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George says he had forgotten about God until he reached a point in his life when he couldn’t stop drinking. Having a strong desire to change, he attended an Alpha course at Tweed Salvos with his wife and encountered a God who could change lives. George has a genuine joy and connection to people today. He reflects that God has a plan for him and has always had a plan for him.

BY CLIFF WORTHING Bringing solutions to local issues is driving growth and awareness for The Salvation Army in the Solomon Islands, according to Major Robert Evans, Solomon Islands District Officer. Even though 94 per cent of the population identifies as Christian, there is a growing desire to engage with The Salvation Army’s ethos and way of doing things. Robert and his wife, Major Vanessa Evans, are Australian officers who have led The Salvation Army’s work in the Solomon Islands for the past five years. The Solomons are part of the Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands Territory. “We are showing that Christianity is more than singing nice songs on Sunday,” Robert said. “People have seen how a church can improve their quality of life, which is what is so attractive to them!” The Army is active in 11 villages, and 19 other villages have asked them to establish a presence in their communities. Robert said the Army was not competing or duplicating what other churches do but looking for the gaps to fill, individuals in the “too hard basket” or groups not affiliated with other churches. “They are our people,” Robert said. One of the most significant areas of mission and closing a gap is a literacy program run by Vanessa. She has set up four learning centres targeted mainly at children not in school and women who have missed out on educational opportunities. “The program is helping our women gain the skills and confidence to contribute to society and gain greater equality,” Vanessa said. She mentioned how satisfying it was to see females write their names for the first time or come out of the background to make a difference. The learning spaces are places where children and women in the communities can gain confidence not only in their reading, writing and speaking but also increase their self-esteem, as well as reduce their vulnerability to sexual violence and human trafficking, according to Vanessa. “One of the highlights of this program is seeing some of our women who were my first students now become teachers,” Vanessa said. “The flow-on effect of just one activity is producing great results.” To see one of our women stand up in public and read from the Scriptures is amazing, and watching other women come up to her and tell her that they want to be like her is so heartwarming,” Vanessa said. “Learning spaces is one way that The Salvation Army Solomon Islands is changing lives.” Each week, an average of 161 women and children attend the learning spaces. Everywhere the Army establishes a presence, it creates social enterprises to build a self-sustaining component for the church group. Fishing, coconut oil production, low-cost fuel, and an aluminium foundry are just some money-making enterprises. Making it Happen project Another priority in the Solomon Islands is developing Indigenous leaders. The Evanses have identified four couples as candidates for officership. Once they become officers, they can be appointed to one of the church groups. To prepare for those appointments, quarters need to be built in each location. The Australia Territory is supporting the cost of building one of the officer quarters through this year’s Making it Happen project. Three priority locations in Malaita Province have been proposed because they have the greatest mission development potential. The estimated cost is $A120,000 to build and furnish the officers’ quarters. Robert’s background in architectural design contributed to the drawing up of plans. The Evanses have consulted widely with village leadership to ensure the quarters suit village life. The quarters will have a private upstairs living section and a downstairs living area, traditionally accessible for community meetings, prayer meetings and Bible studies. “The village pastor’s house is the gathering place, is open to foot traffic and is integral to village life,” Robert said. “We are trying to cast a vision of what quarters in this part of the world can look like.” The plans will be submitted to Territorial Headquarters soon for approval. The Evanses are discussing a partnership with Rural Training Centres to help build the quarters. The students would gain valuable real-life experience in building a project as part of their studies, making gaining employment easier once they graduate. The training centres save money because the builds will be in rural areas, which is cheaper for them than sending students to the capital, Honiara. The Salvation Army receives free labour while providing experienced builders as supervisors. The local corps will support the workers with accommodation and food during the building process. “We are really excited by this partnership because everyone contributes and gains from it,” Robert said. “In trying to do good, we don’t want to take away the resilience of the people by just throwing money at the locals.” Fundraising ideas, promotional materials, and resources for a Making it Happen Sunday are available at www.my.salvos.org.au/making-it-happen

BY LAUREN MARTIN It’s Wednesday afternoon in the heart of Sydney. At 4pm, a group of men and women – some experiencing homelessness, some struggling with addiction, one man still in his prison greens – head into Sydney City Salvos and gather in a small room on the fourth floor. Midweek Chapel gets underway without music or fanfare but with the Holy Spirit visibly moving amongst those present. “I appreciate having the opportunity to speak and share my life,” says Matthew Payne, who has been connected with Sydney Streetlevel Mission for decades. Matthew was one of many who lamented the loss of the Streetlevel Friday Night Chapel service, which stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t restart due to the bringing together of all Sydney Salvation Army faith expressions under one banner – Sydney City Salvos. “It wasn’t as though Friday nights weren’t working or not important – it was actually what our community held most dear,” said Sydney City Salvos Mission Team Leader Mitchell Evans. “But, in the journey towards Sydney City Salvos, the Streetlevel leadership team had our own Abraham/Isaac moment. We felt God calling us to give up our ‘most dear’ as an offering of how much we want to see his ‘new’ (Sydney City Salvos) come to pass. “We prayed and wrestled with this and ultimately followed this prompting. This was a significant moment in our journey towards Sydney City Salvos. It wasn’t without pain and is something that we mourn – but it’s what was required.” So, the Streetlevel team joined with the Sydney City Salvos Hope Dinner, held at the Sydney Congress Hall location. But, over time, more and more community members approached Mitch to request the restarting of a faith expression that differed from a more traditional Sunday church worship service. “They wanted a place where they could ask questions in the middle of the service so they could better understand Jesus and a place where it’s ok to not be ok,” he said. A few weeks ago, without much fanfare, Midweek Chapel got underway at 4pm, an hour before Hope Dinner on a Wednesday night. The three ingredients to the gathering are prayer, open sharing and listening, and a short faith message. Encouragement and prayer “Last week, I shared that I had a sex addiction for 38 years, and I was celebrating the fact that I was free of that addiction for six months,” said Matthew. “It really busted open [the group] – a few people who were sharing after me said that they have addictions to gambling, and they’re finding it hard to give up.” Encouragement and prayer often follow this type of vulnerable sharing within the group. On this particular night, Sydney City Chaplain Major Irene Pleffer was there to share words of knowledge and speak Jesus into their situations. There is no set ‘run-sheet’ or timed segments during Midweek Chapel. The values of the gathering are those of the Kingdom of God – unconditional love, acceptance and the continual inviting of Jesus to minister and nurture those present. For Matthew, who lives alone and goes out just three other days during the week for coffee with an NDIS carer, Midweek Chapel is a lifeline. “At most churches, people put on their ‘church face’,” he said. “You can be at a church talking to a guy and asking him how his life is, and he’d be saying everything’s ok, and the next week you find out he’s separated from his wife! “What he was saying was that everything was fine when it was far from fine. But he was wearing his ‘church face’ wasn’t he?” For Mitchell Evans, Midweek Chapel is a beautiful space where people can be welcomed “no matter what they’ve got going on.” “It’s messy, but that’s fine with me!”

The Bible has quite a bit to say about dreams, including God sometimes ‘speaking’ to people through their dreams. People such as Jacob (Genesis 28), Solomon (1 Kings 3), Daniel (Daniel 7) and Jesus’ father Joseph (Matthew 1) received divine messages in dreams, and in Numbers 12:6 God told Aaron and Miriam that he spoke to prophets in dreams. Does God still use dreams to get messages through to us? Some theologians would say no, but then how can we restrict God? If he wants to get a message to us in a dream, he will! The issue has more to do with discernment: was that God trying to tell me something, or was it just the questionable mozzarella I had on my pizza for dinner? I had a dream once that I thought may have been from God. I was gently floating down a river in a canoe and came to a long tunnel where I could just see the other end. As I entered the tunnel, I felt the canoe get faster, and I realised the water flow was really picking up speed. I started feeling a little giddy, saw strange colours, and thought I might pass out, but then I heard laughter. As I emerged from the tunnel, I looked at the banks of the river, and kookaburras were laughing at me from the trees. Then I saw at ground level there were kangaroos, wombats, and possums, and they also seemed to be laughing at me. And it got so loud that I laid back in the canoe for a moment, closed my eyes and floated. And that’s when I had my dream. As I drifted off to sleep in the rocking canoe, God said to me, “You’re just floating. Sit up and steer. Do you want to drown?” I took it as symbolic. He wasn’t talking about the canoe; he was instructing me to take more control of my life before I felt overcome with matters and ‘drowned’ in responsibilities. I had to stop saying ‘yes’ to everything and sit up and pay more attention to where my life was heading. So, again, was that God speaking to me or just some bad cheese? Or should I not have watched Titanic before going to bed? The hard bit with dreams, or rather, with God speaking to us through dreams, is knowing which ones are from God and which ones aren’t. For example, in the dream where I’m constantly being pursued by an unseen presence that I can sense but can’t see, clearly God is telling me something about guilt or that he is seeking me or that I am trying to avoid God. But what about the dream where the chair talks to me and then becomes a rabbit with a watermelon for a head, and he’s singing ‘How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?’ in the voice of a Japanese Elvis Presley impersonator? What is God saying to me there? Yes, I know, he’s saying I need counselling. – Major Mal Davies and his wife Major Tracey are the Corps Officers at Adelaide City Salvos

BY CLIFF WORTHING Magnetic Island off the coast of Townsville supplied the context for this year’s North Queensland Men’s Conference over the first weekend in August. “What better place to encounter the majesty and creative genius of our awesome creator than Magnetic Island, one of the most magnificent destinations that the Far North of Queensland has to offer,” said Major Ben Johnson, Cairns Corps Officer. Lieut-Colonel Gregory Morgan, Territorial Secretary for Mission, spoke on the ministry and mission of Jesus through the book of Luke. “The group was particularly thankful and receptive to Jesus’ mandate to proclaim the good news and live out the love of Jesus,” Gregory said. He explored four passages in the book of Luke, including Luke 4, the great commandment, and reframing Jesus’ focus on finding people rather than the traditional focus on ‘the lost’. “We had a really good mix of focused time of hearing from God, discovering more about our faith, and informal periods for relationship-building,” said Captain Perry Lithgow, Townsville Faithworks Corps Officer. “It was a great opportunity for connection between long-term Christians and those new to the faith.” The 27 participants were a mixture of Cairns, Atherton Tablelands and Townsville Riverway and Faithworks corps, and Salvo recovery services. “This is a really important event for the guys in the region to connect and encourage one another,” Perry said. “They don’t have many opportunities to connect regularly because of the long distances between corps.” In addition to the formal worship and teaching time, the men enjoyed spending time together at the local beaches and coffee shops, going on morning hikes, fishing off the jetty, and “watching a bit of footy” together. “There is a real energy and momentum stirring in the hearts of North Queensland men to better serve God, one another and the wider community,” said Ben.

Major Karen Elkington has been managing The Salvation Army’s Asylum Seeker and Refugee Service in Melbourne for the past 13 years. As a member of the Refugee Council of Australia delegation to a Parliamentary Friends of Refugees event at Parliament House in Canberra, she spoke during National Homelessness Week about the desperate plight of asylum seekers. BY MAJOR KAREN ELKINGTON The phone rings at The Salvation Army Asylum Seeker Centre. The person calling is a man seeking asylum who is in hospital and has no Status Resolution Support Service (SRSS) payment. Prior to being in hospital, he was sleeping under a bridge. A cyclist collided with him and injured his leg. The man is desperate – he has had surgery, is about to be released from hospital and can’t walk. “Can you get me a wheelchair?” he pleads, “And somewhere to live?” The most we can do is drop into the hospital with changes of clothing, some toiletries, a suitcase for him to pack a few belongings into and for our chaplain to spend time with him to provide pastoral support. After speaking with the Refugee Health Network, they advocate for the man to be transferred to rehab where he will remain until he can at least walk with the assistance of crutches. After he leaves rehab it’s anyone’s guess what will happen. Sadly, no one can house him because it’s impossible to support people with long-term housing when they have no income. Emergency relief is not enough We have another family who comes to us for assistance. They have no SRSS payment and the small church housing organisation that has been paying the family’s rent for the past year is no longer able to do so, as they simply do not have the funds. Enquiries are made to many housing providers and the advice is the same. It’s impossible to house people without an income. It’s impossible to ask faith-based and other community service organisations to keep on paying people’s rent, as there is simply not enough money for charities to pay rent for them indefinitely. The Salvos’ Asylum Seeker and Refugee Service in Melbourne speciality is assisting people seeking asylum with financial assistance in the form of vouchers and material aid. We help with food, clothing, toiletries, children’s toys and cleaning products. During the COVID years, we received additional emergency relief funding which was appreciated by us and the community. However, at the present time, our funding has returned to pre-pandemic levels. The Emergency Relief system is designed to help people through short-term emergencies. However, the people we see are living in dire poverty, and a food voucher from an Emergency Relief organisation is not enough for them to purchase food, medication, and to pay their utility bills or rent. People without incomes or lacking Medicare or work rights cannot survive on Emergency Relief food vouchers, and charities often rely on donated food to support those in need. Most Emergency Relief agencies have non-perishable pantry food items which we box up and give to people to tide them over for a couple of days. Our families are telling us they struggle to provide themselves and their children with enough fresh fruit and vegetables. The best we can do is pick up rescued food in partnership with Coles Second Bite. The food varies in quality. Sometimes there is a lot of it; other days it’s mostly bags of bread. Many of our families without income go from one food charity to another for support. Some are very unwell, suffering mental health conditions and physical health problems. Some have told us their children are being treated at the Royal Children’s Hospital for malnutrition. All of them rely on community support to survive. Homelessness dilemma More and more of them are at risk of being homeless as charities struggle to raise the funds to pay for people’s rents on an ongoing basis. The Salvation Army’s Homelessness Services are not set up to support people seeking asylum who have no income, and they do not have the resources to continuously house people seeking asylum. The Salvos can only support people with housing for a brief time, depending on funding. Put simply, a person on an SRSS payment, if they become homeless, has a greater chance of accessing mainstream homelessness support services. Whilst people remain without an SRSS payment they will continue to couch-surf, sleep in cars or sleep rough. To summarise, housing, feeding, providing medical care and assistance with utility bills is beyond any charity to provide long-term. Housing people without Centrelink or any asylum seeker SRSS payment is near to impossible. We in the charitable and community services sector call upon the Federal Government to change the system so people seeking asylum can at least survive and at best thrive.

The Salvation Army, the City of Hobart and the Hobart Airport are working to provide free general practitioner appointments to Hobart’s most vulnerable. The Health With Dignity program provides free GP appointments to people who otherwise cannot afford to get the medical help they need. The Salvation Army will book an appointment that suits the individual and will even accompany that person to the GP to support them and ensure the visit is a success. “Health With Dignity assists the most vulnerable in our community, and there is no more worthy cause than that,” City of Hobart Housing and Homelessness Portfolio chair Councillor Mike Dutta said. “Access to medical help is something that many of us can take for granted, but to be denied such assistance in a time of need due to costs or other factors would be extremely detrimental, both physically and mentally.” Health With Dignity is for people in extreme need, aiming to support those exiting incarceration, living with homelessness, part of an existing support program or going through hardships or a domestic crisis. “It is a simple but effective way to support vulnerable people in the Hobart community to access essential medical care, which they would otherwise likely go without,” Salvation Army Homelessness and Housing state manager Ben Moroney said. “The Salvation Army extends its thanks to Hobart Airport and the City of Hobart for initiating this project and for their support, which enables us to manage the Health With Dignity project.” The City of Hobart and Hobart Airport have both contributed $15,000 to fund the program. This article first appeared in the Hobart Observer. Story and photo courtesy of the publication

BY LAUREN MARTIN It hasn’t been a great snow season in Australia. Lack of snowfall has led to less work being available for seasonal workers on the New South Wales ski fields. Add to that the cost-of-living pressures and high rent prices in the area, and the number of people needing support has skyrocketed. For decades, the local Jindabyne St Andrews Uniting Church has been running a weekly ‘Soul Food Community Kitchen’ on a Monday night during the ski season, offering a free meal and dessert to anyone in the community who needs support. Several years ago, they were looking to partner with another church, so they contacted The Salvation Army in nearby Cooma. Auxiliary-Lieutenants Anthony Barford and Sandra Mortimer had recently arrived as the new leaders at Cooma Salvos, and they jumped at the chance. “I have an interest and an ability in commercial hospitality, and they were looking for someone to help with the cooking,” said Anthony. This year, a member of Cooma Corps who is a professional cook has also volunteered to assist. “Us being there frees up two people from the St Andrews congregation to get out and about and spend time with the people who come in for dinner,” said Anthony. “That’s really the key – for them to be able to spend time ministering to people around the dinner table. Then we have a Bible study afterwards for the team or for people who might wish to join us.” Anthony said numbers had significantly increased this year, from serving up to 150 people last year to serving 250 people on the busiest night so far this year. “That’s a lot of soup!” he said. He said cost-of-living pressures have drawn in community members who haven’t had to access the service before, “many of them single-parent families.” And itinerant ski-field workers who pay up to $600 per week for dormitory or shared accommodation and sometimes get under 30 hours of work. The Soul Food Community Kitchen also has a pantry service and an op-shop. “It’s a place where people can come and know they will be welcomed and supported, and they can get one free or low-cost meal per week to help their budget,” he said. And although the impact on those attending may never be known, Anthony says the support has been life-changing for some who have attended. “Last year, we had a young woman come in, and she looked unwell, dazed,” said Anthony. “She wasn’t quite sure what she was doing. We asked, ‘Are you OK?’ and she said she had suffered a fall and had a concussion and was feeling really unwell. “The team at St Andrews arranged and paid for an appointment for her with a specialist in Canberra Hospital. They found that she had a brain bleed, and that appointment saved her life.” For Anthony, it’s a privilege to participate in a support role working in the kitchen, to allow the local parishioners the time and space needed to connect, support, and, at times, pray with those who attend. “We have other people come in with emotional problems, spiritual issues and physical problems from skiing on the poor, icy conditions, and there are personal supports available for people through the church which would not otherwise be provided. Monday nights is a real connection point.”

This week is Children’s Book Week in Australia. It is a time when schools and public libraries celebrate books and Australian children’s authors and illustrators. The theme for Book Week 2023 is Read, Grow, Inspire. BY DAVID McKENZIE* Pre-loved books are finding new love thanks to a Colac Salvation Army initiative with a local primary school. Colac South West Primary School, in south-west Victoria, is having a book fair this week, where students can each pick up a free second-hand book. The fair coincides with Book Week activities. Children will each get a chance to peruse an array of books on offer and take one home for free. They range from picture storybooks to longer books, educational and activity books. Most of the books have come from the Colac Corps, with school families also providing books to give away. Colac Corps Ministry Assistant Josiah Van Niekerk said the book fair provided a great use for pre-loved books that came to The Salvation Army’s thrift shop. Josiah said The Salvation Army received a lot of donated books and sold huge amounts through the shop, but some books had minor defects that made them unsellable but still readable. He said the book fair meant The Salvation Army didn’t have to send those books to recycling. “It’s been great to be able to provide books for free. It keeps them out of being recycled.” Josiah said he would like to offer the book fair program at other primary schools and Colac Secondary College in the future. * David McKenzie is a journalist with the Colac Herald.

Emergency Services teams respond to Hawaii, Canada fires As the devastating fires that erupted across Lahaina, Hawaii, on 8 August continue to upend lives, The Salvation Army is still on the ground responding with food, shelter, emotional and spiritual care, and other critical services. The Emergency Disaster Services team in Hawaii has so far provided and coordinated the delivery of over 83,000 meals and is also offering emotional and spiritual care to evacuees and first responders. A particular focus has been “mass feedings” for those seeking refuge at Maui County/American Red Cross shelters, and anyone else in need across impacted communities. In addition to providing meals and support, the team has been using 100 per cent of the monetary donations for the exact relief supplies that the community needs. In Canada, The Salvation Army has continued to assist families affected by the wildfires in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia with food, shelter and medical supplies. With mass evacuations taking place in Yellowknife and Kelowna, many residents have temporarily relocated to different cities. The focus of the Emergency Disaster Services team is to ensure all evacuees and those on the frontlines have a safe place to stay, and that they remain well fed and hydrated. Salvation Army responds to violence in Pakistan The Salvation Army world is shocked and saddened to hear about the attacks on Salvation Army premises and other Christian churches in Pakistan on 16 August. International Headquarters has asked for prayers of reconciliation and comfort for all those affected. Hundreds of people armed with sticks and rocks stormed a predominantly Christian area in Faisalabad. Images on news outlets and social media showed smoke rising from church buildings, including The Salvation Army, and people setting fire to furniture. The attack was allegedly triggered by a group of religious zealots accusing a local Christian family of desecrating the Qur’an, according to a rescue official at the scene. Four churches had been set on fire, but there were no reports of injuries. At Territorial Headquarters (THQ) in Lahore yesterday, officers and their families impacted by the events were welcomed by territorial leaders and given “hope and encouragement in the face of destruction”. Leaders shared information on working through trauma, living in challenging times and finding hope in Jesus. THQ personnel gave practical gifts to the families and reminded them of their courage and resilience. IHQ highlights World Water Week Salvation Army International Headquarters in London is hosting an exhibition for World Water Week (18 August – 7 September). The exhibition highlights that: • Two billion people – 26 per cent of the world’s population – lack safely managed drinking water. • Around the world, up to 443 million school days are lost every year because of water-related illnesses. • If everyone, everywhere had clean water, the number of diarrhoeal deaths would be cut by a third. • Diarrhoea caused by dirty water and poor toilet access kills one child under the age of five every two minutes. Salvationists and friends around the world are encouraged to reflect on what water means to us, and commit to seeking justice for those who do not have the safe water that we should all be able to enjoy. The exhibition encourages people to: • Start conversations about unequal access to water and use our voices to make a difference. • Cut down on waste, acting in solidarity with those with less or no access to safe water. • Donate and raise money for charities working to improve the situations of communities around the world. For more information and to view the exhibition, click here. Summer camp underway in Moldova Summer camps for children and teenagers are in full swing in Eastern Europe, including in Moldova, a division of the Eastern Europe Territory. “We continue to dive into the fascinating world of adventure, friendship and faith,” said camp leaders. “We are sure that this week will bring children even more joy, friendship and closeness to God and each other.” Camp activities include games, playground visits, Bible studies, lunches and “just an overall good time for the kids.” The leaders emphasised that this is a time when many children have an opportunity to hear the gospel. “Keep us in your prayers as the little ones grow in Christ and their little hearts trust in him.”

By CLIFF WORTHING With a background as a corps officer, chaplain and counsellor and with a Master of Business Administration, Karen Lattouf has all the eclectic skills for her role as Territorial Leadership Development Specialist. Karen has been in the role since 2015, providing leadership training, coaching, mentoring, consulting to leaders across The Salvation Army, and pastoral supervision to officers and corps leaders. “My hope and desire is to inspire Salvo leaders to support their people to be their best, to give them the best opportunity to flourish and shine,” Karen said. “So, I do what I can to create opportunities for leaders to be the best!” Karen’s approach centres around asking challenging questions rather than telling, helping leaders reflect, learn and apply concepts to their unique situation, creating space for participants to learn from each other and sharing the latest thinking on leadership development. “I try to make each interaction fit for purpose,” Karen said. “It’s more work for me, but I love creating light bulb moments and helping people build their capabilities.” Karen and her team have created a new Leadership and Management Development Program, which recently launched as a pilot program to help The Salvation Army respond to current and future needs. It explores the capabilities Salvo leaders need, whether they are new to the role or in positions where they are making the biggest decisions impacting our whole movement. “Servant leadership is a central philosophy to The Salvation Army empowering our people,” Karen said. “We want to be effective now and sustainable into the future.” “I would love people to know I am available because I am deeply passionate about inspiring people to be their best.” Karen believes leaders get the best from their people when they listen well, have empathy, are relational rather than authoritarian, and show an interest in each person. Karen’s role involves some travel since it is a national role, but it also has a strong online component. Karen has found the growth of online connections has made her more accessible. “I would love people to know I am available because I am deeply passionate about inspiring people to be their best,” Karen said. “This role is right up there with the best job I’ve ever had!” Salvo leaders can contact Karen to discuss ways she can support their leadership development.

The Preston Citadel Band will hold its Centenary Celebrations this weekend (26-27 August), and to mark the occasion, a book will be launched to honour the band’s 100 years of active service in the Melbourne community REVIEW BY IAN LINGARD The story of the Preston Citadel Band over 100 years mirrors life in its local community as well as some significant international events that dramatically impacted all Australians. The glossy, 124-page book is packed with interesting information, anecdotes and photos from 1925 to 2023. But it also reflects the evolution and challenges of Salvation Army banding over the years. The nine chapters are each cleverly named after Salvation Army brass band pieces, and I think this list will whet your appetite: Chapter 1: Army Warriors (Gilbert) – The birth of the band Chapter 2: Under Two Flags (Coles) – Service in dark days Chapter 3: Good Old Army (Coles) – The band has been very active Chapter 4: British Melodies (Gullidge) – Migrants with a mission Chapter 5: On Parade (Herikstad) – The challenges of change Chapter 6: Days of Rejoicing (Key) – An international era Chapter 7: The World for God (Silfverberg) – A legacy in Japan Chapter 8: Battle Ready (Trigg) – Baton changes Chapter 9: A Century of Service (D. Jones) – The past and the future. As well as detailing the band’s history, its leaders and ministry, there are lots of quirky, interesting anecdotes. For example: • In 1923, after a couple of months’ practice, a group of seven youths made their debut, and Preston Band was up and running. • In the early years, Preston bandsmen loved the band’s own march, The Prestonian, so much that when travelling home by train from the city, they would often whistle a few bars to let other bandsmen know they were on the platform! • On one trip to Ararat and Horsham, the band attracted a crowd of 500 to their concert in the Botanical Gardens and 600 to the after-church program in the town theatre. “In all, the band fulfilled 13 engagements and played 245 tunes.” • From the 1930s to the 1980s, the Preston Citadel Band was ahead of its time in relation to its hospital ministry. It made regular visits to the Royal Women’s Hospital and Bethesda Maternity Hospital, as well as to Pentridge Prison and the Kew Psychiatric Hospital. There were also regular Sunday afternoon visits to the Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital until the late 1980s when the corps officer indicated to the bandmaster that “in an age of air conditioning and double-glazed windows, the music could barely be heard in the wards”. • In the late 1940s, the corps Sunday morning holiness meeting was regularly broadcast on 3DB, and the band also played on 3AR. “The band continued to make radio programs into the 1970s, by which time brass bands had been overwhelmed by rock ‘n’ roll, long-playing records and the advent of television, and were faded out of radio schedules.” • The 1955 weekend tour of Goulburn and Canberra was memorable for the ‘luxury’ bus that broke down on 12 occasions on the way, resulting in the Canberra segment of the weekend being abandoned. The trip home was more of the same and took 21 hours! I smiled when I read the report by Brigadier Harry Goffin (guest leader for the weekend), “Between those two momentous journeys, great meetings were held on Good Friday, and despite the band not having eaten for many hours, it played Man of Sorrows impressively.” And there are lots more gems like those! Merv Collins has done a great job in carefully documenting the history of the band in such an interesting way. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and I’m confident you will too. Perhaps you have close links with the Preston Corps or the band and know some of the players mentioned or photographed. Perhaps you’re interested in a fascinating read about a well-known Salvation Army corps band. Perhaps you wonder how a brass band can evolve and adapt to not only survive but flourish for 100 years. If so, this is a book for you! The book will be available at Preston Corps over the Centenary Celebrations weekend for $30 or by emailing pcbcentenary@gmail.com for a copy to be posted anywhere in Australia for $40.