Farewell to the Divisional Commander: An interview with Major Larry Martin
Major Larry Martin
It’s time once again to bid farewell to the Divisional Commander here at the Maritime Division of The Salvation Army. Major Larry Martin, and his wife Major Velma Martin, are moving on after serving in the Maritimes for the past four years. Prior to this posting, they have made stops in Parry Sound, Ont., London, England, Hamilton, Calgary, Corner Brook, N.L., Regina and a previous stop in Halifax, building the church in Fairview around 20 years ago. After embarking on a 10-day, coast-to-coast drive early next month, Major Larry will accept his new posting as the Divisional Commander of British Columbia. He sat down with Daniel Bonner, from the public relations department, this week for some last minute reflection.
Daniel Bonner: How does it feel as you get ready to close the door to your office one last time?
Larry Martin: It sort of feels like we were only just beginning to settle. There has been a lot of work done here over a four-year period. It seems like in many ways we’re just now beginning to stabilize from all of the changes we’ve made. We changed our location, and we’re now getting ready to change it again. We downsized our staff, we resized our staff, we reorganized certain departments – more particularly the public relations and development department – which I’m very pleased about.
DB: Were there any surprises, anything that you were expecting about being Divisional Commander here that didn’t turn out that way?LM: No, I don’t think there were any surprises at all. Most notable has been the changes to the city itself (since his first posting in Halifax). It’s really, really grown. A lot of areas that were just trees are now condominiums, apartments, businesses.
DB: Is there any one thing that you’ll miss most?
LM: All of this that we’re involved in as Salvation Army officers is about the people. So I will miss everybody here on the Divisional Headquarters staff, but also all around the Maritime Division. We’ve got some wonderful officers scattered throughout the Maritimes doing wonderful work. They work hard, they do a good job, and we’ve enjoyed rich fellowship.
DB: Is there anything that you’ll miss the least?
LM: To be quite honest, we’ve enjoyed just about everything. The region is absolutely superb. We love the Halifax area and we love the whole Maritimes. It’s fabulous country.
DB: What about your new posting excites you?
LM: British Columbia is another very beautiful region of the country. It can match the Maritimes in terms of beauty for sure. We’ve been to British Columbia a number of times, so we’re familiar with a certain amount of that province. We have a good staff there. Well trained, experienced people that will work with us. The other thing is that right now we’re about a seven-day drive from our daughters and grandchildren, and when we go to Vancouver, we will be only a one-day drive. So that’s exciting for us.
DB: Any words of wisdom for the incoming Divisional Commander?
LM: Major Doug Hefford is a Newfoundlander, as am I. He is familiar with the Maritimes. I would think that the key thing for him to pick up on would be to get to know the members of the advisory board, get to know the community as well as he can. As well, have confidence and trust in the staff and give them opportunities to utilize their gifting. Empower them to do what they’re called to do and employed to do and encourage them and support them. And follow the strategic plan that we’ve developed over a number of years. As long as he keeps that uppermost, he’ll be fine.
DB: Any final words for the people of the region?
LM: The Salvation Army is blessed with good people within the organization – our staff, our officers, our volunteers and the people who advise us and support us. My final words would be thank you, and to encourage people to keep pressing on. There’s still lots to be done. Keep looking for opportunities to further the mission of The Salvation Army, to build on what we already do and to try to improve that. And look for new opportunities where we continue to be relevant to society and meet the real needs.
