Meet our cadets for 2026 – Rescued and ready to go!
- deansimpson7
- 32 minutes ago
- 4 min read
BY LERISSE SMITH
A sneak peek into the lives of some of this year’s nine cadets from The Salvation Army’s Rescued session captivated the audience at the special ‘Cadet Welcome’ service at Camberwell Corps on Sunday 1 February.
There was no hesitation from first-year cadets Bramwell Nemhara (Perth Fortress, WA), Chantal Tait (Kwinana Corps, WA), Jessica Gorringe (Long Jetty Corps, NSW) and Mike Salomo (Macarthur Corps, NSW), who openly shared their hearts, hopes and journeys during a special Q&A with Captain Kylie Herring, Leader of Officer Formation at Eva Burrows College.
The service followed the cadets’ Orientation Week with the college team.
Asked to name a highlight from Orientation Week, Mike didn’t hesitate.
“Oh, that’s easy!” he said with a smile. “It is definitely meeting all the beautiful, wonderful cadets, and the training college staff, such as yourself, Kylie. The days have been long! Every day has been an information overload, but I’ve also had so much fun just being in each other’s presence and getting to know each other. I hope that we will continue to learn from each other – and lean on each other.”
For Bramwell, the surprise of the week proved deeply formative and unexpectedly transformative.
“I was surprised by how much emphasis there is on who we are becoming, not just what we are going to, but who we are becoming,” he commented. “That really surprised me. I thought, as I had a few experiences in ministry, I thought I’ve got it all before, but this week has surprised me and just broken me down to start building me up to be who I will become in ministry.”
Jessica shared a personal insight into what she had learned about herself during last week.
“I have learnt about myself that there is so much more to discover about faith and about The Salvation Army,” she said. “There’s so much that I thought that I knew, but there’s so much that I don’t know, and I’m excited to discover that and learn more.”
With her eyes fixed firmly on the journey ahead, Chantal spoke about what she looked forward to in the future.
“I’m looking forward to the learning, the developing, and also just getting deeper and learning in a different environment to my normal home corps,” she said. “So, experiencing a large corps, coming from a smaller corps ... really just looking to get into the work within that corps and what they’re doing in the area. So, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”
The other five cadets of the 2026 cadets of the Rescued session are Caleb Gorringe (Long Jetty Corps, NSW), Rachelle Atkinson (Mandurah Corps, WA), Reuben Van Gaalen (Coffs Harbour Corps, NSW), Yasmin Van Gaalen-Prentice (Waverley Corps, Vic.) and Wati Seeto (Fiji).
One of the most significant moments of the service was a special personalised message from Territorial Commander Commissioner Miriam Gluyas for the cadets. Unable to attend in person, she had her message read by Major Kim Haworth.
“May this be another line in the sand day for you as we welcome you as cadets in our territory,” Miriam had written.
“And what a wonderful territory it is. What a wonderful name for a session – Rescued. You have been rescued in order to rescue. William Booth said, “We are a salvation people.” This is our specialty, getting saved and keeping saved and then getting somebody else saved, and the ministry of Jesus to proclaim the Good News to the poor.”
Miriam also shared her excitement with both the cadets and congregation about this year’s Rescued session.
“Rescue – what an amazing ministry, what a privilege, what a calling,” she emphasised.
“Jesus has rescued us and set our feet on solid ground. We are a people on our knees, rising up and going forward with the Holy Spirit to see the world, one for Jesus. May you be Jesus-centred, Spirit-led and revealers of hope. The world desperately needs Jesus, and you are a part of his plan. You’re a hope-giver and a hope-bringer. You can’t do it without him. Don’t even try! It’s His mission, and we partner with him.
“These will be both exciting and challenging days. Make the most of every day. Live for him and be like him ... Colonels John and Lani Chamness join me in welcoming you. Rescued to rescue. What an amazing calling! I can’t wait to hear the salvation stories that you get to be part of.”
More highlights were to come for those attending the service, including special prayers for the nine cadets, worship, and a stirring message from Major Matthew Reeve, Corps Officer at Camberwell.
A key inspiration for the cadets was the sessional verse for the Rescued session, Colossians 1:13: “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”
Kylie explained that each year, as a new session commences, she writes a reflection on the sessional verse and wanted to share the closing portion with those gathered.
“I’d like you to hear it as a word of encouragement for all of us who have been rescued and brought into the Kingdom of the Son,” she said.
“The rescued are entrusted with a hope that is grounded in Kingdom realities. Living a holy life is to live a life of resistance, to be a freedom fighter. It is a way of being in the world that resists despair, dehumanisation and indifference. Rescued is not just a testimony in the past tense. It is a vocation for the present.”
