Riverside Salvos seeking new ways to serve community
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
Riverside Gawler Corps is undergoing a change of leadership, with the very active corps north of Adelaide entering a new era of community engagement.
Ministry Team Leader Josh Sanders has recently taken over leadership from Major Darren Dwyer, who established the corps in 2012 and has built extensive community networks in the region.
In January 2025, Darren was named the Gawler Citizen of the Year. Josh acknowledges that the corps has a lot of practical benefits through its property and extensive volunteer base but says there is a deeper purpose behind what they do to create a truly effective community.
“I think space does matter, and we are very fortunate in what we’ve got,” Josh said.
“We’re very blessed we have a newer building, but [primarily], we want to be seen as a warm, welcoming environment.”
The team is beginning a push into more grassroots church-planting work, with Darren about to adopt a new role in this area. Using Riverside Gawler as the hub, Josh says Darren will aim to build more ministry opportunities in the local community.
But as he steps back, things are still running strong, and the corps will keep operating as is, but with new dreams of deeper community connection through Darren’s commitment to church planting and the gradual evolving of larger teams to handle the workload.
“We’ve built things to a place where most of them will continue to run as they are [now],” Josh says.
Between the Purruna Community Garden and Yarning Circle, two outdoor playgrounds, an outdoor worship space located in the rear of the property, as well as the Riverside Gym, and inside the main building, the Riverside Café, Soft Play Area and a neurodiverse-friendly sensory room, the team punches well above their small size with programs run regularly in most of these spaces.
The indoor play area, soft play area and neurodiverse-friendly sensory room.
Alongside this are usual Sunday services, food assistance and holistic family support programs. On the outside of the building, the corps provides 16 lockers for those sleeping rough.
Just last year, the team also took on a renovation of the main building to better utilise the café and indoor play space.
The team now gets 60 to 70 families coming through a week to enjoy the soft play area, courtyard playground and coffee, brunch or lunch service. This is not only an important source of revenue for the corps, but it also enables families who might otherwise not connect with the Salvos to become aware of other ways to become involved.
The Bubbles Parent and Toddler Group runs for two hours every Wednesday morning during the school term, and for just $2 per child, parents and their children can participate in an openly Christian program including songs, puppets, storytelling and activities.
The team also provides four free food parcels a year to those in need, and daily breakfast packs and/or breakfast service for those sleeping rough in the area.
Josh says the Gawler community faces a lot of social issues, and money management is one of these. He is often trying to direct potential clients to Moneycare services, but finds that unfortunately, there is little take up. He would like to see more people addressing their needs in an ongoing, sustainable way, but as that journey can be long, the Salvos is there to help.
Toiletries, laundry facilities, food and cook-at-home hampers at Riverside Gawler.
Recent developments at the centre have included the addition of the outdoor occupational therapy play space, located near the rear gardens. Also, the inclusion of bush foods and a yarning circle have provided a space for Aboriginal educators from Kauwi Purruna to immerse Indigenous youth in cultural learning. However, as with all the programs Riverside leaders support, there is a deeper meaning.
The occupational therapy play space, Purruna garden and yarning circle.
“We want to have Aboriginal educators, and that’s important,” Josh said. “But what’s even more important is these kids hanging out with each other, embracing their Aboriginal identity and culture and meeting together and just going ‘oh, there’s other kids like me in the same position’.
“That’s been a really important part of the program. So sometimes it’s just meeting, eating some food and hanging out and [our question was] how we [could] create a backyard that allowed that to happen as best as possible.
“I’m very grateful to God for what we’ve been given and what we can use.”
