IN THE AFTERMATH OF A DISASTER
Darwin journalist Joy Collins, writing in a 1975 War Cry, quotes Captain Alan Walker as having telexed The Salvation Army’s Territorial Headquarters in Melbourne straight after Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin, advising, “Properties and aircraft destroyed no personnel injured, request immediate assistance”.
Pictured:
The Salvation Army’s plane which was used for a wide ministry in outback north-western Australia was destroyed in Cyclone Tracy. The Salvationist mechanic who formerly serviced the plane is pictured on the right with Commissioner Pindred (centre) and Captain Alan Walker (left)
Leaders’
message:
Commissioner Miriam Gluyas
Territorial Commander
The Salvation Army
Australia
Colonel
Winsome Merrett
Chief Secretary
The Salvation Army
Australia
The impact of Cyclone Tracy, which hit Darwin in the early morning of Christmas Day 1974, is still very much with us.
For those of us who saw the results of the cyclone on our TV sets, the intensity of the cyclone and the damage caused was unlike anything we had seen before. Sixty-six people were killed, hundreds injured, and around seventy per cent of houses had serious structural damage, leaving more than 30,000 people homeless. For those who were there, the fear, sadness, deprivation and uncertainty of that time was immense and life-changing.
We are proud of the way the citizens of Darwin rallied to help each other in that very difficult time. We are proud too of the Salvation Army personnel – officers, members and volunteers – who lived in Darwin or moved there in the aftermath of the cyclone to provide whatever help they could to those affected. Within 24 hours our people were providing food, water, clothing, encouragement and practical help to those who needed it. With no power, sanitation or clean water, these Salvos became providers of help and hope.
I (Commissioner Miriam) wasn’t involved in the cyclone, and I have realised how different it is for those who were. When the floods devastated Lismore, I went to some concerts that the Wiggles arranged and realised the effect the disaster had on people. Parents shared that after months, this
was the first time that their child had smiled or had so much fun, while others said that every time it rained, their child would ask if the flood was coming again. I can only imagine how it was in Darwin for those who went through it ... fear, anxiety, loss, pain, insecurity of food, water and housing. I thank God for those who were there, to support in every way, over the long haul.
I (Colonel Winsome) was a teenager when the cyclone struck our home in Darwin. During the hours when Cyclone Tracy raged around my family and me, I experienced deep, unfathomable peace and calm. I believe that peace came from the presence of Jesus among us as we huddled together in our kitchen – it was for me a realisation of the promise of God when he sent Jesus to earth as a babe –Emmanuel – God with us.
As we remember the turmoil of Cyclone Tracy, and the incomprehensible peace that could be found in the middle of it, our hope is that you experience, this Christmas and always, the peace, presence and power of our almighty God, and the assurance that no matter what we go through, he is right there with us.
God bless you.
Commissioner Miriam Gluyas and Colonel Winsome Merrett
Cyclone Tracy
Darwin 1974: Background
The Salvation Army worked tirelessly in the wake of
Cyclone Tracy supporting over 36,000 people with clothes, food and assistance, provided 25,000 meals at Darwin Airport in the first four days following the cyclone and walked alongside Darwin residents in their time of despair, talking and listening to people in an attempt to bring some comfort and hope.
With wind gusts reaching 217 km/h, the destruction in the early hours of Christmas Day, 1974 was devastating. Cyclone Tracy killed 66 people, seriously injured 145, wiped out 80 per cent of the city and left many of the 48,000-strong population homeless. Survivors who spent hours sheltering in their homes were left traumatised, with many people never returning to Darwin.
The War Cry, 25 January 1975, reported:
From a physical point of view Darwin in the Northern Territory, standing at the gateway of Australia to Asia, has been destroyed. Wherever you look only devastation and destruction meet the eye. Buildings damaged, homes demolished, clothing and personal possessions, treasured and loved for many years, have been wiped out in the devastating force of Cyclone Tracy. Missing are the sounds of the children, with their happy laughter, their calling and joy when playing and their tears when in need. Missing are the normal sounds of a city going about its normal business and administrative responsibilities. Missing are the happy sounds of the women as they talk and share conversation in the normally crowded supermarkets and stores. Missing are the lines of dancing, clean clothing following the morning wash. All that remains Is the rubble of a destroyed city.
Captains Alan and Margaret Walker and Captains Hilton and Wilga Morris were The Salvation Army officers in Darwin at the time. Despite facing their own loss and trauma, and the destruction of all of
The Salvation Army’s buildings and planes used for outback ministry, they sprung into action with their corps (church) members to provide crisis relief on Christmas Day and in the weeks and months ahead.
Painting the word SALVO haphazardly on the side of their car, they set up a point of operation at fellow Salvationists Ruth and Graham White’s home.
By Boxing Day, officers from The Salvation Army in Queensland and Perth had arrived, bringing the Salvos workforce to 40 people.
As was noted at the time, “Santa never made it into Darwin” that year, but the Salvos did, and they made their presence felt.
One of the first buildings to rise from the disaster zone was a warehouse for The Salvation Army to distribute food, clothes and water to hundreds of people on the ground. The Salvation Army received an overwhelming response from the generous public both in material aid and financial support.
As survivors fled Darwin, they were met at the other end of their flight by The Salvation Army, providing temporary accommodation and assistance through relief centres across Australia. On one day alone more than 6,000 people were evacuated by plane from Darwin to other capital cities to be met by The Salvation Army and other organisations.
It took weeks, months, years to grasp the scale of the trauma Tracy inflicted – memories of the disaster remain vivid 50 years on.
The point of operations after the cyclone – the SALVO car! Pictured left to right:
Reflection:
Interview: Karizza Javier
Margaret Walker and her husband Alan were the corps officers of the Darwin Corps when Cyclone Tracy hit. Margaret shares her story:
On Christmas Day people would walk in off the street and come for a meal, so as usual on Christmas Eve I prepared chicken and salads. But things changed.
We listened to the TV and radio, and we knew by that afternoon that the cyclone was still coming and it was close. We put the kitchen table into the passage, put our mattresses on top of it and we all sat underneath it – Alan, our three children, our little puppy and my sister and her daughter who had come from Adelaide for Christmas. We could hear all the ferocious noise, the pelting rain and the howling wind outside.
Next door to us was our Salvation Army hall and next door to that was a car yard. We could hear the fence coming off and hitting all the new cars, so we knew it was bad then. We just sat huddled together under the table and sang carols. We just couldn’t do anything else.
Around 7am it was all quiet and there was an eerie calm and we went out to see what was damaged. Devastation was in every direction. We lost a lot of the roof and with the rain everything got ruined. The hall was still standing but everything was wet. It was hard to get a grasp on just how widespread the damage was and we were wondering why no one had come to see how we were doing, not realising that they were in the same boat as we were – and they were thinking the same thing.
Our flying padre and his wife, Hilton and Wilga Morris, turned up at our house and they told us how they also went through the cyclone. We were all standing in our backyard and saying what do we do? We’d never been through anything like this. Then the next minute we looked up and there’s Commissioner Harry Warren coming towards us – he just came and put his arms around us – we were so relieved.
Under the Commissioner’s direction, The Salvation Army was one of the first response teams on the ground. Alan got in touch with our territorial commander in Melbourne and he organised officers from all around Australia to come to Darwin and help. We found a warehouse that we were able to use. We also had a place where we were able to do some cooking – we had a guy that was a chef and he organised a lot of the meals. And not far from our home there was a sandwich-making shop, so we were able to make up sandwiches and give to the workers.
What was interesting at this time, because Darwin was a place that, because you either liked it or you didn’t, the evacuation to other places gave people the opportunity to say, I’m not going back. So there were quite a few people that didn’t return. The commissioner also gave us the opportunity to leave Darwin; however, we said no, we didn’t want to do that. We wanted to stay with the people.
The Salvation Army had a good name in Darwin but we weren’t a very big Army and weren’t so well known, but after the cyclone the Army was very well known.
The Salvation Army Australia’s current Chief Secretary, Colonel Winsome Merrett, is the daughter of Captains Hilton and Wilga Morris, who were The Salvation Army’s flying padres when Cyclone Tracy hit Darwin. Winsome remembers sheltering in the kitchen, being evacuated on a crowded plane to Brisbane, and returning to complete her Year 12 at the only secondary school that was left standing.
“When the eye of the cyclone hit we ran into the kitchen and within minutes our house literally blew up and out from the inside. I remember with clairity being really petrified and Mum saying, ‘We have to talk to Jesus’,” recalls Winsome. “For six hours we huddled together, shivering as we sang choruses. The noise around us was so loud.”
The details about that night go from terrifying to miraculous with a tree going through the girls’ room seconds after they ran downstairs to a large piece of Masonite literally following Winsome’s brother Brian into the kitchen, sheltering them from 240km/h winds.
The Morris family emerged from the wreckage of their home at 6.30am on Christmas Day. There was no power, sanitation or clean water, rubble was everywhere and news of people dying was spreading.
“It was devastating!” Winsome says. “Some people had nothing, literally everything was blown away.”
Despite their own loss the Morris’ knew the city needed their help and so along with other Salvos their response to help others was immediate.
Pictured: The wrecked remains of the Morris’ home
Reflection:
Dr Charlie King AM Darwin community member
Interview: Karizza Javier
Charlie King was born in Alice Springs but in 1966, once he finished his apprenticeship, he joined his parents living in Darwin. Charlie shares his experience of the night Cyclone Tracy hit and reflects on the way The Salvation Army rallied around him and his family.
Darwin was a beautiful place that was so casual, and people were happy and knew everybody. I remember saying, ‘I may never leave this place’, and although I did go away a couple of times, I’m still here now. But boy, when the cyclone came, it gave Darwin a big
I was living in a caravan and my wife was pregnant at the time. The wind started to get stronger and stronger, and the caravan started to shake a little bit. We thought it’s not going to be safe here, so we drove to my sister’s place and my other sister and her husband were there as well.
The wind started to get stronger and stronger and by 10pm it got severe. We could see the roof of the house slowly lifting and dropping back down again.
To protect ourselves we got a mattress off one of the double beds and laid it up against a wall and we all got behind it. I remember looking out the window and seeing sheets of iron and hearing them screech down the street – sparks were flying out from them.
When the morning came, walking outside that first look was one of devastation. I was thinking, oh my God, what’s happened? It was all gone.
People were going around with a megaphone saying, “Go to the nearest school”, so we went there. That was the first time I saw The Salvation Army. They were cooking, jollying people up and being nice and friendly – just what we needed. It was a good thing. We stayed that night, and the next day they started evacuating people.
My wife was one of the first to be evacuated because she was late in her pregnancy, and my twin sister went soon after her. I was going to stay in Darwin because I was thinking the place is going to be rebuilt and they’re going to need people here as well, but at the same time, Darwin couldn’t cater for too many people because there was no electricity or anywhere for people to live. So, I drove out with nothing. I got to Katherine and all I had were the clothes that I’d spent two nights in. There was a big sign up on the side of the road that said Darwin refugees, with an arrow pointing off to the left. And then that’s when I saw The Salvation Army people again. They offered food and clothing, looked over the car to make sure it was going to be okay and gave me fuel and money. I stayed the night and then the next morning drove south.
We had a big family and were evacuated all around Australia but over time everybody returned to Darwin. A lot of us had to start from scratch but I think at that time we saw it for what it was and said, rebuild and get on with life. I love that fighting spirit. We didn’t have money in the bank or anything like that, but I think it taught us a lesson about resilience and commitment and looking after each other. It made me a more caring individual. I contribute back to the community, not only because it’s a good thing to do, but it’s the right thing to do. And if everybody chips in and everybody does a bit of good, that’s a good thing.
I’ll always be available to help The Salvation Army. If I can do it, I’ll always do it, because when I was deeply traumatised all those years ago, they rallied for me.
When the morning came, walking outside that first look was one of devastation. I was thinking, Oh my God, what’s happened? It was all gone.
~ Dr Charlie King AM
1. The Salvation Army mobile water service
2. The Governor-General Sir John Kerr (far right) receiving information about relief efforts from Commissioner Margarite Warren (left) and Captain Alan Walker (Darwin corps officer in 1974)
3. Salvation Army volunteers at the clothing warehouse
4. Captain Walker (right) and Commissioner Pindred amongst the rubble that was The Salvation Army hall
5. Airline staff (right) with two-year-old Brenda Brocker and her Salvation Army carer (story p14)
1. Supplies sent to Darwin from around Australia
As reported in The War Cry, 25 January, 1975: By New Year’s Eve the airlifting of women, children, babies and walking wounded men had ground to almost a standstill, so the [Salvation] Army’s field of activity had become more centralised on the distribution of clothing of all kinds to completely outfit men, women, teenagers, boys and girls, to the supply of food, cutlery, crockery, cooking utensils, lamps, portagas bottles and stoves, cookers, torches, hygiene equipment, sheets and pillows.
2. Officers and volunteers helped find clothing for Darwin residents of all ages
3. Commissioner Warren (right) serving food at the Darwin airport – food and drinks were served to evacuees waiting for their place on the next plane out
4. Donated clothing and shoes being sorted for distribution
Reflection:
Freda Brocker
Darwin community member
Interview: Karizza Javier
Freda Brocker was busy getting things organised for Christmas Day. She and her husband Nick had just purchased their home in October and were looking forward to having people over to celebrate there for the first time. But Freda tells how within hours plans were changed.
It was Christmas Eve and Nick had gone to bed. The wind got stronger and on the television it was reported that Cyclone Tracy was imminent, so I woke Nick and we went into our two-year-old daughter Brenda’s room and crawled under the bed. We thought we would be safe but then we heard the sound of ripping timber and tin and so we moved into the toilet. All of a sudden there was an almighty crash and the roof of the house behind us flew into our house. I screamed, Brenda was screaming and I ran out of the house in fright. I fell in the mud and then got into the car but then the windscreen smashed into the car on us.
I realised that my leg was bleeding. Somebody got me to the hospital. I had some serious injuries so was transferred to Brisbane Hospital for a number of operations.
I thought Brenda was with Nick at home during this time but found out later that she had been boarded onto the plane to Brisbane also. Nick handed her to the pilot while he stayed in Darwin to work and help with the clean up. When the plane landed she was placed in the care of a Salvation Army family – Mr and Mrs Fischle. Only when some Salvation Army people came into the hospital to visit me did I know
where she was. I was told that when they collected Brenda she only had on a nappy and a big tag tied around her ankle to say who she was. The family made dresses for her, gave her clothing and toys and looked after her while I couldn’t.
When I first came out of hospital I was in such pain. Mrs Fischle continued to look after not only Brenda but me also. She changed my bandages, did my shopping, fed and clothed us because, well, we had nothing. When we returned to Darwin we stayed in touch and visited – it was a pretty special friendship.
I wouldn’t have been able to manage anything without The Salvation Army, that’s for sure. I had nothing and I was injured. I couldn’t do anything at all. What I had on when I went into the hospital is what I had. It took me some time to get over my injury; to tell you the truth, it’s still not over and it’s been 50 years. You never forget a time like that. I’m always watching the weather when it changes and Brenda is affected by the wind.
I didn’t know about The Salvation Army before the cyclone but since then we have been involved. Brenda went to Sunday school and later taught, and I went to the church and became involved in Home League and Companion Club. I just liked helping.
I wouldn’t have been able to manage anything without The Salvation Army, that’s for sure. I had nothing and I was injured.
~ Freda Brocker
Reflection:
Commissioner James Condon
Retired Officer
The Salvation Army Australia
Commissioners James and Jan Condon were lieutenants in 1974 and the corps officers of Mt Isa Corps. James headed up The Salvation Army’s emergency response to Cyclone Tracy in Mt Isa as it became inundated with distressed, confused and traumatised people evacuating Darwin and looking for assistance.
“In the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy, thousands of people fled to Mt Isa as there were only two roads out towards east. Due to its location it was a very busy stopover for people and a place where The Salvation Army provided crisis accommodation, food, petrol vouchers, pastoral support and a listening ear. Some stayed for up to six months before being able to head back to Darwin,” James says.
“The Salvation Army Mt Isa Corps had great relationships with police, local council and St Vincent de Paul – the whole community pooled resources and worked together to assist where possible.
“One of the things I’m extremely proud of is that all money raised by The Salvation Army went straight to helping people fleeing from Darwin and was directed to where it needed to go. One hundred per cent of what was given was used for those in need.”
Care, visitation and follow-up of people evacuated or impacted by the cyclone continued for some time, not only in Mt Isa but all across Australia.
The War Cry, 18 January 1975, reported:
Complete lists of names of the people evacuated and the addresses of their interim locations were made available to the [Salvation] Army. This information triggered off the second phase of the relief programme. Lists were broken up into zones and a systematic visitation progamme was started.
The Salvation Army was there for the long haul, aware that, “the psychological impact of these disasters on people can last for a life time, with some people never fully recovering”, James explains.
The Salvation Army was there for the long haul, aware that the psychological impact of these disasters on people can last for a life time, with some people never fully recovering.
~ Commissioner James Condon
Reflection:
Commissioner
John Clinch
Retired Officer
The Salvation Army
Australia
Interview: Lerisse Smith
It was an event like no other, remembers retired Commissioner John Clinch. As a new day dawned on Christmas Day in 1974, news reports surfaced that Cyclone Tracy had ravaged Darwin, causing loss of life and leaving tens of thousands without homes in the wake of the catastrophic event.
Chief Secretary of The Salvation Army, Colonel Bramwell Lucas, called together heads of department and those involved in emergency work with The Salvation Army across Australia to aid and support the massive recovery effort, including John, who was a public relations officer at that time.
Additionally, Southern Territorial Commissioner, Harry Warren, flew up with the Australian Air Force the day after the disaster to sit on a national committee that was formed in Darwin to represent The Salvation Army. He stayed for a couple of weeks in the aftermath of the cyclone.
“There was real devastation,” John recalled. “It was a very big disaster. I still remember the event clearly. We were called into headquarters to discuss what we were going to do. My main role was to liaise with the State Government who had organised their welfare teams. Refugees started flooding down from Darwin and so I was on a committee to oversee helping them, which was quite an interesting exercise because the refugees had lost their homes and not all had family members to support them.”
To further assist the refugees, The Salvation Army supported them at Darwin Airport, and when they
arrived at Melbourne’s Essendon Airport, staff boarded the planes to comfort and pray with them as they were distressed and needed help with their grief and anxiety.
Teams of Salvation Army personnel, including those from the public relations department, also worked with airport staff to help them cope with it all.
A key component of the huge recovery effort was the transformation of The Salvation Army’s Melbourne building at 69 Bourke Street into a clothing reception depot where the public could donate clothing to help those affected by the cyclone.
“There was an incredible community spirit and great community support,” John said. “People brought in winter clothing, far too much actually. After a few days, it became a problem. People in the south didn’t realise that Darwin is a very hot climate. We had to put out a message to the community to donate light summery clothing. The whole place resembled a warehouse.”
The Salvation Army disaster team further undertook follow-up work with the refugees as part of the recovery effort, putting out a call to local communities across Australia, in collaboration with other local welfare organisations, asking people if they could help the refugees. Army personnel additionally monitored the refugees plus other Darwin residents affected by the cyclone once they were settled to see how they were travelling, especially after suffering great loss. It was a big operation.
Officers and volunteers sorted mounds of donated clothing and shoes and assisted people to find what they required
Snippets from Salvation Army
Australia publications:
Offers of help poured in. People wanted to serve, to transport goods – indeed do anything to further the help.
~ Colonel Goffin (Chief Secretary
TSA Eastern Territory, 1975)
The War Cry, 18 January, 1975
Commissioner Pindred and Colonel Goffin, of the Eastern Territory, met Commissioner Warren and Colonel Lucas in conference in Melbourne on matters associated with the Darwin disaster.
The response of the Eastern Territory to the needs of the people in Darwin was immediate. On Boxing
Day an emergency control centre was set up at THQ, Sydney, with additional phone lines, all staffed by officers, employees and voluntary workers.
A financial appeal for the Army sponsored by the John Fairfax organisation, which controls the Sydney Morning Herald and Channel 7 television station, was wonderfully supported. Centres for the receipt of goods and money were also set up in other strategic parts of the territory and a second location in Sydney.
Offers of help poured in. People wanted to serve, to transport goods – indeed do anything to further the help. A hotel keeper holidaying in Sydney offered his hotel in the Northern Territory as an accommodation centre; at Cairns, a ship load of frozen food was donated and on its way to Darwin; and an electric generator was sent off by air. The Baptist church offered all its resources to support the Army.
Wonderful cooperation and liaison was experienced with the air force at Richmond (NSW) and Amberley (Qld) and other branches of the services, and various civil and civic departments.
Story: Colonel Harry Goffin
The
War Cry, 18 January, 1975
After praying earnestly that God would direct me to the place where I could give the most help to the refugees being flown out from Darwin, this prayer was answered when I was able to assist families who were directed to an overnight centre before continuing on to their ultimate destination. This 24 hours left me with memories of the courage and unselfishness of these people, who had lost practically all of their belongings, the majority only having a small amount of hand luggage.
One instance stands out: a mother, with two boys, one about 10 years old, the other only three. One had only to look into the woman’s eyes to see that she was still in a state of shock. Horror was mirrored there. Her youngest son was also shocked and for some considerable time would not let her out of his sight. He was dressed only in the scantiest of clothes.
As the morning wore on, we were able to gradually win his confidence, and as there were some toys there, after deliberation on his part, he chose a fire truck, a boat and some other small things. We were glad to see him gradually unwind, mentally and physically, and after my having found a paper bag for his treasures, he played happily on the floor of our sorting room.
It was hard to stem our tears as he marched up and down with his toys in his arms, saying: “My Christmas, my Christmas”.
Story: retired Salvation Army officer from Sydney
The War Cry, 25 January, 1975
Three-year-old Cathy was lost ... she was found wandering around in the northern suburbs area of Darwin in the middle of the desolation and destroyed houses. Fortunately, a Commonwealth policeman happened to be passing, saw the girl and picked her up. Dressed in what was then a dirty frock and with bleeding feet, she was clutching a small piece of cardboard with a name, address and Melbourne telephone number on it.
The policeman quickly drove Cathy to the medical centre in Darwin, where a doctor was summoned, who dressed her feet, and arranged for a clean dress and thongs. The doctor was leaving Darwin on the following morning for Melbourne for a few days of rest and so it was arranged that he would take her with him on the plane and try to reach the person named on the cardboard, or her relatives.
Boarding the aircraft for Sydney, the girl was frightened and depressed from her traumatic experience. Being New Year's Day, the doctor was concerned that he wouldn't be able to locate anyone at the Melbourne address and didn't really know what to do with the girl. He discussed his dilemma with the hostess, who approached a group of Salvation Army officers who were returning to their homes following a period of relief work in the stricken town.
On the flight to Melbourne, as soon as the cabin crew heard the story, they quickly organised a collection and handed over $30 along with another $100 given by a passenger and the plane’s captain.
The Salvationist made phone calls to Melbourne and the grandparents were located in an outer suburb. The Army Captain was met by a policeman and escorted to the grandparents. With tears rolling down their cheeks, they wrapped their arms around their little granddaughter and welcomed her home. The $130 was handed to the grandparents to buy clothing and other necessary requirements for the little girl and there were many prayers of thanksgiving to God on this occasion.
Story: Captain Alan Byrnes
Pipeline, December, 2009
News presenter Ron Wilson has never forgotten the generosity he experienced from The Salvation Army in the aftermath of Cyclone Tracy. Ron – then a 20-year-old radio rookie – and his family survived the cyclone but lost their home and everything else.
The Wilson family home was just one street back from the beach on Darwin’s most northern suburb. It took a direct hit. As early morning Christmas Day winds intensified and their house shook, Ron and his family sought refuge beneath mattresses on the lounge room floor. Agonising hours passed as they heard the horrid sounds of smashing glass and stripping of timber. As they reappeared from beneath the mattresses, they discovered their home was gone.
“Within 24 hours of Tracy’s havoc, The Salvation Army was on the streets,” Ron remembers.
“Simple things; but things we needed right then and there food, clothes, a helping hand a smile and encouragement to keep going,” he says.
“The Salvos stuck it out with us in the miserable conditions with no electricity, no running water, no sewerage facilities, in the oppressively humid heat and drizzling rain in the weeks that followed.
“It was just friendship and help. Eventually, we rebuilt our family and our lives. And that is why I will always do whatever, whenever, for the Salvos,” Ron says.
Story: Bill Simpson
The Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES)
today:
Your impact
In the past three years alone, SAES teams have distributed over 390,000 meals and refreshments and supported over 80,000 people all of which wouldn’t have been possible without the 51,000 volunteer hours completed by over 8,500 incredible volunteers and the financial generosity of our supporters.
For over 80 years, The Salvation Army Emergency Services have been trusted by Australians in need, thanks to our rapid response and tailored solutions in times of crisis.
Recognised as a fully compliant and top-tier, highly professional and compassionate service, we deploy response and recovery personnel to support immediate, life-sustaining needs in large-scale crises — all made possible through the generosity of the Australian public, volunteers and our partners.
We value a strong relationship with government and first responding agencies, and engagement with business, not-for-profit and academic forums strengthens our advocacy voice. Our data collection provides rich opportunities for research and program development, as well as highlighting the impact a dedicated workforce has on life-reclaiming outcomes for the people we serve.
Our three-phased approach to disasters supports people from the moment a disaster hits to recovery efforts and rebuilding resilience. Cyclones, floods, bushfires or earthquakes – there will always be SAES teams on the ground supporting those on the frontline of any emergency. Backed by The Salvation Army’s wraparound services, we are there for the long haul, helping people get the assistance they need to rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
Resilience — our aim is to integrate disaster risk recovery and resilience into our model of care.
Our focus on resilience strives to collaborate with families and communities, to identify opportunities and risks, strengthen coping strategies and leverage their existing strengths to restore livelihoods amidst compounding crises.
Response — deployed with first responders in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, we provide catering and establish safe and friendly rest areas. When the incident managers (usually government) establish evacuation or relief centres, we provide refreshments, meals, material aid and a friend to talk to.
Recovery — a coordinated process that can involve a wide range of Salvos services. At the invitation of incident management, our Recovery team provides essential assistance, including financial hardship aid, material support and chaplaincy services, and helps navigate referral pathways. Throughout what can be a protracted recovery journey that can span months to years, the Salvos can provide financial counselling and case management. The Salvos have been and continue to be deeply committed to being there for the long haul, to help people rebuild their lives and livelihoods.
As a national organisation that is locally embedded, we not only understand our community, we are a part of it, which means we are often there before, during and after a disaster strikes. We can do this because we work in partnership with Salvos from a wide range of social services across the country to meet people at their point of need.
Daryl Crowden General Manager
The Salvation Army Emergency Services Australia
The Salvation Army is privileged to have been a part of great displays of resilence and strength through some of the most devastating circumstances ... Our reason for being is to meet you at your point of need and through practical support remind you that when you need it most we have your back and together we can hope for better.
~ Daryl Crowden
Scan to hear Daryl Crowden speak about the role of The Salvation Army Emergency Services Australia.
“Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way.
The
Lord be with all of you.”
~ 2 Thessalonians 3:16
MISSION
The Salvation Army is a Christian movement dedicated to sharing the love of Jesus.
We share the love of Jesus by:
CARING FOR PEOPLE
Being there when people need us most
We offer care and compassion as a sacred encounter with transformative potential
CREATING FAITH PATHWAYS
Taking a holistic approach to the human condition that values spirituality
We graciously share the Good News of Jesus and grow in faith together
BUILDING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
Investing ourselves in relationships that promote mutual flourishing
We find the wholeness God intends for us in community
WORKING FOR JUSTICE
Tackling the social systems that harm creation and strip away human dignity
We join God’s work to build a fairer world where all can thrive
VISION
Wherever there is hardship or injustice, Salvos will live, love and fight, alongside others, to transform Australia one life at a time with the love of Jesus.
VALUES
Recognising that God is already at work in the world, we value:
INTEGRITY
Being honest and accountable in all we do
COMPASSION
Hearing and responding to pain with love
RESPECT
Affirming the worth and capacity of all people
DIVERSITY
Embracing difference as a gift
COLLABORATION
Creating partnerships in mission
OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSION
The Salvation Army Australia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet and work and pay our respect to Elders, past, present, and future. We value people of all cultures, languages, abilities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, and intersex status.
We are committed to providing programs that are fully inclusive. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of people of all ages, particularly children.