Elizabeth Jarvis, right, celebrates 47 years of voluntary work for the Brotherhood of St Laurence with friend Sherley Thaile. 23584By Shaun Inguanzo
FORTY-seven years ago John F. Kennedy became American president, a chimp flew into space, the Beatles made their first performance – and Elizabeth Jarvis began volunteering at the Dandenong Brotherhood of St Laurence opportunity shop.
In 2008, JFK is dead, chimps keep a lower profile and The Beatles are no more.
Mrs Jarvis, however, is alive and kicking at age 86, and as she points out, she feels much younger than her age dictates.
“I tell everyone I’m 68, back to front,” the Beaconsfield resident says.
Mrs Jarvis has retired from 47 years as a volunteer at the Thomas Street ‘op shop’ because of a bad hip.
But she assures me that it is that ailment alone that keeps her from giving more years to helping the Brotherhood.
“I now knit for the Guardian Angels – they look after the children with AIDS overseas,” she says.
“I’ve knitted quite a few things for them.”
Known to friends as Betty, Mrs Jarvis was at church in 1961 when she first heard of the opportunity shop.
“We went to church one day and they asked for volunteers.
“My lady friend Chris French and I started the first week it opened.
“I had two young children and when they went off to school I felt I needed to do something extra.”
Mrs Jarvis worked at the op shop roughly twice a week, although she notes it was on an ‘as needed’ basis.
She has many memories and has made many friends – all of whom held a recognition lunch last week at the Berwick Inn for Mrs Jarvis to honour her efforts.
Among her favourite memories is the Trojan horse pram.
“Well, one day a lady came in with a pusher and said she had found it in the middle of the road.
“A few weeks later another lady came in and asked ‘did anybody find a pusher?’
“We said ‘Yes, it’s in the window’.
“ ‘Oh yes’, she said, ‘that’s mine; I wonder if the money is still there’.
“So she put her hand down the side of the pusher and pulled out 100 pounds – we had no idea it was there!
“She had been to court and got maintenance from her husband – and that was it.”
Ms Jarvis says keeping her mind occupied has helped to slow her ageing process, and she urges anyone feeling down to do as she did.
“My plans now are just to keep going.
“If anyone’s feeling down, I tell them to keep their mind occupied – that’s my tip, and it works.”
The Brotherhood of St Laurence never took its volunteers’ help for granted, Mrs Jarvis says, and would often take them out for day trips.
The most memorable was their visit to Dame Elizabeth Murdoch’s house.
“Her home and garden were absolutely beautiful – just something out of this world.”
A little bit like Mrs Jarvis, actually.
