A Salvos café that brews Kila coffees
- deansimpson7
- Jul 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 4
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Kila Haoda remembers brewing his first ‘proper’ coffee when he was about 11.
His parents owned Billy’s Coffee, one of the first cafes in Cairns that focused solely on coffee, “and in those days, people didn’t often go out for coffee like they do regularly now,” he says.
Despite being counter-cultural, Billy’s Coffee built up a huge clientele, which Kila attests to the ‘homely’ feeling of the place.
“It was set up to be very welcoming and accessible,” he says. “I’m from Papua New Guinea, and whenever you have a guest in your house, there is certain hospitality that you provide. The café was just an extension of our house, so we treated it the same way.”
People from all walks of life made the café a regular part of their week. Lawyers and judges from the nearby courthouse would caffeinate between sessions, alongside a men’s homeless group that met regularly in the space.
It was this atmosphere that captivated Shire Salvos Mission Leader Mark Soper when he stopped in Cairns on a six-month road trip around Australia with his wife, Lauren, and their children in 2020.
“He said to my dad, ‘You’re doing church in your coffee shop,’” Kila remembers. He also remembers being surprised when Mark offered him a job to manage the yet unbuilt Salvation Army café that Mark believed God was instilling a vision for at Shire Salvos Panania, in south-west Sydney.
“He offered me the job when it was still in its conception,” Kila laughs, “and I shot him down every time.”
Fast forward five years, and when Kila saw Mark’s number flash up on his phone earlier this year, he just “knew” it was the right time.
“It felt like the end of a season … little things were contributing to me wanting to look for more and have my own experiences.”
Having grown up in The Salvation Army, with a rich family line of Salvation Army officers from both Australia and Papua New Guinea, Kila has a heart for God and a heart for people. “The Salvos, they’re known for being in the world and for fighting the good fight,” he says. “I love how practical the Salvos are.”
So, when he felt it was the right time to accept Mark’s offer to become the new Café Manager of The Village café in Panania (operated by Shire Salvos), Kila left balmy Cairns and moved to Sydney in the middle of a cold, wet winter. The temperature might have been cold, but the reception was warm when he started at The Village.
The Village is a Salvation Army café, run mostly with volunteers, that operates on the same site as the Panania Salvos Store. Customers are known by name, cared for like family, and small groups such as Bible studies and book clubs have started meeting on its sunny deck. Kila says he felt at home straight away.
“It’s a really special community,” he says. “We make people feel welcomed and seen and listened to, things that I think should be standard but … there’s so many people that don’t have that, that need that.”
He works alongside Panania Salvos Mission Leader, Lieutenant-Colonel Sandra Godkin, whom he says is the ultimate ‘people-person’. “She loves to be out front chatting with everyone. We make a really great team.”
And whilst Kila is behind the coffee machine, it’s through the art of a good coffee that he shows love and hospitality to people, his biggest passion. He’s excited to be part of the Shire Salvos team, bringing hope to the locals of Panania, one cup at a time.
