Honoured Friends Update 2023
Thank you A full life – the story of a Salvation Army supporter We had a chat with Jan, a recent attendee at one of our Wills Days in regional South Australia, to learn a little about her life and her connection with The Salvation Army. As told by Jan I remember The Salvation Army from a very young age where I was raised as a young child, in Kent in the English countryside. After graduation, I worked in East London as an arts teacher. This was a really tough part of the city, where I worked with vulnerable children between the ages of 11 and 16, and the experience was both challenging and rewarding.
A change of path I yearned to diversify my skills and gain exposure beyond the classroom. It was suggested by the local job centre that I consider the beauty therapy industry, which was emerging at the time. I completed an international qualification and obtained a fabulous job in England. Out of the blue and through a connection from my boss, I was asked to come to Adelaide and set up a beauty therapy college that would be aligned to the head office in Paris. This was to have a profound effect on my life!
The college was revolutionary at the time, offering holistic wellbeing services that complemented more traditional cosmetic therapies. At the end of my contract, I had two months left on my visa to see Australia before heading home. It was during this time in 1983, during a Test Match at the Adelaide Oval, that I would meet my future husband, who happened to be an internationally acclaimed photojournalist. We had a wonderful life together; meeting many fascinating people while working hard and travelling to many parts of the world.