Coffs Harbour Heroes - Envoy William Shephard

The Order of the Founder is The Salvation Army's highest award which, in 1925, was given to an unsung hero of a tiny corps in country NSW. Major KEN SANZ of the Army’s Heritage Centre at Booth College in Sydney, relates the story of Envoy William Shephard

On 20 August 1917, on the fifth anniversary of the death of General William Booth, his son General Bramwell Booth instituted The Order of the Founder. It marks distinguished or memorable service such as would, in spirit and achievement, have specially commended itself to the Founder.

Today people who are given this award are usually very well known in Salvationist circulars, but not always so. The date of one the early awards was 11 April 1925, and it was given to Envoy William Shephard of Dorrigo Corps in the then-Armidale Division.

In those days the award was given at the corps of the recipient. It was announced in the Official Gazette in The War Cry, Sydney, on 9 May 1925. The actual report of the investiture was not published until 15 August of that year, when it was reported that Major Richards, the divisional commander, had come from Armidale with Mrs Richards and Captain McDowell. On the Saturday night, the investiture took place followed by a concertina recital.

The odd thing is that this was not reported in the corps history book until the divisional commander, on an inspection in July 1958, wrote an addendum to the history book on the 1925 page, stating that Envoy William A. Shephard has been awarded the Order of the Founder. We still do not know the actual date of the investiture!

Who, we might ask, was William Shephard, who, “singlehanded, kept the flag flying for nine years of desperate conflict until the re-establishment of an Army corps at Dorrigo, New South Wales”. Then, Dorrigo only had a population of around 800.

In The War Cry of 5 April 1952, William wrote his testimony, revealing that when he was 16, through the personal dealing of a Methodist minister, he accepted Christ as his Saviour. “My prayers and Christ’s incoming to my heart took place on top of a tank which my father and I had built for water storage.” Was this the blessing of holiness, so often talked about then?

On 3 January 1896, he walked from Woolgoolga to Coffs Harbour where he married his love, Ellen Joanna Davis. While in Coffs Harbour the Shephards ran a non-denominational Sunday school. A few years later, through the influence of his sister, he joined the Army at Grafton, but was enrolled by proxy, as he lived too far away to attend the ceremony in person.

Many hardships

The Shephards moved to Bellingen for a year where William worked in Hammond and Wheatley’s store. He stood alone every Saturday night to testify to his Saviour’s love. At that time the Army had moved its corps from Bellingen to Fernmount, where he was a soldier.

At the age of 32, the opportunity came for the family to have their own farm in the newly opened Dorrigo District and they took a piece of land in the middle of thick scrub six miles from the town. He later wrote: “A bullock team dumped all our goods on the ground and I pitched a tent and set to work. I had to leave my wife and family behind, and the loneliness of it all nearly beat me. But work is the best remedy for depression, and I felled trees and split logs, working with might and main, until a hut was built. It had no floors or fireplace, and was only 20x10 feet, but to this I brought my fearless wife and our four children. Then it rained and rained! A fifth child came, difficulties were many, money was scarce, but the beautiful spirit of my wife and the goodness of God made it possible for us to keep on.”

Having to find something to do for the Kingdom of God and remembering earlier Army meetings and there being no other Salvationists in the town, William held non-denominational open-air meetings in the town and surrounding areas. Sometimes he did three meetings in the course of walking 23 miles on a Sunday.

Then an outpost of the Fernmount Corps was opened at Dorrigo, and the Shephards found their true spiritual home. Often William went to meetings alone on horseback, but later when his boys grew up they all went in a sulky. Having a very hard-working wife and five sons and five daughters was a great help to the little corps.
When World War One was declared, his eldest son, Clifton, enlisted and paid the supreme sacrifice at Messines in June 1917. His place was taken by the next son Aubrey. In World War Two, sons Herbert and William served with the AIF overseas.

Deserved honour

In 1918, William was made an envoy, which, he said, added to his responsibilities. These included open-airs, hospital and hotel visitation, Sunday school and adult meetings. Then a corps was opened at Dorrigo and all the soldiers from Fernmount were transferred there, even though it was difficult to get there via a bad mountain road. The railway did not come to the town until late 1924 and then via Coffs Harbour and Glenreagh.
As the milking was done by hand, one wonders how much was done by his wife Ellen to release him for Army duty.
At least 10 Salvationists became officers from the little country town whilst Envoy Shephard served there. When they retired from dairying, leaving the property to two sons, they settled in a house in Kurrajong St. Ellen was promoted to glory in February 1948 and William was promoted to glory in August 1958.
When he received notification that he was awarded The Order of the Founder, he wrote: “an honour which I could never see I deserved. But I would like to put on record that if there was any honour due it was mainly due to my dear wife, now in the glory and, for if it not had been for her I could not have done what I did.”
At his death the corps officer wrote in the corps history book: “The Dorrigo Corps undoubtedly owes its existence to the influence, sacrifice and untiring efforts of Envoy William Shephard.”

“The Dorrigo Corps undoubtedly owes its existence to the influence, sacrifice and untiring efforts of Envoy William Shephard.”