Meet the Officer – Captain Paul Farthing

1. What is your current appointment, and what do you find most satisfying about it?

I work at Shellharbour Salvation Army Church. I am never satisfied. There is always a soul to be saved. This doesn't mean I am unhappy; I am just never sated (sated being a cooler way of saying satisfied). Never being sated means I always have a reason to keep going - a reason to do better. In 1999, Steve Waugh captained one of the greatest test cricket teams of all time, and he wrote a book called Never Satisfied, and he never was, and his cover drive just kept getting better.

2. Away from the appointment, if that’s possible, what do you do to relax or unwind?

The other day I found this old guy on YouTube who visits country towns in NSW and makes a little travel documentary at each one. He said in one video that he lives in his van and is technically homeless. I'm not sure if this is a happy thing or a sad thing. Is he lonely? Is he poor? Or has he chosen this life and it’s a joyous thing for him to be roaming free across rural NSW. I've been thinking about it a lot. What I reckon is he has made the best of a hard situation; he has made lemonade from lemons. I hope that is what is happening. Bless his wandering soul.

3. What’s a favourite Christian song and why do you like it?

‘As the Water Covers The Sea’ – Nick Cave

4. If you could have a good talk with a biblical character apart from Jesus, who would it be and what would you talk about?

I once met a man on a bus who said he was the prophet Elijah. He told me very quietly, like he didn’t want anyone else to know. He had a ragged beard and long hair, so he looked a bit like Elijah, but it definitely wasn't him. We only talked for a short while before some ticket inspectors came on and he got very nervous; he jumped off at Campsie, and I never saw him again.

5. If you were talking to a group of Salvationists and they asked if you recommended officership or not, what would you say?

If you look good in polo shirts – become an officer, we wear a lot of polo shorts. I don't like polo shirts; when I wear them, I look like I work at the local pool or something. They just don't suit me. But they suit some people, and if you are an officer you get to wear heaps of them. It’s a feature of the work people don’t talk about much. Did you know that The Salvation Army were the first people to put words on clothing? That’s a serious innovation. So clever. I hope they adhered to the branding guidelines.

But yes, become a Salvation Army officer; there are souls that need saving, and The Salvation Army needs officers to be busy saving them. The gates of hell are wide open; that side of things is sorted. We in the Army need to fling wide the heavenly gates. That means you becoming an officer. Sign up today.

More information on Salvation Army officership can be found here.