Rockingham car ministry putting the rev back into people’s lives
BY ANTHONY CASTLE
Salvos at Rockingham Corps in Western Australia are getting lives ‘back on the road’ by partnering with the local Rev Shed program.
The Rev Shed program is operated by South Coast Baptist College, just down the road from Rockingham. After college hours, volunteers repair and service second-hand cars that have been sourced and donated by Rockingham Salvos.
“The Baptists have a mentoring program called Rev Shed,” says Captain Darrell Wilson, Rockingham Corps Officer. “The program is for those students that benefit from extra engagement. They work together on a second-hand car, repairs and some restoration. We source the car for them to work on, then we gift it to someone in the community.”
The collaboration provides a meaningful experience for the students who are mentored through the program and goes on to empower those in the community with transport needs.
The car donation initiative began prior to the COVID pandemic, with four cars handed on to the mentoring program. However, relaunching the car donations following COVID restrictions proved difficult, with greater demands on second-hand cars.
“COVID impacted everything,” Darrell says. “The housing market and the car market are both in demand. People can’t get affordable houses, and they can’t get affordable cars, too. Cars you once got for $500 before COVID can now be thousands. The partnership is a bigger investment, but it has more impact.”
Offering services of hope
The Centre of Hope is The Salvation Army’s drop-in-centre in Rockingham, offering a wide range of support services, including internal Salvation Army streams and collaboration with external agencies who come on-site.
The Rockingham area can host many struggling with housing, employment, and financial difficulty.
“We have a lot of people come into the Centre of Hope here in Rockingham,” Darrell says. “As we get to know people, we can often pick up areas of support that might be needed, and where there’s a need for transport, we are able to offer a car through this program.
“We gave a restored car to one client, a single mum with children. We heard through case managers that her car had broken down. Her children needed to get to appointments and school. We were able to supply her with a car. She was really grateful.”
The Rev Shed program is set to continue into 2025, with public requests for support and donations. At a time when housing and transport are harder to afford, the need for second-hand cars has never been greater.
“A car isn’t a house, but it can be somewhere safe, a way to get around, a way to get back into work,” Darrell says. “A car is important. It can be the start of something.”
If anyone has a car that they would like to donate to this project, please email rockingham@salvationarmy.org.au
