Always about people finding freedom - Edna Mayne

From its early days when The Salvation Army band used to march down main streets and perform open-air meetings, to today when Salvos can be found providing welfare assistance or running children’s groups; one thing has remained the same – The Salvation Army is about people finding freedom. Freedom from fear. Freedom from neglect. Freedom from poverty and addiction. Freedom to dream. Freedom to love. Freedom to make a difference. Freedom to live life to the full and freedom through Jesus.

Edna Mayne (pictured on the left with with friend Edie Baskin in the 1930s) lived in and around the Leichhardt and Petersham areas of Sydney all her life. Her father was, in fact, a Salvation Army bandmaster who encouraged his daughter’s musical skill.

By her mid-teens Edna had become an accomplished musician, playing both violin and piano.

“My aunt was renowned for always inviting people home for a meal,” says her nephew, Major Peter Farthing. “She was a woman whose door was always open to those in need. Her kindness and experience made her a valuable carer, even with fellow residents in aged care.”

For more than four decades, Edna served as secretary of the Petersham Home League, a grassroots organisation which offers support, fellowship and friendship to women of all backgrounds. She was dedicated to this voluntary position well into her 80s.