Family’s musical journey to Jesus at thriving Orange Corps
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Fifteen years ago, Loretta Colla’s son noticed an advertisement in the local paper of their town, Orange, in western New South Wales. It was inviting any children wanting to learn a brass instrument to join a free Salvation Army group called ‘Just Brass’. That marked the beginning of the Colla family’s musical journey to Jesus.
“My son was about eight,” remembers Loretta. “He was one of the original kids … he loved it.”
She remembers thinking that everyone at Orange Salvos was just lovely, and that they were doing such a great thing for the kids of the town by teaching them brass instruments.
“My family just got drawn in one by one,” she says. “We were taking the kids to Just Brass, and they looked at my husband, who’s a fairly tall fellow, and said, ‘You’re playing the tuba,’ and he said, ‘Oh, am I?’ So, they started teaching him alongside the kids!
“He’s part of the Salvos’ band now.”
When Loretta’s daughter joined Just Brass (she started on the baritone and then moved on to the euphonium), she told her parents that she’d like to attend Orange Corps on a Sunday for the meeting.
“We were all from a Catholic background,” says Loretta. “So, we just went one Sunday, and it was lovely.”
Next, Loretta’s youngest child started playing the cornet, and now four family members were playing brass.
With the entire family having experienced Just Brass and getting involved in music through The Salvation Army, Loretta started to wonder if it was ‘her turn’.
“I sort of take in the message and the word of God more from the music than the Scripture. I really like the hymns,” she says.
Her husband had become interested in playing in groups and pointed out that to form a quintet, the family would need a tenor-horn player. “So, I decided to take up the tenor horn!” says Loretta.
For Loretta, becoming a soldier wasn’t a big step. She was already deeply involved in corps life, not just in the band but also through volunteering and helping out with SAL Connect, The Salvation Army’s emergency support service for community members struggling to get by. Becoming a soldier at Orange Corps was the natural next step after years of feeling loved and appreciated as a corps member.
On the day of her enrolment, Loretta remembers feeling a sense of pride. “I just felt really proud that I had gone through that journey and could be part of The Salvation Army,” she says.
For fellow soldier Allan Starr, soldiership at Orange Corps was a natural step once he learned about the traditions and origins of The Salvation Army after joining the corps about a year ago.
“My view is if you go to a place, you commit to a place, so it was just a natural step to go with the tradition and procedures that I’d inherited and to become a soldier.”
He says joining The Salvation Army has enabled him to serve God in a way he feels called to, and he enjoys helping out at the corps and on Sundays.
“Interestingly, my mum was brought up in The Salvation Army by her parents, and I have a book from 1926 when my grandfather was gifted a book by the Salvos … so I’ve come full circle in a sense!”
Others who were enrolled at Orange Corps in February were Lynette Luxford, Molly Young and Amy Young.
Adherents enrolled at Forbes/Parkes Corps
At nearby Forbes/Parkes Corps, Corp Leaders Wendy Broome and Judy Brown were thrilled to enrol four adherents – Rex Taylor, Rachel Taylor, Lyn Simmonds and Barry White – on Sunday 15 February.
Wendy Broome said the meeting was centred on discipleship as the corps launched ‘The Way’ initiative, the Australia Territory’s spiritual focus for the years ahead.
“To add to the special day, we were thrilled to enrol four new adherents to our corps family. These people have been attending and active in the corps for a few months and asked to become official members. We praise God ... that is now eight new adherents in eight months. Exciting!
