Colac’s new leader a ‘textbook’ example of community engagement
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
Josiah Van Niekerk has been announced as the Colac Salvation Army’s incumbent Corps Leader, starting in early 2025.
The regional Victorian corps, along with its leadership, has recently featured extensively in media coverage for its work providing tents for those in the area who are facing long-term homelessness, its market days and its free haircut ministry.
Josiah has collaborated with local organisations and volunteers to drive much of this work.
The new corps leader position will take over from current Corps Officer Captain Paul Trotter, who has served the corps for almost three years and will now be taking up a position as Corps Officer at Hobsons Bay Corps, also in Victoria.
“God has been preparing me for this over this last year.”
Josiah has served at the corps, where he is a senior soldier, for just over three years, first as Colac Salvos Store Manager, then as Ministry Assistant and now Community Engagement Coordinator.
The Van Niekerk family has been established in the Colac area for over 100 years, and Josiah comes from a family ministry background in a variety of evangelical denominations. With his service now to The Salvation Army and the Colac community, Josiah said the new role is a natural progression and a part of the journey he has taken alongside both Paul and community members.
“God has been preparing me for this over this last year,” Josiah said. “[It’s] just amazing the things he’s been pruning off me and giving me, so I’m ready for this. I’m prepared for this as best as I can be.”
Major Mal Davies, Assistant Divisional Commander for Victoria, said Josiah had been a “textbook” community engagement coordinator, supporting Paul’s role overseeing pastoral ministry.
“Where Paul will say, ‘I’d love to have a collaboration with the local high school’, Josiah will go off and meet with the principal,” Mal said. “Josiah will make appointments. He’ll go and meet with [local businesses and institutions] and say, ‘This is how you can help us’.
“So, the community engagement role is a great role. Josiah has done it very well.”
Mal said while The Salvation Army’s preference was to put officers in leadership positions at corps, there was an option for appointing auxiliary-lieutenants or corps leaders such as Josiah – committed Salvationists who were well-ingrained in the community.
Josiah Van Niekerk will officially be appointed as Colac Corps Leader on 15 January.
