Salvos Funerals’ compassion impacts Dianne for life
By KIRRALEE NICOLLE
This time last year, Dianne Salmond had no idea she would soon lose her adult daughter in a sudden, horrifying way.
As Christians, Dianne and her daughter Jacqueline, a former chaplain, shared a history of “God-bothering”, as she calls it.
“Both of us always believed in heaven and God, and we didn’t blame God for our dramas,” she said. “He didn’t cause them. You know, life happens to people.”
However, when a series of medical problems culminated in Jacqueline’s unexpected passing in August 2022 at the age of 50, Dianne feared she would spiral into depression. It was her relationship with the staff at Salvos Funerals that helped her through.
“When the shock wears off, [then] you’ve got the reality that your daughter’s passed, and you’re really never going to talk to her or see her again,” she said. “I was afraid.”
When she met with staff from Salvos Funerals to arrange her daughter’s service, she was stunned by their kindness. As it was the first funeral she had ever arranged, she felt lost as to where to begin.
“They listened to us,” she said. “They talked through everything. They asked us what we wanted to do, and I just couldn’t believe their compassion.”
She said at the funeral, attendees came up to tell her that they had never been to a commemorative service quite like Jacqueline’s.
“It was a small funeral, but it was just spiritual and beautiful,” she said. “It was just like we were sharing Jacky’s death with [Salvos Funerals staff].”
Dianne stayed in touch with staff from Salvos Funerals and eventually expressed to them that she would like to become a member of The Salvation Army. This past Easter, Dianne enrolled as a soldier at Project 614 Corps.
Dianne has begun volunteering with Magpie Nest Café, which is run as a partnership between the Magpie Nest Women’s Program and Project 614 in Bourke St. She also attends Sunday services at Project 614. She said she and her children, who had also begun volunteering with The Salvation Army, felt they were now part of a wider family.
“My life’s changed belonging to The Salvation Army,” she said. “The difference it has made in my life is unbelievable.”
Dianne said becoming a soldier felt like finding her niche. “I feel like I belong, I really do,” she said.
Salvos Funerals operates within Melbourne, the Mornington Peninsula, the Central Coast, Illawarra, Canberra, and Queanbeyan. Among other services, they offer pre-paid funeral arrangements, cremations and repatriations.
To find out more about Salvos Funerals, visit salvosfunerals.com.au.
