New emergency services truck named after dedicated volunteer

BY LERISSE SMITH
It is not every day a shiny new emergency services truck is named after a lovely lady.
But when the Victorian Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) were looking for a name for their newest truck, they couldn’t go past bestowing the honour of the name ‘Pearl’ in recognition of their volunteer, Pearl Dunn, who has given more than 30 years of unwavering dedication and service to the team.
The new truck, funded through the SAES’s partnership with Woolworths, was recently unveiled and commissioned at Pearl’s Melbourne retirement village where she lives – much to her surprise.
“You know what? I still can’t believe it,” Pearl says.
“I have just loved working with the team. I started when my husband died. I heard about it, and I thought it sounded good. It has been amazing. We have done all sorts of funny and strange and sad and happy things and helped so many people.

“I just do it because I love it. Carolyn (Response Coordinator of the Victorian SAES), Robin (Maintenance Officer) and the whole team are great to work with. They make it so easy.”
During Pearl’s many years of service, impacted communities and first responders have benefitted from her care, including Black Saturday (2009), the bushfires of 2019 and 2020, the Victorian floods of 2022, the Lancefield and Flowerdale fires, chemical industry fires, and many Salvation Army events throughout the state.
“Pearl has been a devoted member who has served Victorians in need,” said Carolyn Spratling, Response Coordinator of the Victorian SAES. “And she is always ready to don the Hi-Viz and do it again.”
Surprise visit
The SAES team had the opportunity, with the support of Pearl’s children and the management of the village she lives in, to spring a surprise commissioning of the truck on Pearl. Carolyn remarked it was a wonderful occasion and celebration of Pearl’s commitment to others – and the more than 1500 volunteers that serve alongside SAES across Australia.
Pearl said she loved the SAES team and the people they served. Over the years, her role included serving food to many people, from emergency services personnel such as firefighters to the public.
“What really hits you every time you go out with the team to serve and help people are the firefighters, police and SES who always say, ‘Oh, we are so glad to see The Salvation Army here’,” Pearl reflected. “They are really pleased that we are there.”
“What really hits you every time you go out with the team to serve and help people are the firefighters, police and SES who always say, ‘Oh, we are so glad to see The Salvation Army here’.”
Another key role for Pearl has been to provide a listening ear. Looking back over 30 years, the volunteer said a key learning had been to see the love of people in communities and unite to help one another.
“The love of people in communities has made me feel really good,” Pearl said. “Both the ones you work with and the ones that you are helping.”
Pearl still recalls the time when a young teenager helped the local community during the Black Saturday bushfire crisis.
“I still remember him coming in. He could not see,” she said.
“His eyes were covered in soot. He was only a kid, and I tried to give him a rest, and he said, ‘No ... I just have come to get my eyes washed out so I can go out again.’ He was one of the people that has really stuck with me. He would not stop to rest. He had to get back.”
She plans to continue volunteering with the SAES as long as she can and hopes that others will be interested in signing up as a volunteer.

At Pearl’s recent special event, the Victorian team also delivered a presentation and spoke to the residents about all the jobs she had worked on over her 30 years and how the SAES walked alongside families that had lost their homes through house fires and other single incidents.
After the presentation, the retirement village’s craft group decided to knit many support teddies for the SAES team to give to families who had lost their homes. The teddies and a very generous donation were recently delivered to the team.
“We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in the community supporting our work,” Carolyn said.
“I can also report that the first teddy has found itself in a very beautiful new family where it will be so loved.”