A cold concrete floor heaped with chairs, tables and an array of other church furniture stuffed into one corner of the gutted building is what greets Rochester Salvation Army Captain Cameron Lovering when he makes his daily “check-in’’ on the progression of renovations at the Elizabeth St corps headquarters.
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The husband, father, fire brigade volunteer and RSL sub-branch president does not, however, consider himself or the structure which has been the site of his ministry for the past few years a major priority.
In fact, he has gone as far as demanding Rochester contractors working on the Salvation Army building make people’s homes in the town their focus before they even consider looking at the refurbishment of the meeting place.
The army reservist with 4th Combat Service Support Battalion Shepparton has been involved in fire and flood relief in recent years and is focused on continuing to offer support to his Salvation Army members and the wider community.
He is a leading figure in the flood recovery effort. Only 24 hours after the floodwater had receded, he and volunteers had gutted the Salvation Army building, had it professionally cleaned and within a week had it up and running as an emergency venue for the distribution of meals.
The lasting aftermath of the flood event is clear as the congregation, which meets at the Echuca and Kyabram Salvation Army headquarters, has been cut in half.
“The majority of our corps are still displaced. We have 75 people associated with the corps and probably three weren’t severely impacted,” Mr Lovering said.
He admitted he was among those three, with his home not impacted, while the other two members of the congregation had understated their own scenario — their properties were inundated even though the water did not go inside their homes.
Mr Lovering said Rochester’s “strong’’ church communities had banded together in the common cause of providing people with as much support as possible.
“We keep in contact with all of them,“ he said, explaining the Salvation Army contribution to the recovery had been substantial.
He said the Rochester corps had used its Red Shield Appeal funds for a variety of projects, including the purchase of school uniforms.
Mr Lovering said the Salvation Army had also released national funds once the Rochester money had been spent.
This year was the first time the Rochester organisation had not conducted its Red Shield Appeal, which is usually completed on the final weekend in May.
However, there was no lack of support from within the organisation as $2 million in flood relief funding was injected into affected Victorian and NSW Riverina communities by the Salvation Army only a week after the floods had hit.
“As soon as they could set up at 4Rs, people had access to funds,” Mr Lovering said.
“There was no means testing, people didn’t have to be connected to the church or qualify in any other manner.”
An initial payment of $150 was made to flood-affected individuals and families, while the second wave of support was $500 for those whose homes flooded.
There has recently been a third wave of funding — a further $500 — for people who are still displaced.
“These are funds that the entire community is accessing, not just the corps members,” Mr Lovering said.
“Thousands of people have accessed those funds.”
Mr Lovering said he wanted people to see the shield and feel comfortable approaching that person for support.
While he watched his own flock closely, he always had one eye on the wider community.
Not long after last October’s flood, Mr Lovering and his wife Maryanne created a live Google map where they recorded if their members had stayed in their Rochester homes or, if they were evacuated, where they ended up living.
“I’m really proud of the way we have been able to stay in touch with our people,” he said.
Mr Lovering said several Salvation Army families were still in temporary rental accommodation.
He said he and his wife would not be stopping until every family was back in their own homes.
Rochester’s Salvation Army is about to celebrate its 135th anniversary, which may end up being a joint celebration as the building is expected to be operational again in two months’ time.
The Salvation Army was established in Rochester in 1888 and the original hall was dedicated in June 1926.
The current bulding is 37 years old and is the site of a time capsule that will be opened at the 150th celebrations.
The Salvation Army’s thrift shop has been back up and running for some time, thanks to the initial work of the same volunteers who worked on cleaning out the hall.
“They are from Nanneella, Echuca, Bendigo and Melbourne. We were careful not to ask for help from Rochester people, who had enough to do,” Mr Lovering said.
The thrift shop, thanks to the Threaded Together organisation, was able to gave away thousands of clothing items in a two-month period.
At Christmas, the organisation expanded its services to provide Christmas hampers and delivered 14 large crates of brand new toys from the Kmart Giving Tree Appeal to Rochester families.
More than 1200 meals were provided in the first few weeks for police, fire, ambulance and ADF personnel, from kitchens in Bendigo and towards the end Echuca.
Community meals were supplied for 16 days from about a week after the flood, with 120 meals provided at both lunch and dinner, along with morning tea for the remaining emergency services in town.
A total of 3600 meals were delivered to the community.
According to statistics from the immediate response collected by Mrs Lovering, between November 1 last year and January 29 this year, Rochester Salvation Army helped 1310 people from 542 families.
They have been supplied with tops, bottoms, dresses and skirts, athletic clothes, jackets and jumpers, pyjamas, underwear and socks, baby clothes, packets of nappies, scarves, hats and belts, shoes, gumboots, thongs, bags, towels, blankets, sheet/doona cover sets, pillows, toys or activity packs (not including Christmas cheer), books, personal care items, cleaning items, drink bottles and Christmas decorations.
Data will continue to be collected for all flood-affected families who receive material assistance through the family store.
Mr Lovering said the work of the Rochester, state and national corps had given the general public an insight into what the organisation was capable of providing through its emergency services.
“A lot of what the Salvation Army does goes under the radar, but that is how we operate,” he said.
“We have always had an open door policy, but this disaster has meant a lot more people have accessed our services than would normally be the case.”
The refurbishment project of the Elizabeth St hall is being managed by Rochester business Jarrod Kelly Carpentry.
“He is a firefighter and local man. He is doing an exceptional job,” Mr Lovering said.
“We are taking the opportunity to get everything under the one roof again. The renovation includes a fully compliant disabled toilet with a shower, along with a washing machine and dryer.
“We will have a new welfare office, which was always in the building next door, under the same roof.
“Our Corps Sergeant Major Lorraine has been providing emergency relief to the community of Rochester for 25 years. Although her own home was completely inundated in the flood, she never stopped serving our community and continues handing out disaster relief funds to this day.
“People can rest assured we will be back, better than ever.”
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