In times of need

It’s often said that The Salvation Army has a ministry of “presence” – of  being there in times of need. When a cyclone tore through Townsville in 1903 it ripped the roof off the Salvation Army officer’s quarters, with the officers taking refuge in an empty house next door. The Salvation Army provided emergency assistance to those affected, with The Salvation Army newspaper The War Cry reporting on 11 April 1903 that our officer, Adjutant Saunders, is on one of the committees, besides giving a lot of help to necessitous cases privately.

Another cyclone struck Townsville on Christmas Eve 1971. The Townsville Salvation Army history book says that within an hour of its passing, we had emergency feeding services established at The Salvation Army Social Services Centre.

The Salvation Army maintains an active Salvation Army Emergency Services team in Townsville today, ready to respond in times of disaster.