Arthur De Kusel was the son of one of our church families when I was Vicar of S. John's, Waterloo, Liverpool, 1964-71. Well-known nationally in a close-nit mountaineering community, he illustrated in his poetic verse the aspiration of many a climber like, George Mallory (1886-1924) who died on his third attempt to reach to summit of Mount Everest. See Mallory's photograph above. Before his third and fatal last attempt, Mallory wrote to his wife, Ruth: 'It is almost unthinkable that I shan't get to the top. I can't see my self coming down defeated.' (Robert Macfarlane, 'Mountains of the Mind', London, Granta Books, 2003.) His lifelong goal was the personal attainment of an hitherto unaccomplished human achievement. In a different way S. Paul expressed his eternal spiritual determination: 'I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death. If somehow I may attain the resurrection of the dead.' (Philippians 3:10-11).