Len Allen finds faith, fulfilment and fun at the Salvos
I was born in Bendigo in 1940, one of 11 children (eight brothers and two sisters). My family moved to Melbourne when I was four years old and I grew up in Preston. Although my family were not churchgoers, Mum sent me to the local Sunday school. After she died, when I was five years old, Dad kept sending me there.
You could say I believed in God right from childhood. But I have to admit that I only went to church a few times because they had a cricket team and, to qualify for the team, you had to go to church once a month.
After leaving school I did upholstery work for a while before joining the military at 17. I was part of the 1st Armoured Regiment, C Squadron. The time I spent in Vietnam 1968–1969 was a real eye-opener. A friend of mine was killed in action one Easter and memories of this remain with me today.
It was during my time in the military that I first encountered the Salvos. I did my recruits training in Kapooka, NSW (and was then posted to Puckapunyal). And after each field exercise, we would be met by ‘Milo Bill’ (that’s what we called all Salvos in the service) bringing out a hot drink. No matter where I was stationed there was always a Milo Bill nearby.
The military had compulsory church parades once a fortnight (although the Catholics had their own) and Milo Bills would attend as well, so over time we got to know them pretty well. Milo Bills were always trying to encourage the service personnel and keep morale up. My relationship with these men shaped my opinion of The Salvation Army.
I met my wife Margaret when I was stationed at Puckapunyal. A group of us went out to dinner and she was the waitress who served us. My mate bet me 50 cents that I couldn’t get a date with her. So I accepted, she said yes and we went out for the next two years. We have now been married for 47 years and have four children. I stayed in the military for 12 years and then worked at the Broadford paper mill for 25 years.
Some years ago Margaret had a bad accident and was in hospital for 16 months. During that time she seldom saw anyone from her church and it made her decide to explore other churches. So she tried the Broadford Salvos; she was happy there and joined a Bible study. That was 20 years ago and now she is involved in their ‘meet and greet’ and ‘mainly music’ (children’s music) programs.
At first I would just drop Margaret off at church, but then occasionally I would go too. I got comfortable with the Salvos and went one Palm Sunday, in remembrance of my friend who died. So many thoughts went through my head that day. I was thankful that I had survived those years in the war and I felt God say to me that I really needed to lift my game and offer him more of me. So I entered into a bargain with God and I haven’t missed church since.
I became a member of the church on 26 October 2008 and it has changed my life. It was a very moving time for me, particularly when the band played the Polish national anthem, ‘Rodenski’, which was my regiment’s tune.
My eyes were opened to what I’d been missing out on over the years. It gave me a real lift and lightened my heart. I like the fact that everyone is so friendly, shakes your hand and I love the feeling of belonging. It feels like one big party.
I was born in Bendigo in 1940, one of 11 children (eight brothers and two sisters). My family moved to Melbourne when I was four years old and I grew up in Preston. Although my family were not churchgoers, Mum sent me to the local Sunday school. After she died, when I was five years old, Dad kept sending me there.
You could say I believed in God right from childhood. But I have to admit that I only went to church a few times because they had a cricket team and, to qualify for the team, you had to go to church once a month.
After leaving school I did upholstery work for a while before joining the military at 17. I was part of the 1st Armoured Regiment, C Squadron. The time I spent in Vietnam 1968–1969 was a real eye-opener. A friend of mine was killed in action one Easter and memories of this remain with me today.
It was during my time in the military that I first encountered the Salvos. I did my recruits training in Kapooka, NSW (and was then posted to Puckapunyal). And after each field exercise, we would be met by ‘Milo Bill’ (that’s what we called all Salvos in the service) bringing out a hot drink. No matter where I was stationed there was always a Milo Bill nearby.
The military had compulsory church parades once a fortnight (although the Catholics had their own) and Milo Bills would attend as well, so over time we got to know them pretty well. Milo Bills were always trying to encourage the service personnel and keep morale up. My relationship with these men shaped my opinion of The Salvation Army.
I met my wife Margaret when I was stationed at Puckapunyal. A group of us went out to dinner and she was the waitress who served us. My mate bet me 50 cents that I couldn’t get a date with her. So I accepted, she said yes and we went out for the next two years. We have now been married for 47 years and have four children. I stayed in the military for 12 years and then worked at the Broadford paper mill for 25 years.
Some years ago Margaret had a bad accident and was in hospital for 16 months. During that time she seldom saw anyone from her church and it made her decide to explore other churches. So she tried the Broadford Salvos; she was happy there and joined a Bible study. That was 20 years ago and now she is involved in their ‘meet and greet’ and ‘mainly music’ (children’s music) programs.
At first I would just drop Margaret off at church, but then occasionally I would go too. I got comfortable with the Salvos and went one Palm Sunday, in remembrance of my friend who died. So many thoughts went through my head that day. I was thankful that I had survived those years in the war and I felt God say to me that I really needed to lift my game and offer him more of me. So I entered into a bargain with God and I haven’t missed church since.
I became a member of the church on 26 October 2008 and it has changed my life. It was a very moving time for me, particularly when the band played the Polish national anthem, ‘Rodenski’, which was my regiment’s tune.
My eyes were opened to what I’d been missing out on over the years. It gave me a real lift and lightened my heart. I like the fact that everyone is so friendly, shakes your hand and I love the feeling of belonging. It feels like one big party.
Story republished courtesy of Warcry.
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