In the Queen's Birthday honours published on 11th June, two Salvationists from the UK and Australia were awarded high honours "for services to Salvation Army emergency relief operations worldwide". It has proved once again the importance of the role of the Salvation Army in international emergency work.
Brian Oxley from the UK, first participated in Salvation Army emergency relief operations in 1999 when the Army was involved in a large refugee programme in Albania, caring for Kosovar refugees who had fled their country because of the conflict.
Oxley’s skills in establishing a workable communication link between the various parts of the country in which The Salvation Army was based has greatly benefited the overall relief programme, the press release from the Salvation Army testified.
In 2000-2001, Oxley managed the Salvation Army's feeding programme in southern Kenya, which brought relief to more than 100,000 people during the drought.
In collaboration with the United Nations World Food Programme, in 2001, Oxley directed the distribution of relief food supplies to 120,000 people every month in Malawi. Moreover, Oxley has successfully negotiated with the government for funding to provide important support programmes to vulnerable children and orphans suffering as a result of the explosion in HIV/AIDS.
In recent years, Oxley has been working in Al Amarah (southern Iraq) to reconstruct schools and clinics, roads and water supplies in the post-war period. The Salvation Army described that "his contribution to international relief operations as part of The Salvation Army International Emergency Services team has been inestimable" over the past seven years.
The International Emergency Services section is part of the International Programme Resources Department at International Headquarters and supports Salvation Army emergency relief operations worldwide. It offers technical support and expertise to Salvation Army centres in any of the 109 countries where the Salvation Army is presently active as a church. It also coordinates emergency responses when disaster strikes in countries where the Salvation Army has no established presence.
Oxley was appointed MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's Birthday honours 2005.
Another Salvationist to be honoured is Brigadier Stella Bywaters, a retired Australian Salvation Army officer, who was made a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). The award recognised her 29 years' service with the poor in Africa, particularly Uganda. She has previously been admitted to the Order of the Founder - the Salvation Army's highest honour - in 1978.
