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The Sallyman program offers Defence personnel vital frontline emotional and spiritual support, but recent funding cuts threaten this century-old program’s ability to sustain ADF morale and wellbeing.

The Albanese government’s decision to end funding for the Salvation Army’s 125-year-old “Sallyman” program has sparked widespread disappointment across Australia’s veteran and Defence Force community.

The Returned and Services League (RSL) and former senior Defence leaders have warned the cut could erode morale among service personnel — a factor the recent Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide found to be vital for mental health and operational readiness.

Announced quietly in June, the Department of Defence confirmed that it would not renew the $1.5 million annual grant supporting the Red Shield Defence Services — the official name of the program.

That grant covered around three-quarters of the cost of deploying Salvation Army representatives — known affectionately as Sallymen and Sallyma’ams — to Defence bases across Australia and in operational theatres overseas.

RSL Australia National President Greg Melick described the decision as “a major disappointment” and has urged the government to reverse it.

“The Salvation Army Sallymen and Sallyma’ams have played a vital role in building and maintaining this morale, throughout the military and more often on the front line of conflicts,” he said in a media release published Monday.

“Service veterans have nothing but praise for the work of the ‘Salvos’ and the comfort and care they bring to our troops, often at great personal risk,” he added.

“Many had risked their personal safety in the quest to support our troops in battle, and veterans will not forget this.”

Mr Melick acknowledged the need to fund major acquisitions such as submarines, destroyers, and missile systems, but stressed that the morale of service personnel is equally important.

A Legacy of Service from Gallipoli to Today

The Sallyman tradition stretches back to the Boer War and was firmly established by the time of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli in 1915.

Figures such as William “Fighting Mac” McKenzie, who landed with the first Anzacs, became legendary for their presence on the battlefield — offering tea, comfort, and prayer to soldiers under fire.

In later wars, the Salvos became known for their willingness to share danger alongside troops, from the siege of Tobruk to modern deployments in East Timor and Afghanistan.

Until recently, teams of Salvation Army representatives have been embedded at major bases like Townsville’s Lavarack Barracks and Edinburgh Defence Precinct in South Australia, providing listening ears and spiritual counsel.

“No matter what I do in this big organisation, God is in everything,” Auxiliary-Lieutenant Vaughan Agnew recently said of his role as a Sallyman at Edinburgh. “He puts the right person in my path at the right time. All I have to do is be obedient and follow him.”

“I share my experience along the way so that people know I lean on Jesus to get through. Hopefully, they will see Jesus in this Sallyma’am,” Major Sue May, stationed at Robertson Barracks, Darwin, likewise reflects.

While the ministry continues today, the June funding cut forced the Salvos to scale it back significantly, reducing the number of Sallymen and Sallyma’ams nationally from 17 to 12. At Lavarack, the number of Sallymen has dropped from five to two.

Small Cost, Big Impact

The program’s supporters argue the annual $1.5 million cost is “chump change” in a Defence budget forecast to exceed $59 billion this year.

Former regimental sergeant major Jason Watene, who served in 14 active deployments, expressed disbelief: “Come on, how much does a Sallyman cost? Certainly not as much as one of the new Japanese frigates they’re buying. They need to go down to the soldier level and ask them, ask their families, what’s important. I can tell you it’s the little things that make the difference.”

Former chief of the army, Professor Peter Leahy, now chair of the Salvation Army Advisory Committee, called the decision “regrettable” and a break in “a wonderful unbroken line of support” for the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

“The Sallyman has been on the frontline with our soldiers, sailors and aviators for 125 years, providing moral and physical support when and where needed. It will be missed,” he told The Australian.

The service has never been merely about refreshments. Sky News host Paul Murray noted that the Sallyman role is grounded in providing spiritual support and a tangible sign of care.

“These are people who may well be dressed in khaki, but their job is not to shoot a gun. It is to offer comfort to those around them,” he explained.

Murray warned that while “every other person’s traditions have to apparently be upheld,” this unique Australian tradition was being sidelined.

“The men and women who are part of our Defence Forces, whether they are training or fighting around the world, have come to rely upon the simplest of… emotional connections that the Salvation Army has provided to the Australian Defence Force for more than 125 years,” he said.

“The mental health of the people who defend our country matters. It matters while they are training. It matters while they are wargaming. It matters, God forbid, if they are ever in a live-fire situation,” he continued.

“Any form of emotional support to the ADF must be maximised, not minimised, not repurposed, not put somewhere else.”

Murray, himself an atheist, also queried whether the funding cut was “a malicious act against an overtly Christian organisation”.

Stories from the Front Line

The Sallymen funding cut prompted an outpouring of memories from families of veterans on Paul Murray’s show.

Bruce, whose father served in World War II, recalled how the Salvos “would be there before the army could send any support to greet you with a cup of tea and ask you how you’re going. It meant a lot to him.”

Ron, also the son of a WWII veteran, said the Salvos “helped [service members] through the horrors that they faced… they never asked for anything in return, but the troops always made sure that they got compensated.”

Hugh recounted his grandfather’s story from World War I: “He would tell how a voice would come beside you in the trenches saying, ‘Would you like a cup of tea, Digger?’ He would blow his top if he heard any government calling itself Australian having the temerity and unmitigated nerve to suggest this matter” — referring to the loss of funding.

The Defence Department stated it “continues to work closely with Red Shield Defence Services as part of this valued relationship, including through in-kind support.” However, no clear explanation has been given for the funding cut, other than an inability to “find the money.”

Critics point to government spending on far less essential items — from bureaucratic workshops to luxury travel expenses — as evidence that the cut was unnecessary.

The decision comes despite Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s earlier commitment, in response to the Royal Commission’s report, that “just as our veterans and Defence personnel step up for our country, we have an obligation to step up for them… to ensure that all those who have worn the uniform of this nation have access to the support and services they need and deserve.”

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Images courtesy of The Salvation Army.