A GENEROUS bequest by a Goulburn sheep farmer led to the Salvation Army expanding its operations in the area, including the construction of the Gill Home building on the hill, overlooking Auburn St.
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The Salvation Army is celebrating its 150th anniversary world-wide this week.
It was founded in the slums of London by former Methodist minister, William Booth.
Joseph Gill was a wool buyer, business man and owner of substantial sheep runs near Collector.
He had migrated from Bradford, a wool manufacturing town in Northern England and prospered here.
When he died in 1926, the bulk of his estate valued at 489,372 Australian pounds was left to The Salvation Army.
The reason he donated such a generous gift remains a mystery, but a story prevails that he was impressed by the cheerful, Christian living of a young Salvationist who was working as a maid in the station homestead.
Gill left Winderadeen station near Collector and other assets to the Salvation Army.
His will required that the estate should be divided in equal shares between the branches of The Salvation Army at Melbourne, Sydney and Goulburn.
In Goulburn, the Salvation Army built the large brick building on a hill overlooking the town that was originally used as a boys’ home and later converted to facilities for senior citizens and now operates as the Gill Waminda Aged Care Plus Centre.
In Melbourne, the bequest was used to build the Gill Memorial Home for Men and in Sydney a residence, named after the station, was provided for elderly women.
The Salvation Army was opened in Goulburn on September 1, 1883 by Alexander Canty.
When they first started out here not everyone was a fan of the marching, singing Salvos.
Ransome T. Wyatt, in his History of Goulburn, described the Salvation Army’s arrival in Goulburn as being: “…met with hostility and bigotry almost amounting to persecution.
The police hounded it off the streets and larrikins interrupted its meetings.”
Despite such opposition, The Salvation Army thrived, building its first weatherboard barracks in the early 1880s on the corner of Coromandel and Addison streets.
This was later sold to the Methodist Church.
In 1892, the Clifford Street Citadel was purchased and served as the Salvos’ home in Goulburn until 1979.
It was demolished and a new citadel was opened in Hovell Street in 1981.
Salvation Army Captain Tuesday McCall said the Salvos maintain a vibrant presence in Goulburn today through various services they run, with groups running each month for all ages.
“We are transforming the way we provide welfare services to the community,” she said.
“We have various programs including Moneycare and Doorways and Salvos Connect.
Salvos Connect offers emergency help to people in crisis.
Longer term, the Doorways program case manages people out of the recurring cycle of debt.
“We also run Moneycare, which provides financial counselling to people, including assistance with budgeting and talking to financial companies to broker relief.”
In addition to these services, the Sally Van runs each Friday and Saturday nights from 10pm to 2am - providing tea and coffee (courtesy of Bakers Delight) as well as ensuring people on the streets are safe.
The local Family Store at 123 Auburn St is where people can get low-cost clothing and household goods and ask about other services.
“And, of course, there are worship services at 10.30am every Sunday morning at the Citadel in Hovell St.
We would invite anyone in the community to pop into and see us at our Hovell Street centre or Auburn Street store,” she said.