The Salvation Army Rockdale
The Salvation Army in Rockdale started in the attic of Mr Samuel Warren’s home. He was so passionate about the Salvos starting in the area that he converted his attic into a hall, providing seats and lamps and even building stone steps up the side of his house to make an entrance for those who attended.
The official opening of the Army in Rockdale was on 30 October 1886, with the first officer appointed being Lieutenant H. Chadwick in 1887. After outgrowing the attic, The Salvation Army worshipped for a time in the Oddfellows’ Hall in Kogarah and in 1889 a barracks was built on the hill in King Street.
It was relocated to the corner of Princes Highway and Lister Avenue, Rockdale, in 1920. At one stage Rockdale Salvation Army oversaw outposts in Brighton and Ramsgate.
In 1975, a new suite of Salvation Army buildings was opened and in 1990 it was relocated to West Botany Street, where it remains today. The RocSal Conference Centre has been operating at this site since the year 2000, and from 2003 to 2012 The Salvation Army also ran a sports centre at its Rockdale Complex. Today, The Salvation Army in Rockdale is home to a vibrant church community, a Salvos Store, and a range of programs and activities for all ages.
