Salvos Deloraine

Salvos Deloraine provides essential support and assistance for those in need. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Leanne Cameron, a dedicated volunteer, to discuss the impactful work being done by the Salvation Army in Deloraine. Leanne enjoys working with her team, getting to know the local people, and being an important part of the community. Here is our interview:

Matt Taylor: How long have you worked here, Leanne?

Leanne Cameron: I’ve worked here, must be going on nearly three years now – intermittently.

Because I’ve had a hip replacement in between. So Icome back after that.

Matt Taylor: What do you enjoy about working here?

Leanne Cameron: Oh, I just love the friendships I’ve made with the workers here. Plus I just love – because I grew up in Deloraine – all the people. I know them all. You know, you just sort of love the interaction with the customers and things.

It’s just nice being back in retail.

Matt Taylor: Did you do other retail before this?

Leanne Cameron: Yes. I’ve been in delis. Deli manager. And then I’ve been a barista for eight years. So then I went into aged care and done aged care but in the kitchen and the ordering and all that. I was there for six years. And then my hip played up, so then I had that done and then I started the voluntary work here and I just love it.

It’s just very rewarding. Seeing the donations, and you get everything put out and then help people and things. It’s good.

Matt Taylor: Can you talk a bit about the process of when people donate things, what happens to those goods from there?

Leanne Cameron: They donate out here, we’ve got two big bins out the front. They put themin and they fill those. Quite often, we get two or three lots of those a day. The goods then go out the back, they go put them in bins out the back, and then Jackie has to get to it. Certain things like electrical we’re not allowed to sell in case there’s something’s wrong with them.

Then Jackie just takes everything out and prices it. Of course, there’s always something that you’ve got to throw away. And then on a Thursday like today, we’ve just done rag out, which is, you’ve got all colours on your tags. And today was ragging out the yellows, so we take all yellow tags off on all the things. Then that gets all bagged up and then that goes out to another shop.

Matt Taylor: Like another location?

Leanne Cameron: Yes! It goes on to another one and then we get other stuff back from other ones and then we mark those up for us. So there’s a bit of a rotation. It’s always rotating. It’s good.

Matt Taylor: Have you seen some interesting items come through?

Leanne Cameron: Oh my goodness, yeah, you do. Some of the things Jackie’s told me that she’s found in boxes and things. It was awful, really, actually.

Matt Taylor: Are we talking like rubbish and gross things?

Leanne Cameron: She found a dead calf.

Yeah, can you imagine finding that? She told me that when I first started. I’ve been very wary when you go to get things. Absolutely. Most people are good. They give decent stuff and we can’t put anything that’s not decent on the shelf.

But we’ve been getting some really nice donations. Good quality, good brand names and things like that.

Matt Taylor: Do you know what happens to the money that is earned from the store?

Leanne Cameron: Well it goes out to help the people like with meals and bedding and, and just all that kind of thing, you know.

It goes into meals and just food. Finding them, somewhere to sleep and all that kind of thing. Just out for the people that are homeless and it’s a good organisation for all that. I go around to all the other Salvos as well. And buy things from there too. The volunteers are so important I don’t know what they would do without volunteers. Because If they had to pay everyone, it just wouldn’t be worth doing it.

Matt Taylor: You’re a long term Deloraine local?

Leanne Cameron: I am. I live at Westbury now, but, I grew up here. My mum and Dad were married 64 years and they’d lived up the top here for their whole life. The house they lived in up the top before they moved they’d lived there 54 years and they moved in the week they had me! So, we lived in the one house for 54 years. Then but I got married and moved to Chudleigh and then on a farm and then we had our own butcher shop down the road here in Deloraine. My husband and I. I’m a Deloraine local.

Matt Taylor: Moved to Westbury now, so not too far to travel.

Leanne Cameron: Yes, well my husband and I separated, so then I moved to Westbury – this is years ago. Actually 19 years ago – and I stayed there with the four kids and they went to St. Pat’s from there. It was a very good halfway point. Then they all sort of grew up and moved out with boyfriends and things. Then I moved to Bishopsbourne, which is out near Carrick – out the back – and had my own place of one and a half acres. That’s where I’d started working at the aged care at Toosey.

And then two years ago, because of all my ailments, I decided to sell, because it was just getting too much. I move back to Westbury because Westbury is very flat. That’s another town I know everyone – because I used to work in the IGA out there. I also work at Carrick Roadhouse. I leave in the morning at ten past six, four mornings a week and go down there and make coffee and sandwiches and rolls and all that.

It’s a good business that one. Everyone knows that. Have all the workers, tradies, all that calling from half past six on.

Egg and bacon rolls, all that stuff. No, but up here everyone (in Deloraine) knows everyone and everyone helps everyone. It’s just a nice little town, Deloraine.

Matt Taylor: Has it changed much?

Leanne Cameron: No, no. And like, they completed the bypass thinking that Deloraine would be just like a ghost town.

Well now, it’s the opposite. It is truly a buzzing town. You can never get a park. Coming up through the town, it’s just, it’s hectic. It’s a gorgeous little town. Just cold. Very cold right now.

Matt Taylor: Beautiful in summer though.

Leanne Cameron: Oh yeah. And the river, you would’ve noticed, it’s just beautiful.

That and the walk by the river. It’s just a beautiful walk and it’s a nice place.

You can find Salvos Deloraine at 65 Emu Bay Road, Deloraine.