Ballina History
The Salvos in Ballina have been around since 1891, providing physical, emotional and spiritual support to the local community.
Ballina's Salvationist beginnings
On 5 December 1891, Captain Emma Peake was appointed as the first commanding officer of The Salvation Army in Ballina. In a time when all other churches refused to ordain women as ministers, it must have been a shoc...
Read full storyHoly Ground
In the early days, open-air meetings were a regular event on the corner of Cherry and River Streets (where the Australian Hotel now stands.) A local Salvation Army history book states that when the new street surface was...
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Our home in Ballina
The earliest Salvation Army hall in Ballina, on Cherry St, burnt to the ground in a fire on 29 July, 1927. In 1928 a building fundraising campaign began with a new hall and officer’s quarters, built on Tamar St, w...
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Making music
The Salvation Army has a strong history of musical excellence in Ballina. The earliest photo of the Ballina Salvation Army band dates back to about 1912 and the history book records the band being involved in street marc...
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Expansion
The Ballina Salvation Army has expanded to various towns in the district over the years. In 1924 it is recorded that a troop of Life Saving Guards have been formed at Newrybar through the year … much hard work has...
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In times of need
It’s often said that The Salvation Army has a ministry of “presence” – of being there in times of need. During times of flooding throughout the decades, The Salvation Army in Ballina has...
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Always about people finding Freedom
From the early days to today, one thing has remained the same: The Salvation Army is about people finding freedom.
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The Salvation Army in Ballina today
The Salvation Army in Ballina remains a vibrant expression of the love of Jesus, with a 100 per cent increase in members in the past two years alone. Its Tamar St headquarters is open every day of the week, offering serv...
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