Commissioner Sir Dean Goffin, the former territorial commander of the Salvation Army in New Zealand and Fiji, died in Auckland yesterday. He was 67. :He retired from the Salvation Army leadership on October 31, last year and had since been living at Browns Bay, Auckland.
Sir Dean became a Salvation Army officer in Wellington in 1952 and was the leader of two corps at Petone and Wellington South before transferring to Britain in 1956.
In Britain, as Captain Gaffin, he was responsible for Salvation Army music with particular emphasis on bands.
On returning to New Zealand in 1966, Sir Dean was leader of three divisions of the Salvation Army. In 1977 he was promoted to colonel and took up the post of chief secretary for New Zealand from which he was promoted to territorial leadership for New Zealand and Fiji in 1979, with the rank of commissioner.
In the Queen’s Birthday Honours of 1983 he was created knight bachelor.
Sir Dean is survived by his wife, Lady Goffin, and three daughters.
The funeral service will be conducted by the Salvation Army’s chief secretary, Colonel Ken Bridge, at the Auckland Congress Hall tomorrow at noon.
During his time in office Sir Dean made frequent trips to the Canterbury-Westland area and Salvationists there would miss him deeply, said the area’s divisional commander, Major Raymond Ford, last evening.
“We are saddened by the loss as we got to know him quite well through his association with Canter bury-Westland,” Major Ford said.
Sources
↑ NZ BDM Birth search: 1916/26279 Goffin John Dean || Catherine || Henry Charles
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