AJSAHistoryVol1Iss2 October 2016

Corps had a number of non-Anglo soldiers including Tarra Gindi Tasserone, who later had a Brisbane
suburb named after him.56

Left: The road sign to Tarragindi (Photo Courtesy of the author);
Right: Tarra Gindi Tasserone in Salvation Army uniform.57

Myth Six – The Salvation Army was culturally relevant
Current assumption – The Salvation Army must keep changing to remain in line with cultural changes
and will impact everything from uniform design and internal relationship.58
Fact – The Salvation Army created culture, impacted society and commenced patterns of social
behaviour.

Professional and personal observation of individual Christian and Christian organisational change has
led me to develop a question, ‘If Christ is the Rock of Ages why do so many Christians change with
the sands of time?’ It has become an action of recent times that people change for change sake. On
the organisational level many of the ideas around change and cultural relevancy come from the
mindset of management and leadership models where change management is taught. Here change is
promoted blindly as a positive. It is not the role of the manager to evaluate the need for change or the
output, but to change and then manage the feeling of the people in the organisation. Leadership is
now built on the assumption that Change is a given and managers need to move the neutral and
negative people59 to the positive feeling, analysing the people and not the change.60 But change is not
always positive, nor always a given.61

Additionally, the new idea of change management pays little attention to external culture,
believing that it is the organisation’s culture which needs to move towards the external culture. There
is little discussion on how an organisation’s culture can impact society’s culture. Yet, society’s culture
is fickle, changing song and clothing to the latest popular person. Organisations can and do impact
society’s culture.

56 See Garth R. Hentzschel, “He changed the face of a city.” Hallelujah, (Sydney, Vol. 2, Iss. 2, 2009), 15-17.
57 Hentzschel, “He changed the face of a city,” 19.
58 Kelly stated that, “…dynamic movements only flourish where participants remain embedded in the culture and
context of their era.” Kelly, “Regaining our momentum,” 31.
59 See for example, Esther Cameron and Mike Green, Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the
models, tools and techniques of organizational change (4th ed.), (UK & USA: Kogan Page, 2015).; V. Nilakant and S.
Ramnarayan, Change management: Altering mindsets in a global context, (USA: Response Books, 2006).
60 See comments in Anne Halliday, “Strategic Thinking,” Pipeline, (Sydney, October, 2015), 17.
61 Leonard A. Jason, Principles of social change, (USA: Oxford University Press, 2013).

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 201

Change should not be about changing relationships within organisations but assessing the
outcomes of current and future practice. If outcomes are not met, then change should take place.

The Army culture used parallel elements of existing culture and by moulding it in its own
culture, it in turn impacted society’s culture. It saw that society’s culture did not met the outcome so
changed it. The major example on the Sunshine Coast was The Salvation Army’s camps at Cotton
Tree. When the Army started to work with the Buderim Kanakas and Aboriginal people they were
already frequenting Cotton Tree area for rest.62 The Salvation Army saw this as an opportunity and
commenced a camp on this site every year over the Christmas period.63 The Army ran the camps, not
only providing all the equipment needed but also held revival meetings throughout the time. Although
the camps were on public land and opened to the public the Army held to it belief and culture and,
“no intoxicating liquor, dancing, or gambling, will be allowed on the ground”.64 These camps became
so popular and impacted the area to such a level that the people have declared, “the Salvation Army
was the tourist agency!”65 More impressive is the evidence that the Army impacted rather than
imitated culture in a statement from the official Sunshine Coast business and accommodation website.
The website defined the Army’s work and its impact; “a holiday camp run by the Salvation Army,
and most likely the start of the tourism industry on the Sunshine Coast.”66

Another example that could be given here from the Sunshine Coast region, also relates to culture
in the identity of place. Heinrich (Henry) August Kiel was born in Frankenberg, Germany in 1838.67
As a teenager he came to Australia and found himself in Ipswich where he became a bullocky and
transported goods between Ipswich, the Darling Downs and to New England. When gold was
discovered Kiel went to the Jimna gold diggings but made his way to the coast where he became a
timber harvester.68 Kiel built Diddillibah’s first house, now Bli Bli, by Paynter’s Creek and became
known for his philanthropic work. He donated timber and volunteered furnishings for Woombye’s
first school,69 worked with the South Sea Island and Aboriginal people and was strongly involved in
the local community. Kiel gave blankets to the 80 to 100 Maroochy Aborigines who occasionally
came to his house. He became the main person to develop the Maroochy (Nambour) Show,70 which
is still an annual event. Due to these efforts his neighbours begged him to run for Council, but due to
the underhanded campaigning of a rival he withdrew on ethical grounds.71 Kiel was not a person to
shrink from his civil duties either, at the Woombye Cobb and Co hotel he apprehended a known
murderer, Captain Piper and assisted two others in leaping on the man and securing him until the
police could assist.72 In October 1895 Kiel and his wife, Elizabeth joined The Salvation Army.73 Both
became soldiers and Elizabeth become Treasurer and founding pillar of what became the Nambour

62 Kerkhove, Spiritual dimensions, 6.
63 See Matthew Seaman, “Salvationist socio-ecotheological histories”, The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army
History, 1, 2, 2016, 72-83.
64 “Salvation Army Christmas encampment”, 3.
65 “Seaside Scenes III”, The Courier-Mail, (Brisbane, Friday, 13 December, 1935), 22.
66 “About Cotton Tree,” Sunshine Coast Getaways, (Australia, 2012), ¶ 8, http://sunshinecoastgetaways.com.au/about-
cotton-tree/, accessed 2 July, 2016.
67 “Death – H Kiel,” Nambour Chronicle & North Coast Advertiser, (Nambour, 2 March, 1912), 2, cited in Kerkhove,
“Heinrich Kiel and the origins of Kiel Mountain.”
68 Ray Kerkhove, “Heinrich Kiel and the origins of Kiel Mountain.”
69 “School History at Diddillibah goes back 50 years,” Nambour Chronicle, (Nambour, 17 December, 1937), 5.
70 “Death of a Pioneer,” Nambour Chronicle & North Coast Advertiser, (Nambour, 24 February, 1912).
71 Nambour Chronicle & North Coast Advertiser, (Nambour, 22 January, 1904), 3, cited in Kerkhove, “Heinrich Kiel
and the origins of Kiel Mountain.”
72 Nambour Chronicle, (Nambour, 21 December, 1923), 8.
73 Kerkhove, “Heinrich Kiel and the origins of Kiel Mountain” suggested that Bramwell Booth visited Kiel Mountain.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 202

Salvation Army Corps.74 The Kiel family also adopted two children and moved to Cooran where they
became dairy farmers and it was here he died in 1912.75 The mountain behind Henry’s house became
known as “Kiel’s Mountain,”76 for Kiel’s life, work and ministry, this early Salvationist family have
left their impact on the geographical culture of the Sunshine Coast.

Conclusion

As seen by the statistics and the letters from William Booth at the commencement of the paper, The
Salvation Army does need to wake up. Booth was concerned about this even in the early history of
the movement. He not only saw that the movement needed to pray and hold on to God and man, but
that individual Salvationists needed to be stirred up. Although early in the movement’s history, Booth
recognised that looking back could help the Army move forward in a more positive manner. In
October 1889, Booth wrote:

…The success of The Salvation Army, humanly speaking, has largely resulted from the novelty
of its plans and methods; and now we appear in danger of sinking down to the level of an ancient
sect.77

Just like the theme of the symposium, ‘History - our wake up call?’ Booth saw the danger of “sinking
down” and went so far as to warn of what would happen if his movement would not wake-up! If the
Army slumbers, if it goes “down” like other ancient sects:

If we do, I feel sure that God will raise up some other people, who will go as much in advance of
us in novelty, and reckless disregard of public opinion, and as much in the teeth of the prejudices
of old-fogeyism, either amongst us or outside of us, as we ourselves did in these respects twenty
years ago. We must wake ourselves up! Or somebody else will take our place, and bear our cross,
and thereby rob us of our crown.78

But Booth saw that this prophecy could and should remain unfulfilled. After calling for Salvation
Soldiers to grow a passion for souls, he put forward a statement. Note it is not a question: “I look to
you to help me.”79 It is a challenge, the movement does need a wakeup call and if the right kind of
historical inquiry is used, then history can dispel myths, move assumptions and create action in the
correct direction. History can indeed be the wakeup call that is needed.

74 Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps, 18.
75 “Death – H Kiel.”
76 Ray Kerkhove, “Heinrich Kiel and the origins of Kiel Mountain.”
77 Railton, Commissioner Dowdle, 96.
78 Railton, Commissioner Dowdle, 96.
79 Railton, Commissioner Dowdle, 96.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 203

A DRIVING TOUR OF SALVATION ARMY HISTORICAL SITES
ON THE SUNSHINE COAST

From research by
Garth R. Hentzschel and Ray Kerkhove
In this fast moving modern world, the motorcar and aeroplane removes their passengers from the
environment and make it more difficult to learn about a place and the events that took happened there.
William Alderson and Shirley Low state that the purpose of visitation to and interpretation of historic
sites is to “…tell the visitor what he [sic] is seeing, frequently with directions for the most effective
route to take within the site.”1 This paper is a brief guide for a driving tour of some Sunshine Coast
sites with historical links to The Salvation Army. It will give directions and tell the visitor of some
events that took place.

Maroochydore Salvation Army hall to Cotton Tree

From the Salvation Army Maroochydore hall turn right on to Broadmeadows Road. At the end of
road turn right on to Duporth Ave. Just over the bridge turn left on to The Esplanade. On the left is
the waterway where Salvationists sailed hired motor boats to bring campers to Cotton Tree.2 Continue
to the entrance of Cotton Tree Caravan Park. From the road walk through the caravan park to the
water’s edge.

Map of route from Maroochydore Salvation Army hall to Cotton Tree (Developed from Google Maps)

Reference citation of this paper
Garth R. Hentzschel and Ray Kerkhove, “A driving tour of Salvation Army historical sites on the Sunshine
Coast”, The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, 1, 2, 2016, 204-211.
The tour was offered as an additional activity at the end of ‘History – Our Wake Up Call?’, Salvation Army History
Symposium 22-24 July 2016, Maroochydore, Australia, The Salvation Army Eastern Territory Historical Society,
Brisbane Chapter.
1 William T. Alderson and Shirley Payne Low, Interpretation of historic sites (2nd ed.), (Walnut Creek, USA: Altamira
Press, 1996), 75.
2 Kay Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps – 100 years of service on the Sunshine Coast, (Nambour, Australia:
The Salvation Army Nambour Corps Centenary Committee, 1994).

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 204

At the entrance of the caravan park and to the right hand side there are a number of Cotton Trees from
which the place received its name. The Salvation Army had a short but distinguished connection to
this place. The Army’s work here, it is claimed, started the tourism industry on the Sunshine Coast,
opened the area up to farming and sheep grazing and helped establish Maroochydore as the shopping
heart of the area.3

An article of 1908 described the scene each Christmas time:

At the southernmost end of the “Township Reach” is a shelving sandy beach with a large cotton-
tree not far from the water, and every Christmas the Salvation Army holds an encampment there.
With the crowd of people who camp under their tents, and those who camp near the houses and
on the north side of the river, the population of Maroochydore for a fortnight runs into four figures.
They are chiefly from the Blackall and the district round Nambour. Regattas are held and other

sports, and altogether everyone has a gay time.4

Leading up to Christmas, large advertisements appeared in
newspapers like the one on the left.5 By 1908 the camps were
well organised and the Army ran most elements of the camp site;
organising tents, arranging the motor launch, and supplying a
manager, usually the Nambour corps officer. Included in the
advertisements were the comments, “no intoxicating liquor,
dancing, or gambling, will be allowed on the ground”.6 Years
later people declared, “the Salvation Army was the tourist
agency!”7

Salvation Army Tent at the Cotton Tree Camps site (Photo from
Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps, 22).
Salvation Army Camp advertisement4

3 “About Cotton Tree”, Sunshine Coast Getaways, (Australia, 2012), http://sunshinecoastgetaways.com.au/about-
cotton-tree/, accessed 2 July, 2016, ¶8 & 9.
4 “Maroochydore”, Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser, (Queensland, Saturday, 23 May, 1908), 4.
5 “Salvation Army Christmas encampment”, Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser, (Queensland, Saturday, 12
December, 1908), 3.
6 “Salvation Army Christmas encampment”, 3.
7 “Seaside Scenes III”, The Courier-Mail, (Brisbane, Friday, 13 December, 1935), 22.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 205

In 2011, Janel Shorthouse, from ABC Suncoast Radio 90.3, broadcasted from Cotton Tree
Caravan Park and outlined the scene and the history:

It’s just beautiful here... surf on one side, a protected river mouth on the other and so much history.
The first actual camp was held here in 1880s - The Salvation [Army] Camp use[d] to come up
from Brisbane, but there was no road then, only a dirt track and they would go to Woombye and
catch a tram down or a ferry because there were no roads heading into Maroochydore,…

The oldest camping ground in Queensland, the park was heritage listed by the State
Government in 2009 to “preserve the importance of this great Aussie holiday tradition”.8

The use of the reserve, adjacent to a calm, shallow stretch of the river, reflected the
preferences of the Victorian era for seaside swimming, boating and fishing. Similar locations for
resorts on the North Coast developed in the same period at Caloundra and Tewantin. The
Salvation Army established the area as a well known resort location.

A yearly ‘Maroochy Heads encampment’ was organised over the short break between
Christmas and the New Year. The encampment provided a range of religious and leisure activities
for local settlers and South Sea Islanders working on sugar cane farms at nearby Buderim, with
alcohol, gambling and dancing prohibited. The first reported encampment was in 1896, when over
200 people stayed on the reserve.

Later advertising by the Salvation Army suggests the encampment may have begun as early
as 1888. The encampment became a popular annual event. Over Christmas 1905, 400 people
camped on the reserve. …

By the 1910s, the encampment, advertised as ‘Nature’s Pick Me Up’, had extended to two
weeks duration. Tents were available for hire, erected for a small fee. Meals were offered in the
dining tent and a large marquee was used for gatherings, while a kiosk operated by the Salvation
Army sold bread, soft drinks, lollies and fruit. … Wells were sunk in the sand to source fresh
water and Maroochy Shire Council erected a new jetty and bathing sheds in 1912. …

The potential loss of public land attracted strong resistance from campers and the Maroochy
Shire Council, and land sales did not proceed immediately. A second attempt in 1914 to sell
Maroochydore town lots also met with strong public resistance. On Boxing Day 1914, over 500
people voiced their opposition at a public meeting held on the reserve in the Salvation Army
marquee.

In early 1915 the new T.J. Ryan Labor government announced their intention to proceed
with the sales. ...

Following the land sales, the number of seasonal campers on the reserve appears to have
declined, until 1926, when more ‘canvas houses’ than in previous years were noted. The Salvation
Army’s involvement with the site decreased, replaced by a Methodist mission over summer
1919/1920. The last reported Salvation Army encampment took place in 1929, with 100 tents on
the reserve. ...9

Cotton Tree to CWA (Country Woman Association) hall

Retrace route along the Esplanade and turn left into Second Avenue. At round about turn right into
Memorial Ave until you reach the CWA hall, on the right hand side. The official records of the
commencement of The Salvation Army in Maroochydore ignored much of the early work in the area.
These records stated that in June 1984, Major Barry Pobjie conducted a survey to determine The
Salvation Army’s future development on the Sunshine Coast.10 From this report Maroochydore
opened as outpost of the Nambour Corps in January 1985.11 The first meetings were held at the CWA

8 Janel Shorthouse, “Cotton Tree Caravan Park - the first holiday destination on the coast”, ABC Suncoast Radio 90.3,
(Australia, 22 June, 2011), ¶ 3-4, http://www.abc.net.au/local/videos/2011/06/22/3250174.htm accessed 5 July, 2016.
9 Shorthouse, “Cotton Tree Caravan Park” ¶ 8-14, 29.
10 Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps, 60.
11 Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps, 61.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 206

Hall, Memorial Ave.12 In June 1989 Maroochydore become a corps in its own right and continued to
meet at the CWA Hall until the 1990s when the corps built its hall on the corner of Broadmeadows
& New Maroochydore Roads.

Map of route from Cotton Tree to the CWA Hall (Developed from Google Maps).

Yet there are earlier stories about the Army's work in this area. For example, in 1926 the Army held
a concert in Evan’s Hall with a number of buses coming from Buderim.13 In 1933 the Army band
supported the ANZAC day service at Maroochydore in the Potter’s Hall.14 Also the Salvation Army
band held Carols by Candlelight at Cotton tree in 1954.15 There were not only special meetings, but
also regular services, one of which was reported as the official commencement in 1948:

The opening Salvation Army meeting held in the Diggers’ Hall, Maroochydore, was well attended
by local residents, and a very helpful meeting was conducted by Sergeant-Major Humphreys.

Major Baildon gave a special talk to the young people and Bandsmen R. and E. Dumschat
brought a special message in song. Adjutant Stockall gave the closing address. The band suppled
special music.16

It would appear that these meetings were still being held on a regular or semi-regular bases through
to at least 1954 as the Army held meetings in Digger’s Hall on Wednesday evenings.17 More research
on these earlier activities is needed.

CWA (Country Woman Association) hall to the Diddillibah Community hall (the old School
hall used by The Salvation Army).

Continue along Memorial Ave to end of street and turn right on to First Ave. This turns to Duporth
Ave. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit and remain on Duporth Ave. Turn right onto Duporth Ave.

12 The Salvation Army Disposition of Forces, (Sydney, The Salvation Army Australia Eastern Territory,1986).
13 “Maroochydore”, The Brisbane Courier, (Queensland, Monday, 8 February, 1926), 11.
14 “Service at Maroochydore”, Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser, (Queensland, Friday, 28 April, 1933),
1.
15 “Carols by candlelight – Maroochydore”, Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser, (Queensland, Friday, 24
December, 1954), 9.
16 “Salvation Army service”, Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser, (Queensland, Friday, 9 February, 1948),
5.
17 See for example “The Salvation Army”, Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser, (Queensland, Friday, 17
November, 1950), 12.; “The Salvation Army”, Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser, (Queensland, Friday, 8
February, 1952), 12.; “The Salvation Army”, Nambour Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser, (Queensland, Friday, 17
September, 1954), 16.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 207

Over the Paynter River bridge the name changes to Bradman Ave and continue under the Sunshine
Motorway. Cross another outlet of Paynter River and the road again changes it’s name to David Low
Way. Here you will start to see Kiels Mountain (see information below). Turn left onto Petrie Creek
Rd, then first left onto Diddillibah Rd. The Diddillibah Community hall is situated at 660 Diddillibah
Rd and was the old school which was used by The Salvation Army as a meeting hall.

Map of route from CWA Hall to Diddillibah Community hall (Developed from Google Maps).
On your left you will see Kiels Mountain.

The road you will travel on

Kiels Mountain named
after Salvationists

Arial view of Kiels Mountain and Diddillibah areas (Developed from Google Maps).
The Kiel family were early members of The Salvation Army. The mountain was named after Heinrich
“Henry” August Kiel who settled on the eastern slopes in 1880. In October 1895 Henry and his wife
Elizabeth were sworn in as soldiers and Elizabeth was appointed the corps treasure.18
Diddillibah
In December 1884 eight recruits were sworn in as soldiers at the Diddillibah outpost. Then in 1895
officers from Woombye Camp visited Diddillibah and they wrote the following in The War Cry:

A visit to Diddillibah (a post of Woombye Camp) deserves some particularising. This is a very
scattered place indeed, only some two houses being visible from the school, which the centre of
operations. Three souls had sought salvation during Captain Thomas and Lieutenant Dunn’s visit

18 Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps, 18.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 208

a fortnight before, and this had considerably awakened interest in spiritual matters throughout the
district, and with the additional charm of a coffee supper no wonder we found nearly 100 people,
old and young, gathered together.19

Some people from the symposium visiting Diddillibah Community hall (former School used by The
Salvation Army outpost as early as 1894) (Photograph courtesy of Rachel Hentzschel).

Diddillibah Community hall to the site of the old Bli Bli Salvation Army hall.

Map of route from Diddillibah Community hall to former site of Bli Bli Salvation Army hall
(Developed from Google Maps).

19 The War Cry as transcribed by Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps, 3-4.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 209

Return back along Diddillibah Rd to Petrie Creek Rd. Turn right at Petrie Creek. If you were to turn
left you would pass the former site of another outpost of The Salvation Army. In January 1897
meetings commenced at Lower Petrie Creek in an empty cottage.20

Turn left onto David Low Way. The bridge you come to will go over Petrie Creek. The creek
is named after Andrew Petrie. Andrew explored this area. Later he wrote that indigenous gatherings
were like Salvation Army meetings, in that each person would stand and take their turn in telling their
story. The Petrie family also married into the McNaught family, the family who commenced the Mary
Street Mission, Brisbane in 1873. This Mission later became the East Brisbane Gospel Mission and
then in 1880, The Salvation Army.

Continue on David Low Way and through to the first round about. At the roundabout take the
second exit and stay on David Low Way. On your left you will see the ‘Sunshine Castle’.

Built in the 1970s as the ‘fairy tale castle’ it was soon known as the Bli Bli Castle. It has housed
a number of attractions including a doll collection and museum, medieval festivals and a themed
restaurant.

At the next roundabout take the first exit onto Bli Bli Rd. Continue on this road until you get to
school road and turn right. Turn left into Conway Court and left again. The hall was on the corner of
Bli Bli Rd and Conway Ct. These two roads no longer intersect. This was the site of The Salvation
Army Bli Bli hall. The Army had reached this community by 1900 and there were regular visits to
the area by preachers, both officers and soldiers, from Nambour Corps.21 On 10 Augus, 1907, after
the land was donated by Geo Histed, work commenced on the building of the hall on this site.22 In
December 1927, the hall was renovated. It was later sold to the Methodist church and later still the
hall was removed.

Salvation Army Bli Bli hall (Photo from Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps, 24).

Former Bli Bli Salvation Army site to Salvation Army complex Nambour

Drive back to School Rd and from here turn right on to Bli Bli Rd. The creek you see on your left is
Petrie Creek which you crossed earlier. As stated this creek has Salvation Army connections. Follow

20 Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps, 19.
21 See for example, “Salvation Army,” Chronicle and North Coast Advertiser, (Nambour, Friday, 12 February, 1904), 2.
22 Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps, 24.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 210

this road parallel to the creek and along here on the other side of the creek was another Army outpost.
There will be two roundabouts, after the first drive under the M1 Brue Highway then through the
second all the while remaining on the Bli Bli Road.

At the traffic lights on Coronation Ave turn left. On your left you will see the Nambour
Showground. Salvationists, Henry Kiel commenced the annual agricultural show at Woombye, just
five kilometres south of this site on the 3 June, 1900. It was reported that 1,500 people attended this
the first show and gate takings were £23/19/ - .23 The show was moved to this site in 1909 and the
annual event occurs to this day.

Continue along Coronation Ave and near McDonalds, the road’s name changes to Currie Street.
Continue along this street until you get to The Salvation Army hall on the left hand side. It would be
best to park in Maud street, the street just before the hall.

Map of route from former site of Bli Bli Salvation Army hall to Nambour Salvation Army complex
(Developed from Google Maps).

The Nambour Corps has a long history and often took the position of the main Salvation Army centre
in the area with the people of the corps commencing outposts which developed into corps. This was
not always the case. Initially the main centre of the Army in the area was at Woombye but once postal
and police offices were removed to Nambour, the corps followed. On 19 September 1896 the barracks
in Mitchell Street was officially opened. Mitchell Street is located across the road from the new
Salvation Army Family Store at the front of the current property. On 22 April 1912 it was announced
that the property on Currie street was purchased. A new hall was opened on 12 September 1914 with
additions made in 1938 (this was on the site of the current Family Store). In 1949 the Yandina outpost
hall was moved to Currie Street site as the YP hall and later, in 1988, the office for Salvo Careline.
January 1958 saw the wooden hall moved to the back of the property and a new hall constructed.
Commissioner Frederick Coutts opened the new brick citadel on the site in August, 1960. The next
property development took place with the opening of the still existing youth hall, December 1982.24
The current set of buildings of the Currie street property was opened on 2 March 2014 by
Commissioner James Condon.

This concluded the tour of some of the Salvation Army historical sites on Queensland’s
Sunshine Coast. The popularity of the event will see additional sites identified and a full day tour
developed at a later stage.

23 “About us,” Sunshine Coast Agriculture Show, (Australia, 2016), http://www.sunshinecoastshow.asn.au/about
assessed 2 July, 2016.
24 Gittins, The Salvation Army Nambour Corps.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 211

REVIEWS AND FEEDBACK ON
THE AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF SALVATION ARMY HISTORY ~

VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1.

Ps Glen Cochrane, Christian Studies Coordinator, CHC, Brisbane Australia:
I am part way through the first volume of The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History.
What an amazing resource that will prove to be in future years. As a lover of history and literature
I particularly enjoyed reading Garth Hentzschel's articles on the poem that purportedly brought
William Booth together with his wife Catherine. These articles have been well written and
thoroughly researched and the producers of and contributors to this journal should indeed be
commended. I will look forward to finishing this volume and will wait in expectation for Volume
2.

Major Peter Farthing, Principal, The Salvation Army, Booth College, Sydney, Australia:
… I just looked at your new journal. Fabulous. Great work!

Major Martin Gossauer, Editor of The Salvation Army’s The Officer magazine, London, UK:
I hasten to acknowledge receipt and thank you for email referring to that amazing new
publication!
What a bunch of passionate people … to create such an in-depth journal. I was just amazed
when I opened it up and discovered that it contains 170 pages and browsed through some of the
articles.
This is a precious treasure for my research when I compile my 'snapshots in history' pages
for The Officer.
I shared the news with my colleagues here in IHQ communications and I am happy to share
it with the readers of The Officer in the next issue.
Thank you again, and keep digging deeply in history to share its riches with others,

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 212

Lauren Martin, Journalist, in Pipeline, (Sydney, Australia: The Salvation Army, Australia Eastern
Territory, Vol. 20, Iss. 7, July, 2016), 33.

At a hefty 170 pages, the inaugural Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History is hardly
something to flick through whilst rushing through your breakfast and sipping on your morning
coffee. That’s not to say it’s not fascinating reading. The first in the bi-annual publication covers
topics as diverse as a study on the poem and event that led to the romance of Catherine and
William Booth, to an investigation into how World War One affected The Salvation Army in New
Zealand.

Despite being very different in style, the journal follows on from where its predecessor,
Hallelujah! magazine [a production of the Keeping It Alive, South Pacific History Project] left
off, providing a platform for the publication of fresh or revisited Salvation Army history.

According to its executive editor, Garth R. Hentzschel, the journal was born out of a need
to fill a number of gaps in existing Salvation Army history, brought about by the fact that many
early histories were written without reference to primary sources. Each paper in the journal is
peer-reviewed and is housed electronically in the Australian National Library and the Historical
Society’s webpage. The first edition has received a number of accolades from Australian and
international academics.

Former world leader of The Salvation Army, General Frederick Coutts, once said, “History
is to an organisation as memory is to an individual.” The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army
History is an important resource, providing an accurate account of who The Salvation Army is
through an honest investigation of its strengths and weaknesses. After reading the first volume, I
am excited about what’s to come.

Dr Gordon Moyles FRSC Professor Emeritus at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada and author:

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History is fascinating; I've only looked at it briefly
and intend to scour it more thoroughly….; but it looks great. What an ambitious, and greatly
needed, journal; so well conceived and produced. I hope it meets with the success it deserves.

Colonel Richard Munn, Territorial Secretary for Theology and Christian Ethics, The Salvation
Army, USA:

…quite wonderful and detailed production.
Especially fascinated in the chapter on the poem recitation - I must confess that detail had
previously escaped me.
Congratulations on your labor of love.
I look forward to further publications.
May God bless you.

The Australasian Journal of Salvation Army History, Volume 1, Issue 2, 2016. Page 213

SAVE THE DATE NOTICE

Salvation Army History Symposium

27th – 29th July 2018

Queensland, Australia