The husband and wife team are Captains for Tenterfield’s Salvation Army and dedicate themselves to assisting anybody that asks for help.

“Seeing people’s lives change is the biggest thing,” Alana said.

“People make poor life choices and go in a downward spiral. We give them a chance to build their lives up again.

“The greatest reward is turning hopelessness into hope.”

Both Robert and Alana were drawn to work for the Salvation Army, which was where they first met in country Queensland.

Robert was working on a farm cropping and Alana lived on a cattle farm in Emerald. The pair attended the same Salvation Army church and decided that they wanted to practice their faith full time.

“It was a point in our lives where we thought something was missing,” Robert said.

“When you leave school you wonder what you want to do in a work situation. I was asking what I would do for the rest of my life.”

“We both need desire and passion to do this work,” Alana added.

“We work as a team, otherwise it wouldn’t work.”

The occupation that Robert and Alana have undertaken gives them a view of life that is not always seen by the general public. Some situations like homelessness and drug abuse are intense to come across, but the pair has learnt to deal with it the best they can.

“You do need a bit of a thick skin not to take on so much of what happens,” Robert said.

“Homelessness is not in your face as much in the country,” Alana said.

“You do the most you can with the resources you have financially. We empower them to make better life choices.”

Alana remembered a time when her work with the Salvation Army gave a young person the opportunity to turn their life around before it was too late.

“A time that stands out to me was when I was working with a homeless youth who was suicidal and on drugs,” Alana said about a teenager who was 17.

“The person is now a uniformed soldier in the Salvation Army. They had no life at all and now wants to live to help other people.”

Sometimes lives are changed by physical assistance, but other times just talking with people allows them to open up and vent their despair, as Robert found out.

“You hear stories when collecting from people as they donate,” Robert said.

“One guy once said, ‘You helped me out when my house burnt down and gave me a place to stay and clothing.’ He was nearly crying, in tears.”

Another person Robert met was travelling through Tenterfield and happened to stop by.

“A guy we met was suicidal and I talked with him,” Robert said.

“He was in the fire brigade and recently left a mental hospital, began driving and stopped in Tenterfield.

“He told me of how he went into a burning building and there was no one there, and found out later that he had been walking over the remains of dead bodies.

“He was very thankful we were there to talk to. We have faith, pray for them for God to work in their lives and allow them to move on.”

Both Robert and Alana are trained to work with people through difficult situations, having had two years of full time training after being nominated and recommended by their previous church to take up the leadership position.

Their selection included psychological testing, but the real test was of their characters to determine their suitability to become a Captain.

“Character is the big thing, with integrity,” Alana said.

“They try to get us out there ASAP working with people,” Robert added.

The work that the Salvation Army completes acts as a lifeline for many people, especially those who have fallen on hard times and have nobody to talk to.

“Loneliness is evident, there’s a lot of older and single people. It has become more and more evident as people’s lives become busier,” Alana said.

Tenterfield may have some lonely residents, but Robert and Alana recognise that the town has a strong sense of community which larger towns and cities have lost.

The Captains of the Salvation Army in Tenterfield hope that this community spirit will extend to the Red Shield Appeal door knock day on the weekend of May 24 to 25.

“We hope to raise $9,000 from the weekend,” Alana said.

“If you want to get involved come down to the hall on May 25 on the corner of Logan and Naas Streets,” Robert said.

“You only need two hours to help from 9am to 2pm and a light lunch is provided.”

Robert also warned that if people are approached by anyone without a lanyard and Red Shield Appeal bag, not to donate to him or her.

The door knock will also be held in Wallangarra and Drake.