Fellowship and faith celebrated at 'The Flat'
Fellowship and faith celebrated at 'The Flat'
12 April 2022
Members of The Salvation Army joined Uncle Vince Ross at ‘The Flat’ in Deniliquin over the weekend to unveil an anniversary plaque listing 19 families who had lived on the reserve and encountered The Salvation Army after settling there in the 1950s. Photo supplied by Captain Stuart Glover
Uncle Vince Ross (OF) first encountered The Salvation Army on a reserve called ‘The Flat’ near Deniliquin in southern NSW when he was a boy. It was to be a life-changing moment.
Nineteen Aboriginal families were living on the banks of the Edward River in the mid-1950s when the Salvos came along to offer assistance, and a special bond was formed. Not only did a young Vince see the love of Jesus in action, but he experienced a spiritual transformation himself.
Then and now: Vince became a Salvationist at the age of 12 and began a lifelong association with The Salvation Army, culminating with being presented with the Order of the Founder, the movement’s highest honour, in 2020.
“The Salvation Army played a role in helping our people to settle humpies on the riverbank there. We had a great relationship with The Salvation Army from 1954 when Lieutenant Edith McKenzie and Lieutenant Joyce Douglass began serving the community. Then, in partnership with Rotary, we had a little hall built on a concrete slab,” shares Uncle Vince, a Madi Madi and Wemba Wemba man who now chairs The Salvation Army Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Board.
That little hall, built in 1961, became the site of weekly Sunday school classes and numerous community activities, not to mention more than a few brass band concerts!
A concrete slab is the only reminder of the hall, but to celebrate the 60th anniversary of its construction, a plaque has been unveiled on the same site, listing the 19 families who lived on The Flat.
Hundreds of ‘mob’ representing many of the original 19 families returned to The Flat on Saturday for the anniversary celebrations. Uncle Hewitt Whyman unveiled the Koorie flag, the Torres Strait Islander flag, the Rotary Club banner and The Salvation Army flag. “This is about Flat mob together then, together again,” he said.
Chief Secretary Colonel Winsome Merrett was present for the historic unveiling, along with Secretary for Mission Captain Stuart Glover, members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team, Public Relations Secretary for NSW Major David Collinson, retired Lieutenant-Colonels Jan and Peter Laws, and South Barwon Corps Officer Major Clint Castley.
Flags representing The Salvation Army, the Koorie nation, and Torres Strait Islanders cover the memorial plaque. Behind is a banner listing the original 19 families who lived at The Flat.
The plaque was unveiled by Uncle John Ross, Auntie Josie Swindle, Captain Marco Lupis, and a Rotary Member.
After the official proceedings took place, the ‘mob’ yarned, ate, and enjoyed good music from the South Barwon and Friends Band, and the didgeridoo even came out.
The Salvation Army Emergency Services opened their mobile van to feed the masses while folk yarned into the night, swapping stories and reconnecting after decades apart.
“I’ve made mention of reconciliation, and people say the word like it is new, but we were doing it over 60 years ago,” says Uncle Vince. “This celebration is about people working together [the Indigenous and Salvation Army communities]. It is about people – not colour or creed.”
As The Salvation Army continues to walk alongside the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, Uncle Vince says we still have a lot to learn from where our relationships began.
“We are creating pathways for all people to become change agents in their community,” he said. “This is about building together – a better future for all people.”
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