Australian Thoughts at the Weekend 25th and 26th October, 2008.

Australian Thoughts at the Weekend 25th and 26th October, 2008.

Albert was just one of many teenagers who regularly gathered in the city centre to see what fun they could have. Often they had to make their own fun as nothing much was happening. The city was Adelaide, the Capital of South Australia. Albert was eighteen.

One night the best opportunity for some fun was the local Salvation Army Street Meeting down on the corner. They had listened before and knew the routine. There was one Salvationist who loved to sing solos but his singing was interrupted by his coughing. On this night as he stood in the centre of the circle singing and coughing his way through the song, Albert moved into the circle and stood behind him.

Albert caused much laughter among his friends and other onlookers as he mimicked the Salvationist’s every movement, his singing and especially his coughing. His eyes watched for movement to copy, and he listened carefully to the words that were being sung. However, as he listened so he could accurately mimic the words, he heard the words as he had never heard them before.

The words became clear and he knew that God wanted something more than a good laugh from comic actions. The young man confessed his sin to God and that day began a commitment to God that never wavered.

Albert went home and told his parents he had got saved and joined the Salvation Army. This roused such anger in his father that he was thrown out of the house. It is interesting that Albert’s grandparents had left their home in Germany to find freedom from religious persecution in this new country.

His sister, a life-long devout Catholic many years later said her brother Albert got a faith that really meant something. She said there were two things he had hated. One was paying his weekly board on pay day and the other was chopping wood for his mother’s kitchen stove and the open fire. After he gave his life to Jesus, on each pay day Saturday afternoon, when his father was at the races, Albert came home and paid his board and chopped some wood for his mother. He knew the family needed that board money although he was living away from home.

Albert with his young wife, Evelyn, a son and daughter* and another child on the way entered the Training College from Adelaide Congress Hall Corps. After six weeks training at the College in Melbourne he was made a Cadet-Lieutenant and posted to a Corps .This was the beginning of a long period serving in the leadership of many Corps until he was posted to Headquarters with the responsibility of “Special Collector” visiting and receiving donations from major supports. He served in this way in Victorias and Tasmania for seventeen years until his retirement.

Two stories are told of the days at Headquarters. As Albert was required to travel extensively he was provided with an ‘Army’ car. When it was noticed that he was not coming to work at HQ on Saturday mornings, as all HQ Officers and staff were required to do, this was officially queried. He pointed out that to keep the car in the appropriate clean condition, he spent Saturday morning cleaning it.

On another occasion, he was asked to see the Commissioner at his office. Not wanting to keep the Commission waiting, he arrives a few minutes early and waited for the summons to enter on chairs provided. About 2 minutes before the appointed time the Commissioner arrived back at his Office. He saw Albert sitting there and inquired why he was there. When Albert replied I have an appointment with you, the Commissioner sternly replied that the appointment time had not yet arrived and added “Always be on time. Don’t be early you are wasting your own time. Don’t be late, you are wasting my time. Always be in time in future”. Albert told colleague Officers of this and they said that’s why we wait in the Trade (SA supplies and book shop) downstairs until the appropriate time.

I sat and chatted with Albert after his retirement in the company of a Corps Officer. Albert stressed the importance of visitation. I am not sure whether it was unique in those days but he told us he never stayed for a cup of tea with the Soldiers he visited. He said it was a time waster and staying too long soon led to talking about people rather than spiritual things. He limited his visits to about 20 minutes and read a Scripture and prayed with every one he visited.

He told of one Corps where he was newly appointed and on Tuesday morning after his Monday “day off’ he set out to visit Soldiers. He delivered a War Cry to a shut in Soldier in the street behind the quarters to be told by the Soldier “Oh, you don’t have to bring the War Cry. Just post it like the other Captains did”.

Albert and his wife raised 5 children during their Corps Officer years. They were known for their care for others. Many benefited from Evelyn’s skill with sewing and knitting machines. However, they found room for a child from a Salvation Army and after caring for her for many years, they officially adopted her. One story that is told of young Joyce is that when she stayed overnight for the first time, she was shown the various bedrooms. When she was shown the main bedroom with its double bed and told Albert and Evelyn slept there, her reaction was “I’ll tell Matron on you!”

A singer with a persistent cough was used by God to bring at least one man into God’s Kingdom. Many of that one man’s family in the 100 years since his conversion in an Adelaide Street in 1908 have served God faithfully as Soldiers and Officers in both Australian Salvation Army Territories.

*It was the Promotion to Glory of Albert and Evelyn’s oldest daughter, Mavis, in Adelaide this week that reminded me of this story of my grandfather, Albert Reese which I had written two years ago.


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