIS


How wonderful it is to proclaim to everyone the
love of God which saves us and gives
meaning to our lives!
https://twitter.com/Pontifex

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MY PENTECOST EXPERIENCE
By Karen Fernandes
I
had
attended
the
Pentecost Vigil last year. It
started after the 6.00pm
mass on Saturday evening
and finished on Sunday
morning with the 5.00am
mass. The KNK members
were there from 11.00pm onwards. As I
looked back I remembered that it was a
beautiful experience and being in the
presence of our awesome God for so
many hours was definitely a privilege
especially when I think about the freedom
I enjoy to worship whenever I want to.
This year when the parish announced the
Pentecost Vigil I was excited and looked
forward to attending it again. However my
excitement was short lived when I realised
that our core group members who
organised it last year were away and
hence one other member and I were the
ones who would have to take care of the
Vigil this year. At first I was afraid but I
prayed and I know that the other group
members were also praying for us. As the
time drew near, things slowly began to
take shape. I decided to contact the
Brothers of the Two Hearts to help with a
talk or sharing as would be appropriate
since these Brothers also help our parish
with the first Friday adoration. We emailed
them and we were told that they would
definitely help. However there was no
further communication after that. (i.e. who
would come, how long the session would
be etc.)
As the time drew near I was anxious and
asked one of our members who is
experienced in conducting vigils to help
me organise the program. So I wrote up a

rough program and took it over to him. We


prayed and then went through the
program, made changes as required and
then I mentioned to him that I need to have
all this ready so that I do not forget whilst I
am there and he told me that I was
depending on myself. When he said that, I
realised that although I was praying I was
not giving it to the Lord, I was still holding
on to my petition. Soon after that I realised
my foolishness and surrendered the Vigil
to our Lord. Things seemed easier as I coordinated with my co-organiser. There was
only a week left and I still did not hear any
more information from the Brothers about
what was going to happen on the night.
But now as I prayed and gave it to the Lord
I said Lord if the Brothers come it will be a
bonus.
A few days before the Vigil I once again
went to our experienced member and
discussed the program and asked him to
pray with me before I left. We prayed and
the word we were given was from Acts
4:31 "When they had prayed, the place
in which they were gathered together
was shaken; and they were all filled
with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word
of God with boldness". After this I felt
much stronger and peaceful.
On the Saturday of the Vigil, I knew I had
to have a nap in the afternoon so that I
would be able to stay awake through the
night. That afternoon I prayed and slept
and I woke up at around 6.20pm. Barely
did I wake up the phone rang, it was
Br.Gregory calling to say that he was
taking his flight from Adelaide and would
be with us for part of the Pentecost Vigil. I
could not help but feel even more peaceful
seeing Gods hand at work.

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We arrived at the church at around


11.00pm. The music ministry arrived and
set up. We then began praise and worship
which was followed by a talk by Lito
Ramirez who spoke about the first
Pentecost and how the disciples and
Mother Mary were gathered together and
were praying when they experienced the
first Pentecost. These were ordinary men
who were empowered by the Holy Spirit
and became bold enough to proclaim
God's word. This was then followed by
prayers of intercession. It was now about
1.00am and we had a break for about half
an hour.
Br. Gregory arrived at
1.30am and we started with
a short praise and worship
and handed over to Brother.
He spoke to us about the
unconditional love of God
for each one of us. He
spoke to us about Adoration
and how we have lost our
desire to adore the Lord.
When we receive Holy
Communion
we
are
supposed to leave the
church changed people
because we have received the Lord Jesus
but if we are not willing to spend some time
with Jesus when he is within us how can
this change come about? He said that it
was like inviting a friend over. The friend
arrives at your home, you welcome him
and ask him to take a seat and then you
leave your home. Your friend is left sitting
all alone. This was something that struck
me and made me realise that just as we
work on everything else in our lives we
have to work on our relationship with God.
He also spoke to us about how it pains
God when he blesses us but we do not
stop to thank him, or to be grateful. He

reminded us that we too are ordinary


people but if we spend time with the Lord
in prayer just like at the First Pentecost we
too will be empowered with the Holy Spirit
and become bold in the Lord.
You will now notice that this is the third
time boldness is mentioned and as I
thought back I was amazed at how 3
totally different people who had no contact
with one another had delivered the same
message that when the Holy Spirit comes,
we will be filled with boldness in the Lord.
This is exactly how the Holy Spirit works
and we praise and thank God
for his faithfulness.
We had our Martha ministry
who led us with praying the
rosary and also provided a
feast for us.
We had our music ministry
which kept us awake with their
beautiful music and when it
was time for mass at 5.00am
we had about 60 people in
church which was really
encouraging to see.
We thank our parish priest Fr. Pius for
introducing this vigil in our parish. We
thank our Lord for making it possible for all
of us to be there in his presence and for
the many graces and blessings he
continues to shower on every one of us
and our KNK family. We also thank all our
intercessors who pray for us continuously.

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THIS WILL INSPIRE


By Kimberly Nelthropp
I want to share my
testimony and how it made
me grow stronger in my
faith. We got back from
India at the end of
February last year. I
started Uni in March and just after three
weeks or so we were told that there were
not enough students to fund this course.
And so they placed the course on hold,
therefore I was unable to finish my course
or enrol in a new one, due to the deadline
for enrolment date. Being at home and
having nothing to do, I decided to apply for
a few jobs to keep me busy as I was way
too bored at home. And at this point my
sister Bridget had gone to Sydney to start
her degree. Therefore I needed something
to keep myself busy or else I would have
gone crazy. I continued to apply for jobs. I
signed up to different agencies and I had
also told people to keep me in mind if any
vacancies were to come up in their work
place. I did get called for quite a few
interviews however none of them were
successful. At this point I would always
question why me? What did I ever do to
deserve this? The constant rejection got to
me.
While all my friends were studying,
working and travelling the world, I had felt
like I had achieved absolutely nothing.
After every knock back I would go into a
darker and darker place. But I tried my
best to keep a smile on my face to show
everyone that I am doing just fine.
Many agencies just to keep their client list
up would call and tell me there is a job,
would you be interested in applying and I
would say of course, but I would not hear
back from them. This went on for a few

months. As my bank balance decreased, I


would start worrying again. Then finally in
August I started uni again and in
September during the term break mums
work needed people to help them during
the exams and mum being my guardian
angel gave my name and they called me
to work for 3 weeks. I was over the moon.
Those three weeks just went by so fast I
didnt even realise.
Everyone was still trying to get me a job.
But it was never successful. It just got to a
point where I was just becoming numb with
the situation around me. Then one day I
was just on Facebook and I watched a
video which was called this will inspire.
This is when everything truly changed in
my life. Dad, mum and I watched it
together and we all definitely took
something away from it. What stayed with
me was God will never give you
something somebody else is supposed to
have. That is when I looked at my
situation in a very different perspective. I
thought to myself that every single job that
I didnt get perhaps someone needed it
more than me. After watching this video I
decided not to stress or worry and
everything will happen at the right time. He
also mentioned that you should love
yourself enough to let things go because
for God all things are possible and he will
grant your hearts desires at the right time.
People come into your life for a reason.
One day mum was talking to a guy called
Thomas from HR at her work. She wanted
to know if there was a casual bank where
people who are looking for a job can sign
up and fill in the details and if it meets the
criteria they will call you to hire you. He told
mum that their uni has nothing like that.
However, a few days later he called mum
and told her that they are hiring within his
team and if I was interested I could send

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him my resume. Immediately mum called


me and told me that she sent my resume
to him so keep my phone with me just in
case they called. A week went by and I
heard nothing. I even forgot about it, that
Tuesday I got a call when I was at uni and
I was asked to come in for an interview on
Thursday. That evening we visited one of
our prayer group intercessors; while we
were there I decided to tell them that I got
a call for an interview. So they prayed and
were given the scripture verse Jeremiah
ch. 29:11 For I know the plans I have
for you, declares the Lord, plans to
prosper you and not to harm you, plans
to give you hope and a future. I claimed
this scripture. That night when I was on the
phone to my cousin I told him that I had an
interview on Thursday.

Thursday morning when he had woken up


because of the time difference by this point
I had finished my interview. He messaged
me and told me that he prayed for me to
do well in my interview and the message
he received was Jeremiah ch: 29:11. This
made me feel good about the whole
situation. I told God I dont care if I dont
get this job because I know you have plans
in mind for me that is beyond anything I
could ever imagine. This was the first
interview where I was not nervous, scared
or stressed. I dont quite know what I said
during the interview. This was when I
started to realise that God was not done

with me, he has a plan in my life. I just


need to let go and let him take control. A
set back is a set up for God to compel you
into something way bigger and better than
you could ever imagine. Just as I finished
the interview I was told that they will get
back to me by Friday with either a yes or a
no. Friday came and went but I got no call
or email. And I wasnt worried either for
some reason. Finally on Tuesday I got a
call and they offered me the job. I could not
thank God enough. I immediately told God
that you gave me this job therefore I know
you will make everything fall into place.
True enough He made it all so easy and
stress free for me. I was able to transfer
my degree online and I started work on the
6th of July. And after just a few weeks I got
another call for an interview and I actually
got to choose which job I wanted to keep.
I encourage every single one of you to let
God do things in his own time because
Gods test will be your testimony. By God
testing me, today I am able to testify how
much my faith has increased. And
whatever I have gone through has helped
me realise the awesome power of God,
and I now know that I will always grow and
flourish through the good and the bad
times. I would like to thank everyone who
went through this journey with me,
especially God.
I would like to conclude with a verse from
the Bible. Philippians 4: 6-7 Dont
worry about anything, instead pray
about everything, tell God your needs
and dont forget to thank him for his
answers. If you do this you will
experience Gods peace, which is far
more wonderful than the human mind
can understand. His peace will keep
your thoughts and your hearts quiet
and at rest as you trust in Christ
Jesus.

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I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS


By Beverly de Silva
For many years it had been
my mums desire to visit
the shrine of Our Lady of
Lourdes in France. She
would often tell me I wish
we can go to Lourdes and I would begin
to think about it, but then put it out of my
mind as I knew there were other things to
consider and organise, if I decided to
accompany her on the trip. And yet, I
wanted to fulfil, as soon as possible, her
greatest desire. So about November 2013,
I began looking up different tours to
Lourdes, but found that travel to Lourdes
from Melbourne was too expensive. I
came to the conclusion that the best option
was to go to Sri Lanka and join a
pilgrimage tour to Lourdes from there. I
thereafter proceeded to make enquiries
and found a tour company there that was
not only reasonable, but one that would
also meet all our needs and requirements
during the pilgrimage. In addition to this,
the plan of travelling to Sri Lanka also
afforded us the opportunity of being able
to see my mums sister and other distant
relatives and friends, which meant we
would be hitting two birds with one stone.
My mum and I decided that we would go
ahead with this plan and so began making
arrangements. Our travel date to Sri Lanka
was finally set for Friday, 28th March 2014,
just three days after the Feast of the
Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Our scheduled date of travel for our
Lourdes pilgrimage was 12th April.
Whilst in the process of making
arrangements to go on this journey, it
happened that my brother-in-law (my
sisters husband) was also contemplating

going to Sri Lanka (from Melbourne) to


attend his first ever School reunion to be
held on 11th April. He intended attending
the reunion with my sister so he decided to
take her along and their youngest child as
well. At the time I thought it was really
coincidental that he should have to go to
Sri Lanka with my sister at the same time
as us to attend his reunion, which was
being hosted just the day before we left to
Lourdes. It was for this reason that my
sister considered joining us on the
pilgrimage. Being privileged to go together
on this pilgrimage was, in my eyes, no
coincidence.
After spending two weeks in Sri Lanka, my
mum, my sister and I, along with a good
friend and her mother (who were from
Melbourne), began our pilgrimage...
We arrived in Milan, Italy on the morning
of 13th April and proceeded by coach to the
Shrine of Rosa Mystica in Montichiari.
This is where our lady appeared to Pierina
Gilli a nurse by profession, in a room of
the hospital she worked in. Thereafter our
tour took us through many other wonderful
churches and shrines of various saints and
other places of interest, until we eventually
took a flight from Rome to Lourdes on the
morning of 16th April.
We arrived in Lourdes on the evening of
Wednesday, 16th April (Holy Week). No
sooner had we booked into our hotel
Basilique and left our bags in our rooms,
we made our way quickly across the street
to the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. It was
so great to know that it was just a very
short walk from our hotel to the Church
and grotto. The grotto, the church, the
open air and the aura of the place was
awesome! To me, it was certainly another
world. There was definitely something

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special, or rather miraculous, about this


place!
As I stood in front of the grotto of Our Lady,
it suddenly dawned on me that it was a
Wednesday evening and that we were
here at Our Ladys grotto on the very day
(and time) we (my mum, my sister and I)
sing at the weekly Novena to Our Lady of
Perpetual Help, at our parish church of St.
Peter Apostle in Hoppers Crossing. This
was a confirmation that it was she (Our
Lady) who had made it possible for us to
be here together and that she was with us.

across at me. We were obviously


processing the same thought that it was
no coincidence that we were all here
together at the same time! It was indeed a
spiritual revelation and a miracle! And to
me it was a re-confirmation of Our Ladys
faithfulness and love for us, as we would
sing this hymn every Wednesday at the
beginning of the Novena, and had been
doing so for more than five years. I was
truly touched by the thought that Our
Blessed Lady was with us.
While at Lourdes, we attended the Holy
Thursday and Good Friday services,
including the Stations of the Cross, and
partook of the Easter vigil service and the
Ceremony of Lights held on Holy
Saturday night, which was indeed
wonderful.
At 2.00 a.m. on Easter Sunday (20th April),
we left Lourdes and commenced our
journey by coach to St. Gildards Convent
at Nevers (France), almost 705km away,
to see the incorrupt body of St. Bernadette.
This was another miraculous and
wonderful sight that can never be
forgotten, for it was Our Ladys apparitions
to her (Bernadette) at Lourdes that was the
very reason for Lourdes and our
pilgrimage there!

Early next morning (17th April), which was


Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday), we
went to the Baths to be immersed in the
miraculous water of Lourdes. As soon as
we joined the winding queue, we heard the
familiar chorus Ave, Ave, Ave Maria... of
the hymn All Hail to You Mary, being
continuously sung loudly by a man in
another language (Italian, I think). On
hearing this hymn my heart leapt for joy as
I simultaneously glanced at my sister,
who, at that very moment, also looked

We all returned to Sri Lanka on the 22nd


April after our pilgrimage. My friend and
her mum travelled back to Melbourne a
day or two after we returned; my sister
remained in Sri Lanka for another week or
so; and my mum and I remained there until
8th May, with a five-day stopover in
Malaysia, landing back in Melbourne on
13th May.
Anyway, while my mum, my sister and I
had that time together in Sri Lanka, after

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our pilgrimage, we went out one day to


attend to some matters. After we had
finished our work, my mum expressed to
us that she would love to visit her favourite
Fatima Church in Colombo, which
happened to also be in the same vicinity
that we were in at that moment. So we
called a trishaw (a type of three-wheel
taxi) and asked the driver to take us to that
church. It was about 5.30 p.m., but rather
dark and gloomy, and raining cats and
dogs. We got quite wet getting into the
trishaw, yet proceeded to Fatima Church.
After a little while, the driver brought us to
our destination and we got out and almost
ran into the church as it was still pouring.
To our surprise, we found that we had just
made it in time to see the near end of a
wedding service. So we sat in the back
pew, still dripping wet, and waited until the
service was over. After a few minutes we
heard the final hymn Ave Maria being
sung, and I was awestruck! Once again,
this was no coincidence Our Lady was
reminding us that she was there with us.
After sitting comfortably in church for a
little while, a surprise or shock ensued
when my mum remarked This is not
Fatima Church! What... I thought, as I
looked around and I too realised that it was
not. What was this church? I wondered, as
I looked around at all the life-size statues
of various saints on either side, lining the
main body of the Church. As if in answer
to my question, my mum said, This is All
Saints Church. I might have been to this
church about once or twice when I was
quite young so I couldnt remember what it
looked like, but I knew the name. Anyway,
at that moment I had a revelation On our
pilgrimage we had visited the shrines and
churches of many saints, and here now
were most of those very saints statues
lining these walls! Was this very odd, or

amazing? There was something very


strange happening here, but this was not
all... there was an even greater surprise to
come!
After a while of sitting down in church, we
walked towards the front left- side part of
the church. There were many doors exiting
the church along the left-side corridor and
as we reached the end we looked out of
the door from where we stood and could
not believe our eyes... There in the
garden was a replica of the black-rock
grotto with the statue of Our Lady of
Lourdes, and the statue of Bernadette
kneeling before her! My heart leapt with
joy as I once again realised the persistent
and reassuring message Our Lady was
trying to convey to me/us... that she was
always with us!
On the afternoon of Thursday, 8th May, my
mum and I left Sri Lanka and reached
Malaysia in the night. My cousin and her
husband picked us up from the airport and
took us to their home, where we would be
staying with them for the next five days,
before returning to Melbourne. On
Saturday evening we attended the sunset
Mass at their local church The Church
of the Visitation, which again, related to
Our Lady. We went to the church about 20
minutes earlier as my cousin and her
family wanted to attend the Novena before
the Mass, and what do you think...? It was
the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual
Help!
My mum and I returned to Melbourne on
Tuesday, 13th May, which happened to be
one of Our Ladys feast days the Feast
of Our Lady of Fatima. It was on this day
in 1917 that Our Lady appeared to the
three shepherd children Jacinta,
Francisco and Lucia in Fatima, Portugal.

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Here again, I thought, was another


indication or reminder of Our Blessed
Mothers presence with us. She had been
with us from the beginning of the
pilgrimage until now!
From all the above happenings and
coincidences, I can truly say that it was
Our Lady who made it possible for us
to go on our pilgrimage and that she
accompanied and protected us all
along the way with her constant
assurance, I am with you always.
Thank you Mother Mary for granting us
this amazing opportunity and being
with us all along the way!!

Testimonies received
Testimony of Barbara Miller
On the evening of Tuesday the 28th of
April, our brothers and sisters of St Peters
KNK Group joined our Elshaddai Prayer
Group in the Chapel at St Andrews
Church, Werribee.
In the past few weeks I have been
unsettled and confused as to making
some decisions on selling our house, as
my husband and I did not share the same
thoughts. I would have liked to move into
a smaller home, sadly he doesnt wish to
move. During our time of prayer, prophetic
words and messages were shared. The
message received from our Lord Jesus
was that I am very confused and unsettled
in regards to a real estate matter and to let
it be. I was overwhelmed at the time and
now I am at peace with myself and I thank
the Lord Jesus for his message and being
with me always. Thank You Lord! Praise
You Lord!

Testimony of Sheila Goodman


I just wanted to tell you how I was healed
when our sister group St Peters KNK came
on the 28th of April to our Elshaddai prayer
group at St Andrews, Werribee.
At the end of a beautiful praise and
worship led by Dominic from our sister
group, he mentioned that Jesus was here
healing us. I didn't once think I would be
included in this healing, however he said
Jesus is healing someone with a shoulder
problem and was in a lot of pain that they
couldn't sometime even lift their arm, I
straight away thought it was my friend who
I'd come with as she has the same
problem. Then on the way home I realized
my right shoulder had stopped paining me,
the next day the same, no pain. I kept
saying Jesus, thank you Lord for my
healing and to this day some 3 weeks
later, still no pain as I was in. I couldn't
even sleep on it and now I can. So every
day I say thank you Lord for your blessings
and healing and thank you Dominic for
passing on the message. God bless you
all.

Testimony of Seetha.
On the 28th of April, 2015 we at the ElShaddai Prayer Group of St. Andrew's
Werribee, were having Adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament to start our course
theme "AN ENCOUNTER WITH JESUS
THROUGH THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL"
from the book by POPE FRANCIS.
On the night of the 28th of April I came to
the Prayer Meeting with a lot of pain on my
right arm, (been operated in August 2014),
While we were praising God, I tried to lift
my arm in so much pain, I lifted it up and
Dominic in a Prophetic Word announced

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the Lord is healing someone's arm and I


felt straight away it was me. I felt so much
joy within myself, that to my surprise a
happiness that I cannot describe was
going through me and I exclaimed in a loud
voice "IT IS ME THAT THE LORD HAS
HEALED", and then all the pain
disappeared, it is now more than one
month and still no pain. Praise the Lord.
How thankful I am to the Lord, I have no
words to thank Him. I am very grateful to
the Lord for healing me, and giving me so
many other blessings, brothers and sisters
that help me to be a member of their
family, because I am an Asylum Seeker in
Australia, and found so much love and
support in every way from them. I want to
thank and praise my God for all these
wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ.
May His Name be praised forever.

THE DIFFERENCE Author Unknown


Contributed by Jean Ephraums
I got up early one morning
and rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
that I didnt have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me,
and heavier came each task,
Why doesnt God help me? I wondered.
He answered, you didnt ask.
I wanted to see joy and beauty,
but the day toiled on, grey and bleak;
I wondered why God didnt show me.
He said, But you didnt seek.
I tried to come into Gods presence;
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently and lovingly chided,
My child, you didnt knock.
I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish,
that I had to take time to pray.

Love and Prayers, Seetha.

Testimony of Jacquie Quinless


I want to give praise and thanks to our
Dear Lord and his Mother for his hand of
protection over me and my family and
showering his blessings on us.
The precious Blood of Our Lord was on our
family, while we were on our holiday in
India in January 2015. My daughter, sonin-law and our friend, met with a bad
accident in Agra due to the heavy fog and
-2 0C icy cold weather conditions, it was a
bad accident, the taxi that they were
travelling in was hit from the front and back
and my son-in-law had to wrench the
doors apart to free them. Inspite of the
crash the three of them were unhurt and
returned home safely. Thank you Jesus for
protecting my family. Praise you Lord!

ARISMA
Official Newsletter of St. Peters Charismatic Prayer
Group (
)
Karisma is published on a quarterly basis. It contains reading materials
directed generally but not necessarily limited to its members.
Comments, suggestions and articles for publication are welcome. The
editor has the discretion to edit or not publish any article submitted
based on Karisma guidelines
Contact the Editor at:
Email: [email protected]
Ph: 0411 772 320

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