History

These were the words spoken by a late night, anonymous caller to the late Reverend Sir Alan Walker, over 40 years ago. Alan Walker was at that time, superintendent of the Wesley Central Mission in Sydney. He spoke for some time with the caller, who refused to give his address. Some days later, the police at Darlinghurst phoned Alan Walker, saying a body had been found with a letter addressed to Alan attached. It was the body of Roy Brown, the person Alan Walker had spoken to on the telephone.

It was discovered that Roy Brown was rejected by his parents and brought up by foster parents. He felt a failure. He had lost his job, and gradually had to sell his possessions one by one. The 'final straw' came when the finance company came to repossess his radiogram. Roy felt he couldn't live without his music. His last letter read:

Shortly after this tragic incident, another one followed when a child rang Alan Walker and said, "Help me, Mummy has taken a whole bottle of tablets and she won't answer". These and other incidents inspired Alan Walker to try and establish a mantle of Christ, a mantle of care over Metropolitan Sydney.

The telephone rang constantly on his desk, and then oneday Alan Walker suddenly saw the potential of the use of the telephone:Cheap, anonymous, available day & night.

And after much prayer and consultation he decided to institute a training course to train counsellors to be available twenty-four hours a day, for people in need. He also wondered if the strangers in the community would in fact phone up and unburden themselves to a stranger on the telephone. Roy Brown did...but would others?

People did ring up. Lifeline began. In March 1963, the late Dr. Alan Walker, Superintendent of the Central Methodist Mission in Sydney opened the first Lifeline Centre. It became world famous with it's slogan "Help is as close as the telephone".

Parramatta Lifeline commenced operations in 1974, and extended its operations to Lifeline Macarthur by the use of a tied telephone land line. Dr Gloster Udy, Director of Parramatta Lifeline and Enid Kerr, Co-ordinator, conducted the first training course in the Macarthur area in 1978. Margaret Appleby was appointed as Associate Director of Lifeline Macarthur in January 1985, and on the 9th of November, 1986 Lifeline Macarthur was accredited as an autonomous Lifeline Centre. Margaret Appleby was appointed its first Director. She was later appointed Chief Executive Officer of Lifeline Macarthur in February 1999.

The Camden Uniting Church accepted responsibility for Commencing Lifeline Macarthur in 1978. More recently it was agreed that it would come under the umbrella of Narellan Uniting Church.

The business side of Lifeline Macarthur has grown from humble beginnings of a mobile shop built on the back of a stock trailer, to a large business operation with a major depot in Narellan, and other outlets. Our shops sell such things as pre-loved clothing, furniture, plants and many other items. Recently a new concept in retail shops has been undertaken with the opening of Treasures on Argyle, where high quality second hand clothing is sold along with new household goods.