Salem celebrates 90 years

Lutheran Services celebrates 90 years of care at Salem in Toowoomba

More than 120 people gathered at Lutheran Services’ Salem Aged Care in Toowoomba on 1 December to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the much loved home. ‘Salem Lutheran Rest Home’ welcomed its first four residents in 1935.

Lutheran Services celebrated Salem’s 90th with a thanksgiving service, community morning tea and family fun day. Among the special guests in attendance were LCAQD Bishop, Dr Mark Vainikka and Toowoomba Mayor Geoff McDonald.

The day also saw the launch of the ‘Salem Origin Story’. The Lutheran Services Origin Stories celebrate and commemorate the congregations and communities that built its many sites and services.

Salem was the vision of Pastor EVH Gutekunst. Serving St Paul’s Lutheran Church Toowoomba from 1912 to 1957, Pastor Gutekunst was a key figure in furthering the Lutheran Church in Queensland, while developing services for congregations and communities.

Salem was built and operated with the support of Toowoomba’s Lutheran congregations of the day – in particular St Paul’s, St John’s and the former Trinity – through times of economic hardship, drought and war. Lutheran women’s guilds throughout the Darling Downs tirelessly baked, knitted, visited, sang and raised valuable funds.

More than 30 people contributed to the Salem Origin Story, including residents, staff and many from Toowoomba’s Lutheran congregations today – St Paul’s, St John’s, Good Shepherd and Redeemer.

Lutheran Service’s Salem Aged Care, Toowoomba celebrates its 90th anniversary.
Photos by Matt Ryan/The Photo Pitch

Personal Carer Ruth Genrich is among Salem’s many longstanding staff and will celebrate 30 years at Salem in 2026. Ruth says Salem is like a second family.

‘My father, Pastor Marcus Schultz, was the first full-time chaplain at Salem and played an important role in establishing dedicated chaplaincy for Salem in the mid 1990s. Lots of staff have been at Salem for a long time. I’ve cared for several residents who worked at Salem previously.’

Anna Althaus has been a Salem resident for some three years. Like Salem, Anna was born in the 1930s – ‘even a little before Salem!’ – and is a member of the St Paul’s congregation.

‘I came here for respite care after a spell in hospital. I liked it so much, I stayed! I’m happy to be living at Salem today. I feel fortunate to be able to make the choice and have the care and support.’

While Salem was home to just four residents when it opened in 1935, it has grown and evolved over the years to meet the needs of the local community. A second site, Northridge Salem, opened in Rockville in 1996.

Today, Salem and Northridge Salem Aged Care are home to around 130 residents and employ more than 200 people. Salem Home Care provides in-home support services to more than 140 households throughout the Toowoomba region.

Salem is the longest established of the many sites managed by Lutheran Services. The Salem Origin Story is therefore also the Lutheran Services Origin Story. A meeting room at Lutheran Services in Milton is called the ‘Hanley Room’ in honour of Salem’s first matron, Mary Hanley.

One of the Salem Origin Story’s most enthusiastic participants was Bishop Mark. As a pastor in Toowoomba for 12 years, he knows Salem well. As he writes in his reflection:

‘Salem is a community shaped by the residents and families who found a home and sense of belonging here. It is also shaped by the carers and staff whose dedication reflects the love of Christ amongst us. And by the congregations and community members who have offered their time, energies and resources to make Salem what it is today. We are remembering not only the history of Salem, but most importantly the people who have carried that history in their hearts and hands.’

You can read the Salem Origin Story here: lutheranservices.org.au/origin-stories/salem