A Good and Faithful Servant
On 19 October 1925, Envoy Stephen Buick of the New Plymouth Corps of The Salvation Army became the first person to be awarded the Order of the Founder in New Zealand, the highest recognition granted to Salvationists for distinguished and outstanding service. Mark Richards reports on the life of the man also known as the Taranaki Prophet.
The Order of the Founder was instituted in 1917 by General Bramwell Booth, son of Salvation Army co-founders William and Catherine Booth, to honour service that would have especially commended itself to the founders.
Stephen Thomas Alexander Buick, 1857–1953, was the sixth of sixteen children. His parents were among the early settlers of South Australia, making their home on the banks of the American River near Kangaroo Island. His mother, a devout Christian, instilled her values in the children and educated them at home, as the nearest school was 20km away.
As Stephen grew into manhood, he strayed from his mother’s teachings and took up drinking and gambling. A younger brother, having become a convert of The Salvation Army while in Melbourne, began holding meetings in their home settlement. It was there that Stephen ‘caught the fire’, but it wasn’t until he read a copy of The War Cry (now called SALT)—which featured a story about a young man who had given up his vices—that Stephen experienced a true transformation. He joined The Salvation Army in Adelaide and later decided to help pioneer its work across the Tasman in New Zealand.
After arriving in Dunedin in 1883, Stephen eventually settled in New Plymouth in 1887 at the age of 29.
From the outset, Stephen knew his life’s purpose, and no amount of unwelcome attention from the town ‘larrikins’ could deter him. His real ministry, however, extended far beyond New Plymouth. He found acceptance, made lasting friendships and shared his message more easily in the countryside, where—even if people weren’t interested in his religious ideas—he was never turned away without being offered a cup of tea.
Until the age of 90, Envoy Buick regularly sold 70 dozen copies (840) of The War Cry each week. After turning 90, he ‘eased off’ slightly to a modest 23 dozen per week (276). It is estimated that Stephen sold between 2.4 and 2.5 million copies of The War Cry during his life in Taranaki—equivalent to approximately $3.5 million in today’s currency.
On 19 October 1925, General Bramwell Booth signed the certificate awarding Envoy Buick the Order of the Founder, stating that ‘Stephen Buick, an Envoy of The Salvation Army, had rendered—with fine courage and unselfish devotion—single-handed service for the salvation of people in scattered districts for upwards of 30 years’.
Envoy Buick served the people of Taranaki for 66 years before his promotion to Glory in 1953 at the age of 96. He is buried in New Plymouth’s Te Henui Cemetery.
Acknowledgments to Melbourne Salvation Army Heritage Centre, Puki Ariki Museum in New Plymouth and information gathered from newspapers and other sources.
