The Crusader Union of Australia

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The Crusader Union of Australia
AbbreviationCrusaders or CRU
Formation1930
PurposeTo nurture church membership and train young Christians
Headquarters Eastwood, New South Wales
Region served
New South Wales,
Australian Capital Territory &
Western Australia
Membershipindependent school students
Executive Director
Gary Hill
Staff71 permanent staff, 50+ casuals
Volunteers900+
Website www.crusaders.edu.au

The Crusader Union of Australia (Crusaders or CRU), is a Bible-based, interdenominational, non-profit Christian youth organisation. It has three main areas, CRU Camps, which includes: CRU Holiday Camps, CRU Study Camps and CRU Day Camps, Summit Educational Camps and Schools Ministry (made up of CRU School Groups and CRU Resources). CRU's frontline ministries are supported by two campsites (CRU Galston Gorge Camp & Conference Centre and CRU Lake Mac Camp & Conference Centre), and a Training Division. The Training Division is a Registered Training Organisation (NTIS No. 90717) offering training in ‘Apply First Aid’ (formerly Senior First Aid). [1]

Contents

History

Earliest Logo of the Crusader Union of New South Wales used from 1930 until 1933 Early CRU Logo 1930.png
Earliest Logo of the Crusader Union of New South Wales used from 1930 until 1933

Crusaders was founded in 1930 in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia by Howard Guinness, [3] a man keen to strengthen Christian work among school students in independent schools. He saw voluntary groups as a key to achieving this. The first Crusader Camp was held over Easter 1930, and by September the organisational structure of the Crusader Union was established. [4]

The Crusader Union consulted with the British Crusaders, with the aim of adopting a modified version of their logo and constitution. However the British Crusaders objected to affiliation due to the distances between Australia and England, and remarked that Australian schools “did not correspond in rank” to theirs. [5] Though the logo adopted by the Boys Division in 1933 and the logo used by the British Crusaders are nearly identical, with the adoption of the Southern Cross and location of the knightly helmet being the only differences between the two. [2]

The Logo of the Crusader Union of Australia from 1933 to 1997 Old CRu Logo 1933-1997.png
The Logo of the Crusader Union of Australia from 1933 to 1997

In 1934 CRU was founded in Western Australia. [6]

The Crusader Women's Fellowship, began at Roseville Park in 1939. [ citation needed ]

In 1955 CRU merged with Scripture Union in all states except NSW. During the 1960s CRU became a Registered Company Limited by Guarantee to meet legal requirements. Initially established in Sydney's CBD, the office relocated to Strathfield in 1988, then Eastwood in 1993. In 1964 CRU held Study Camps for high school students for the first time. [6] By 2018 over 441 Sydney School Students would attend these camps annually. [7]

The Crusader Union of NSW became the Crusader Union of Australia on 23 May 1990 and the Crusader ‘eagle’ logo was introduced in 1997. In 2002 the CRU Camp brand would be trademarked. In 2019 the 'eagle' logo was phased out and replace with the current stylised letters. [6] [8]

Campsites

Sailing Boats belonging to CRU Lake Mac sailing on Lake Macquarie with Eraring Power Station in the background. Crusaders-Lake-Mac-Sailing-Jan2023.jpg
Sailing Boats belonging to CRU Lake Mac sailing on Lake Macquarie with Eraring Power Station in the background.

The first camps run by the Crusader Union of NSW were on rented land. Due to the condition of these campsites being outside the control of the Crusader Union, in 1943 the decision was made to purchase their own site. [9] Three such sites would be purchased in Galston Gorge, Lake Macquarie, and along the Colo River. The Galston Gorge and Lake Macquarie sites continue to operate today.

Lake Mac

The CRU site in Lake Macquarie, known today as CRU Lake Mac, was the first site aquirred by the Crusader Union of NSW. Leslie Parr had expressed interested in using his land on the shore of Lake Macquarie as a site for a youth group. He donated his land to the Crusader Union of NSW on March 4, 1946. At that time the land was bushland, and was not connected to any roadways. [9] In 1957 the ‘Hilltop’ Hall was constructed at CRU Lake Mac, and construction of six ‘Timber Tent’ cabins begun in 1968, an additional 4 would be built in June 1970. That same year hot water was first supplied to the campsite. By 1973 the need for a redevelopment of the site was recognised and an architect was brought in to redesign the site, but such plans were not able to be completed at the time. [6] [10] In 1993 a rock climbing and abseiling tower was constructed at the site. [11]

Cabins at CRU Lake Mac. The older 1968 'Timber Tent' cabin is shown in front of one of the 2019 redevelopment cabins. LM Cabins.jpg
Cabins at CRU Lake Mac. The older 1968 ‘Timber Tent’ cabin is shown in front of one of the 2019 redevelopment cabins.

In 2019 CRU began a redevelopment of the Lake Macquarie campsite, increasing the capacity of the site from 120 to 380 and constructing two new Climbing Towers. In 2024 a 147 metre long zipline was constructed at the Lake Macquarie site, and was opened by Dan Repacholi. [12] Today the site hosts school and church camps as well as family groups. [13]

Galston Gorge

The main hall at CRU Galston Gorge Galston Hall.jpg
The main hall at CRU Galston Gorge

In the early 1950s Paul White mortgaged his home to buy land for the Crusader Union of NSW in Galston for £600. The land at Galston was prepared by 1955, however Cumberland County Council regulations initially prohibited the construction on the site, and so construction of the first two cabins started in September 1957. Dining facilities were not completed until 1960, and in that same year ‘Petter’ Cabin was constructed. In June 1966 electricity was provided to the site after the construction of telephone poles and solar system. Water was provided to the site in 1967. By 1970 the site could accommodate 90 people. [14] In 2000 the Galston Gorge site was used by SOCOG to house drivers and staff from the Olympic Roads & Traffic Authority. In 2003 redevelopment begun at the Galston Gorge Campsite, this development was completed in 2010. [6] The campsite now hosts up to 220 people at a time. [15]

Colo River

CRU had run multiple canoeing camps along the Colo River until 1968 when the site which CRU had rented for those camps was sold to the Polish Boy Scouts. CRU then purchased their own campsite along the Colo River later in that year. The new site was five and a half acres in size with 60m of shoreline along the river. The first camp there was held in January 1969, and in mid-1969 the original Lake Macquarie site's kitchen was moved to Colo River. The vast majority of construction on the Colo site was undertaken by a team of forty-three volunteers. [16] The Colo River Site was prone to flooding, [17] and eventually the site would be sold in the mid-1980s. [6]

Schools ministry

Six full-time staff and four ministry associates address over 100,000 students each year in 185 independent schools across NSW and the ACT. There are also Christian groups across Australia using CRU resources. The following schools have internal CRU Groups or Christian groups supported by CRU operating in them:

Sydney city

Northern suburbs

Inner west

Western suburbs

Eastern suburbs

Southern suburbs

South western suburbs

Parramatta and the Hills district

Central west

Mid north coast

Southern highlands

South coast

Australian Capital Territory

Western Australia

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References

  1. ↑ "National Training Register 90717". 19 December 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  2. 1 2 Parker, Joy (1980). A Vision of Eagles. Crusader Union of NSW. p. 15. ISBN   0 9594548 0 2.
  3. ↑ "CRUSADER UNION". The Sydney Morning Herald . National Library of Australia. 3 July 1933. p. 10. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  4. ↑ Parker, Joy (1980). A Vision of Eagles. Crusader Union of NSW. pp. 7–8. ISBN   0 9594548 0 2.
  5. ↑ Parker, Joy (1980). A Vision of Eagles. Crusader Union of NSW. p. 8. ISBN   0 9594548 0 2.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "History of the Crusader Union of Australia" . Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  7. ↑ Ward, Mary (15 October 2018). "Year 12 students log off as exams loom". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  8. ↑ "Still Sharing Jesus with a New Generation". CRUview. Crusader Union of Australia. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
  9. 1 2 Parker, Joy (1980). A Vision of Eagles. Crusader Union of NSW. p. 38. ISBN   0 9594548 0 2.
  10. ↑ Parker, Joy (1980). A Vision of Eagles. Crusader Union of NSW. p. 39. ISBN   0 9594548 0 2.
  11. ↑ Lawrence, Michael (2019). Memorial Plaque for James Lawrence (Plaque on Rock Climbing Tower). CRU Lake Mac.
  12. ↑ Thompson, Rod (20 June 2024). "Dan's the man to test new Lake Mac zipline" . Retrieved 8 December 2024.
  13. ↑ "CRU Lake Mac Camp and Conference Centre". Lake Macquarie Tourism. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  14. ↑ Parker, Joy (1980). A Vision of Eagles. Crusader Union of NSW. pp. 40–43. ISBN   0 9594548 0 2.
  15. ↑ "Mountain Top Facility Meets Standards With Compact Wastewater Treatment System". Wastewater Digest. 5 August 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  16. ↑ Parker, Joy (1980). A Vision of Eagles. Crusader Union of NSW. pp. 43–48. ISBN   0 9594548 0 2.
  17. ↑ Parker, Joy (1980). A Vision of Eagles. Crusader Union of NSW. p. 48. ISBN   0 9594548 0 2.
  18. ↑ SACS – Chaplaincy Program
  19. ↑ Abbotsleigh – Clubs
  20. ↑ Special Events @ Crusaders
  21. ↑ Covenant Christian School – Our Community
  22. ↑ Knox – Crusaders
  23. ↑ Parents Handbook – Cru
  24. ↑ Mosman Prep – Crusader Camp
  25. ↑ NBCS – Primary Years
  26. ↑ Ravenswood – Special Interest Activities
  27. ↑ Redlands – Secondary School Chaplain
  28. ↑ Roseville College – Christian Faith
  29. ↑ St Luke's Grammar School – Principal's Report
  30. ↑ Meriden – Overview
  31. ↑ MLC School – 21st Century Learning
  32. ↑ Northcross – This is our School
  33. ↑ Trinity – Prep Information
  34. ↑ Friends of Arden – Crusaders
  35. ↑ Northholm – Spiritual and Personal Growth
  36. ↑ "Camps & Excursions" . Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  37. ↑ "Extra Curricular" . Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  38. ↑ School Choice -Tara
  39. ↑ The King's School -Christian Leadership
  40. ↑ "Year 3-6 Camps". 10 August 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  41. ↑ "Confidence in Paradise: Ministry in WA". CRUview. Crusader Union of Australia. 19 August 2019. pp. 8–9. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
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