Colonel Seymour honoured with retirement service
Commissioner James Condon presents Colonel Geanette Seymour with her retirement certificate. (Photo by Carolyn Hide)
Colonel Geanette Seymour chose to lead her own retirement service as her 42 years of service as a Salvation Army officer was honoured at Sydney’s Belmore Corps.
More than 100 people gathered on 8 March to share in afternoon tea before a short service was held, with Colonel Seymour sharing about the path that officership has taken her.
“I came to officership not fighting it, not wondering what it would hold,” she said. “It has held some amazing and wonderful things, and it has held some challenging and debilitating things. But in all things God is trustworthy.
“God took my obedience for his pleasure and did with it as he chose. And as a result of that my life has been big, amazing and staggering at times.”
Having her retirement service at Belmore Corps was something special for Colonel Seymour, having grown up in the corps and going to The Salvation Army’s training college from there.
Belmore has also been the location of many key life events for her family, including birthdays and weddings, and the funerals of her parents who were also soldiers of the corps.
Commissioned in 1973 in the Light Bringers session, Colonel Seymour has served in corps officer roles, a number of social service appointments, and divisional and territorial social administrative positions. She also served as chief secretary of the Australia Eastern Territory for 18 months from August 2006.
For the past seven years, she has been in positions at The Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission in New York. She has been director of the commission since July 2012.
The Australia Eastern Territorial Commander, Commissioner James Condon, presented Colonel Seymour with her retirement certificate, revealing the conversation that he regularly has with officers who are nearing retirement.
“One thing I have said to my fellow officers is I want you to finish well,” Commissioner Condon said. “I want to say this afternoon, Geanette Seymour, you have finished well. You finished well in a country, a city, an appointment, that you never dreamed of.”
Former Belmore Corps bandsmen provided musical accompaniment through the service and Major Margaret Newton prayed for her sister as she entered retirement. Lieutenant Lesley Newton, Colonel Seymour’s niece, sang two solos: I’ll Not Turn Back and Turn Your Eyes.
Colonel Seymour officially retired from active service on 1 March. “I want to give praise and honour to God this afternoon,” she said during the retirement service. “I want to thank The Salvation Army for the opportunity and the privilege of service.”
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