# The Crusader Union of Australia

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).

## History

Crusaders was founded in 1930 in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia by Howard Guinness, 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.
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. 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.
In 1934 CRU was founded in Western Australia.
The Crusader Women's Fellowship, began at Roseville Park in 1939.
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. By 2018 over 441 Sydney School Students would attend these camps annually.
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.

## Campsites

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. 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. 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. In 1993 a rock climbing and abseiling tower was constructed at the site.
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. Today the site hosts school and church camps as well as family groups.

### 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. 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. The campsite now hosts up to 220 people at a time.

### 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. The Colo River Site was prone to flooding, and eventually the site would be sold in the mid-1980s.

## 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

* SCEGGS Darlinghurst
* St Andrew's Cathedral School
* Sydney Grammar School

### Northern suburbs

* AbbotsleighInfants, Junior and Senior
* Barker College
* Berowra Christian Community School
* Covenant Christian School
* Knox Grammar School
* Loquat Valley Anglican Preparatory School
* Mosman Preparatory School
* Newington College, Lindfield Preparatory
* Northern Beaches Christian School
* Oxford Falls Grammar School
* Pymble Ladies College
* Queenwood School for Girls
* Ravenswood
* Redlands
* Roseville College
* Sydney Church of England Grammar School
* St Luke's Grammar School
* Sydney Grammar School, St Ives Preparatory
* Wenona

### Inner west

* Meriden School
* MLC School
* Newington College
* Wyvern House
* Northcross Christian School
* Presbyterian Ladies' College, Sydney
* Regent's Park Christian School
* Trinity Grammar School
* Trinity Grammar School Preparatory School

### Western suburbs

* Nepean Christian School
* Penrith Anglican College
* Penrith Christian School
* Richard Johnson Anglican School
* St Paul's Grammar School
* Toongabbie Christian School
* Tyndale Christian School
* William Carey Christian School

### Eastern suburbs

* Claremont College
* Cranbrook School
* Kambala
* St Catherine's School, Waverley
* Sydney Grammar School, Edgecliff Preparatory

### Southern suburbs

* Danebank
* Georges River Grammar School
* Inaburra School
* St George Christian School
* Sutherland Shire Christian School

### South western suburbs

* Broughton Anglican College
* Macarthur Anglican School
* Thomas Hassall Anglican College
* St Peter's Anglican Primary School

### Parramatta and the Hills district

* Arden Anglican School
* Arndell Anglican College
* Northholm Grammar School
* Norwest Christian College
* Pacific Hills Christian School
* Rouse Hill Anglican College
* Tara Anglican School for Girls
* The Hills Grammar School
* The King's School, Parramatta
* William Clarke College

### Central west

* All Saints College, Batthurst
* Blue Mountains Grammar School
* Kinross Wolaroi School
* The Scots School, Bathurst

### Mid north coast

* Belmont Christian School
* Central Coast Grammar School
* Green Point Christian College
* Lakes Grammar School
* Scone Grammar
* St. Philip's Christian College

### Southern highlands

* Tudor House School
* Wollondilly Anglican College

### South coast

* Illawarra Christian School
* Nowra Anglican College
* Shellharbour Anglican College
* Shoalhaven Anglican School
* The Illawarra Grammar School

### Australian Capital Territory

* Brindabella Christian College
* Burgmann Anglican School
* Canberra Girls' Grammar School
* Canberra Grammar School
* Radford College
* Trinity Christian School

### Western Australia

* St Mark's Anglican Community School