General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham were ordained and commissioned in 1990 as officers of the New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory. As well as appointments at home, they have also served in various Salvation Army territories and assumed their current responsibilities as General and World President of Women’s Ministries at International Headquarters on 3 August 2023. In each of their appointments the Buckinghams have displayed a desire to see the great news of the gospel shared. Bronwyn is inspired by the belief that God has a new truth to reveal to her daily and compelled by the promise in Philippians 1:6 (NIV) that he is continuing to fulfil his good work within her. She desires to be the woman God is calling her to be and is passionate to be part of an Army where the next generation will choose to embrace their leadership calling. Lyndon is passionate about finding ways for The Salvation Army to be more effective in fulfilling its mission. He is determined to be faithful to the covenants he has made and is motivated by verses from Paul’s letter to the Colossians: ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men’ (Colossians 3:23 NIV1984). The Buckinghams are blessed to be parents and grandparents. They are continually encouraged and challenged by the desire of their adult children to serve God in their generation.

Commissioner Miriam Gluyas was appointed Territorial Commander for The Salvation Army Australia and Chair of the Board as of 1 February 2023.  Responsible for the spiritual leadership of The Salvation Army Australia. For more than 40 years, Miriam has served the movement in a variety of appointments. These include church planting, multicultural ministry, youth and children's ministry and chief secretary in Papua New Guinea. She served as divisional commander of the NSW and ACT Division for seven years prior to being appointed as Territorial Commander and is currently one of the Trustees of The Salvation Army Australia Social Fund.

Major Brendan Nottle has been serving as a Salvation Army Officer for 35 years and has spent more than two decades leading and advocating for people experiencing homelessness, disadvantage and social isolation in Melbourne. Based at Melbourne Salvos 614, Brendan has served alongside Melbourne’s most vulnerable and marginalised people since 2003. Prior to his current appointment, he helped establish The Salvation Army’s work in the City of Whittlesea and later served in youth and children's ministry leadership. In 2017, he walked 703 kilometres from Melbourne to Canberra to raise awareness of homelessness and advocate for a national response to Australia's housing crisis. Brendan is passionate about justice, community transformation, and full salvation, ensuring that every person is treated with dignity and respect. He believes deeply that The Salvation Army has been raised up for such a time as this.

Major Sandra Nottle is a Salvation Army Officer whose ministry is centred on building authentic relationships, offering pastoral care, and helping people discover hope and belonging. For more than 20 years, Sandra has ministered through Melbourne Salvos 614 in Melbourne’s CBD, walking alongside people facing homelessness, hardship and complex life challenges. Before her current appointment, she helped establish The Salvation Army’s work in the City of Whittlesea and later served in youth and children's ministry leadership. Sandra is known for her compassionate and relational approach to ministry. She embraces the biblical call to be "a light in a cold, dark place" and has a deep love for God's Word, often bringing encouragement and hope through simple acts of kindness and care. She believes strongly in The Salvation Army’s mission and its role in bringing hope to communities.

Danielle lets Love lead her to inspire, challenge, provoke and disrupt the present, and to live the future now. Having lived in different cultures and contexts around the world she celebrates diversity and deeply longs for wrong things to be made right. Danielle practises following Jesus daily. This pursuit has led to exciting entrepreneurial exploits (like co-founding multiple charities and non-profits) and a whole host of failures (that we don’t as often talk about). All of this has convinced her of the deep need we all have for hope, faith, and love. Her deepest longing is to demonstrate what living that boundless life looks like. Danielle has authored seven books (the latest being Need to Know and The Other Side of Hope), has a podcast called The Right Side Up (which recently celebrated half-a-million downloads), and speaks to people at events all over the world. Danielle leads Boundless Enterprise which launches creative exploits like Women Speakers Collective (liberating voices of women around the globe), IMBY (a tiny home movement IN MY BACKYARD), Brave Global (preventing human trafficking), Infinitum (a way of living deeply), and Hagar’s Voice (support and advocacy for survivors of abuse). Danielle lives in Vancouver, Canada with her three sons and husband Steve. Danielle loves getting outside, doing new things, physical adventures, and she can’t seem to turn down a free lunch.

Retired veteran ABC Radio and Television broadcaster John Cleary is best known as a specialist commentator on Religion and social issues. John does not come from a Salvation Army background. As a young child he was introduced to the Salvation Army via the Sunday School at the Brunswick Corps in Melbourne, where he later was to become Bandmaster. Together with other Army young people he was part of the ‘Impact’ group, which aimed to encourage Army involvement with current civil society issues. He later served as a soldier and bandsman at Perth Fortress, Sydney Congress Hall, and Regent Hall Corps in London. His 1992 book, ‘Salvo!’ was awarded Australian Christian Book of the year. During his almost 40 year career with the ABC, presenting programs such as Sunday Nights on ABC Radio, John also became known as an advocate for public broadcasting, serving as both President of the ABC Staff Union, and later as Staff Elected Director on the ABC Board of Directors. John is the writer and presenter of a number of ABC radio and television programs on the Salvation Army. In the period leading up to the Army’s 150th Anniversary celebrations, he presented a two-part Compass TV special, and a two-part radio special on issues facing the Salvation Army today. John is also the presenter the four-part DVD series Boundless Salvation, on the history and mission of the Salvation Army in Australia, which is available on YouTube.

Ian lives in York, UK. Raised, and trained in The Salvation Army, Ian continues to work with them, and other organisations, designing retreats, experiential training modules and pilgrimages. He holds an MA in Outdoor & Experiential Learning and is passionate about finding creative ways to help people explore their own life journey with Jesus. He is one of the founders of Infinitum, a practice for developing disciples of depth; the creator of Firepit, a facilitated faith conversation space for men and a co-developer of “Land of Brothers” — retreats combining demanding physical activities and intentional reflection for those wanting to grow as young men and as brothers. Ian is also notoriously guilty of having too many part-time jobs (which drives his wife mad) — including support work with people with disabilities and pallbearing. Ian’s wife is Ruth, a nurse. They have five children and two grandchildren. He is excited to work alongside inspirational old friends and make new ones during this Festival.

Sandra Berry is a pastor with a background in community development, counselling, and emergency and disaster management. A follower of Jesus since childhood, she has served alongside local leaders in Canada and around the world through The Salvation Army and The Peoples Church Toronto. Her ministry has taken her to some of the world’s most challenging regions, including Chechnya, Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, and Colombia, where she has witnessed both profound hope and the extraordinary resilience of faith. Now serving with the International Association for Refugees, Sandra is convinced more than ever that every follower of Jesus can help bring God’s love, hope, and healing to a hurting world.