Opening date mystery
Trying to determine the exact starting date of The Salvation Army in Maryborough is not easy, as Salvation Army records and newspaper accounts differ, but by late 1885 a virile corps (Salvation Army church) was operating in this Queensland town. The official Salvation Army date is 20 September 1885 when Adjutant Edward Wright played his cornet in Maryborough’s streets. Fay Nicholls, corps historian, says The Salvation Army commenced with the arrival of Captain David Buckingham on 26 September 1885. Newspapers, however, give the date of Sunday 27 September 1885, saying the Salvationists were subjected to a good deal of rude interruptions. The matter is further complicated by a report in The Brisbane Courier in August 1883, announcing that The Salvation Army was recruiting in Maryborough and an even earlier report from inland Gayndah in May 1881 stating that The Salvation Army had been active in the district during the Easter season. Despite the uncertainty over the start date, it’s clear that The Salvation Army was active in Maryborough as early as the 1880s. The picture on the right shows a War Cry drawing of the Maryborough hall in 1887 (AEH)
