What if The Army gave land it owns but is currently underutilised to returned service people, give them an appealing prospect in returning to civilian life, and give a similar chance to a struggling farmer we know through our rural outreach ministries - perhaps allowing them to step away from their unfortunately struggling endeavour, and allow them to end their career well by passing on their knowledge and expertise to a new generation of farmers.

Currently, we minister to enlisted service people, to farmers in crisis and we own underutilised land. Rather than sell it off, grant opportunities (Veteran and Community Grants) give us a chance to make these properties fit for purpose. 

There is an existing farming enterprise whose specialty is to link retiring farmers with aspiring farmers, that aims to help both parties achieve their respective goals. 

This idea is really just a joining of those dots. 

 I believe we are in a position to do even more for those in our country who are amongst the hardest working, and who have sacrificed so much for the kind of life we often take for granted. With focused investment, we can progress from ministering to these people in crisis, to putting them on a path of prosperity, purpose, and peace.

Relevant federal grant opportunity:
Veteran and Community Grants | Community Grants Hub (list-manage.com)

 Relevant details from the grants page:

What are the objective and intended outcomes of the Veteran and Community Grants Program?

The objective of the program is to maintain and improve the independence and quality of life for members of the Australian veteran community by providing funding for projects that sustain or enhance health and wellbeing. The intended outcomes of the program are to deliver projects that: 

• are sustainable and have an ongoing benefit for members of the Australian veteran community.
• increase opportunities for members of the Australian veteran community to engage in social and community activities and/or improve health behaviours and support healthy places.

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A note on Red Shield Defense Services

Returned soldiers we know through our RSDS ministry need good, honest, and peaceful work to occupy them as they re-enter civilian life.

Our history of hands-on ministry and help for those enlisted in active service is arguably what put the Army on the map in Australia. To this day, anyone collecting for the Red Shield Appeal will be told by someone making a donation that their dad or grandad or uncle taught them to always give to the Salvos because we were there for them in the war. Because of the work of faithful chaplains over the years, we still have a strong relationship with the Australian Defense Services, and this puts us in a position to do even more for them, and ensure that the generations that follow have new stories of how salvos have supported those in the armed forces.

Further to the social and spiritual support provided to those in active service, we are occasionally reminded as a society of the great burden our returned veterans carry when they complete their military careers and re-enter civilian life. Salvo farms for returned services would extend the window of opportunity RSDS have to minister to those returning from military work, by providing them a potentially lifelong, and life altering new start to their civilian life. By providing opportunity to Aussie veterans to own farms, we can do something like the prophets spoke of, to “turn swords into ploughshares” - participants’ lives can maintain a strong sense of purpose and fulfilment, discipline, and good, honest work; work that results in growth, new life, and nourishment for them and those around them.

Rural Chaplaincy

Farmers we know through our rural chaplaincy ministries could be the perfect candidates to become project managers and mentors for veterans looking to develop skills needed to run and own their own farms.

Much like our service to the “diggers”, we have found an important avenue of service by the side of those other aussie-battlers, our farmers. Our farmers play a vital role in the day-to-day lives of all of us, and we are blessed here to be able to take so much fresh food for granted. However, our farmers themselves are not allowed the comfort of taking things for granted. Due to economic pressures and variou shifting circumstances we already know that many of our invaluable farmers find themselves in a crisis they should never have to face. Our rural chaplains do what salvos have always done - show up wherever there is a need.

The existing rapport we have through our rural ministry could act as a gateway for interested farmers to step away from surviving or managing crisis, and give them a chance to pass on their wisdom and skill to aussie veterans, and raise a new generation of farmers.