Early opposition

On Tuesday 6 February 1883, the Ipswich Salvation Army fired its first volleys, led by Captain Peter Cairns and his wife Lieutenant Jimima Cairns, receiving a mixture of opposition and support. During one open-air meeting on Thursday 23 August 1883, with hundreds in the crowd, so much aggression was received by the Salvationists that an unnamed Rev. gentlemen connected to the Congregational Church ... gave his testimony in favour of The Salvation Army and the good work they were doing, and although he had heard them much slandered, yet he believed, and was more convinced from tonight, they were doing God’s work, and he for one would raise no barrier in their way, nay, rather would he help them. Through all this Captain Cairns still had his eyes set on expansion throughout the Queensland colony, declaring that: Any friends round about who wish to help us to “storm the villages and towns in Queensland” will please forward their contributions … Determined to grow, for a time The Salvation Army in Ipswich changed its nickname from Invincibles to Invaders and a second corps (church) in North Ipswich was born. During this developmental phase, both churches had financial difficulties and much opposition. Captain Cairns wrote: We have borne the heat and burden of the day, the muck and sludge, the rotten eggs and raw beef that dogs fought over … By the late 1800s, despite Captain Cairns’ enthusiasm, both Salvation Army churches in Ipswich ended up folding.