Red Shield record
Better facility: Salvation Army Captain Martyn Scrimshaw at the site of the new Salvo hub in Leongatha, being built by Considine and Johnston.
SOUTH Gippsland has raised a record $25,000 for this year’s Salvation Army Red Shield Appeal.
Captain Martyn Scrimshaw is thrilled.
“That’s an incredible response,” he said, “it’s unreal.”
It’s particularly remarkable given the Victorian total of $1,455,621 was almost nine per cent less than last year’s tally.
The second Winter Sleepout at the Leongatha Railway Station last Friday week added $4500 to money raised from door knocking or collecting in the street.
Twenty people including police, a couple of business and Salvation Army representatives, two teachers and half a dozen students from Leongatha Secondary College dossed down in cardboard boxes lining the station platform. Martyn said the night was mild and the atmosphere great.
“It was fantastic, really amazing. People from the community came down all night to give donations.”
One person who was sleeping at the station entrance said he heard a noise around three in the morning and woke later to find a pile of coins had been placed nearby.
A hot breakfast was served at 6am.
Martyn survived the night so well he went on to umpire junior footy the following afternoon.
“But Heather (his wife) told me when she came home she found me asleep on the couch!”
While he had initial difficulty finding sufficient volunteers to doorknock the area for the Red Shield Appeal, enough turned up in the end.
He said he and Heather have made it abundantly clear the new $3.5 million Salvo hub going up opposite Long Street Family Medicine, is not being paid for by Red Shield money.
“Programs that we will run in the building will benefit though.”
The new centre, due for completion by the end of the year, will house the Salvation Army, its worship area and offices for the army’s welfare arm GippsCare.
“At the moment, we have people going to GippsCare (in McCartin Street) for food parcels and people coming to the Salvo offices (in Anderson Street) for services provided by GippsCare,” Martyn said.
That means people have to be redirected.
“When we have the new building, we will be a one-stop-shop so it will be easier for everyone.”
The Leongatha congregation went to inspect the new building site the Sunday before last because once construction moves to its next phase, no one other than tradies will be allowed on site.
Local firm Considine and Johnston won the tender and Martyn is proud to say many local tradespeople are working on the construction.
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