Fassifern History
The Fassifern Salvation Army is 125 years old and still going strong, providing weekly Sunday worship services, help for those in need and fellowship groups for young and old.
Hearty beginnings
The Salvation Army officially opened in Boonah in 1890. Prior to this, since 1887, the work had been based in Kalbar (Englesburg) and supported by The Salvation Army in Ipswich. An open-air outreach meeting led by ȁ...
Read full storyEarly opposition
In the early days, The Salvation Army’s loud brass-band marches and open-air meetings didn’t always impress. “Skeleton Armies” – groups of people (often local larrikins) intent on causi...
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Our homes in Fassifern
After a number of years of renting halls, The Salvation Army in Boonah and Kalbar was large enough in numbers to require its own premises. A hall was built in Boonah and opened in 1892, however, a fire in 1924 destroyed...
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Making music
The Salvation Army in the Fassifern area has a long history of musical excellence.
When the District Hospital (Boonah General) opened in 1900 the Boonah Salvation Army band played regularly to hearten the patients. The b...
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Fassifern's fighters
The Salvation Army in Fassifern has produced its fair share of outstanding Salvationists.
John Charles Tunstall Sr arrived in Australia from England in 1883 and settled in Coochin Coochin. His father, James Tunstall,
...
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Always about people finding freedom
From its early days when The Salvation Army band used to march down the main street of Boonah and perform open-air meetings, to today when Salvos can be found providing welfare assistance or running children’s gro...
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The Salvation Army in Fassifern today
In 2014, the local Salvation Army corps (churches) of Boonah and Kalbar came together as the “Fassifern Corps” and so The Salvation Army remains a vibrant presence in the Fassifern community today, providin...
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And finally...
We could not resist including this story!
In 1921, a visiting Salvation Army evangelist, Adjutant Thomas (Mudgee) Robertson (pictured) rode his horse up the front steps of the Boonah hall, into the hall and onto the plat...
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