MAJOR LAURIEE ARTHUR BECOMES THE FIRST FEMALE SALVATION ARMY RSDS REPRESENTATIVE TO BE DEPLOYED OVERSEAS

23 April 2020

Major Lauriee Arthur is the first female Salvation Army officer to be deployed overseas to support troops since Adjutant Mary Murray was commissioned by Founder William Booth to go to the Boer War and find ways to support soldiers on both sides of the conflict. She is the first female RSDS representative to ever be deployed.

Lauriee, who is a senior RSDS representative and team coordinator at Gallipoli Barracks, Brisbane, served Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel at the Middle Eastern base, focusing on providing welfare and wellbeing support to all personnel.

“My role was exactly the same as I have here at Gallipoli Barracks,” says Lauriee. “The Salvation Army in Australia works predominantly with the Australian Army, and my deployment also included serving Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force personnel – many of whom didn’t know about the ‘Sallyman’ (as RSDS representatives are often referred to).”

As the number of females entering the infantry as soldiers and officers has increased in recent years, Major Brett Gallagher, Chief Commissioner of the RSDS, spoke about the need to appoint a female Sallyman – or “Sallyma’am” – into an infantry unit. Lauriee was appointed to the 6RAR infantry battalion at Gallipoli Barracks in 2018 and then deployed last year.

“I found that being a female endeared me to other women, especially in the Air Force,” says Lauriee. “All personnel though, men and women, were happy to see the Sallyma’am, with a few from the Air Force and Navy asking why they didn’t have one in their service!”

Major Lauriee Arthur receiving her Operational Service Medal from JTF633 Commander, Rear Admiral Mark Hill.

Lauriee’s role in deployment involved providing support to all ADF personnel. “I got to know all of the ADF members, focused on building relationships and then was able to check in on them to see how they were, how they felt about what was happening at the time, and how their loved ones at home were going.”

“People came to me to have someone to talk to. They came to me with work problems, family issues, health concerns and I also had an opportunity to share my Christian faith. I supported the base chaplain to run a Bible study and church services too. It was also a pleasure to attend the monthly coalition force church service that the chaplain started while I was there.”

Lauriee, and the other Salvation Army RSDS members who are deployed on a four-month rotation, assisted the ADF chaplain with a rest and recreation program where personnel were taken to culturally important locations in the host country to increase their understanding of that nation’s people and culture.

“This gave us time to chat with people and get to know them,” shares Lauriee. “The Sallymen also helped welcome newcomers to the base, were part of the base orientation process and farewelled those returning to Australia. I particularly enjoyed Fridays – the mornings with ADF personnel providing refreshments during weapons training, then in the afternoon sharing iced donuts with headquarters staff. The perfect end to a very busy week!”

“It was an enriching and challenging experience, I loved it, and would do it again. The biggest challenges were being away from family, and the endless, terrible humidity and heat.”

Resuming her role at the Gallipoli Barracks, Lauriee continues to work with Australian Army military personnel and their families.

“I work with both men and women, but as a ‘Sallyma’am’, can work a bit differently to my male colleagues,” says Lauriee. “I work a lot with the wives and partners of the soldiers, especially when their partner is deployed or away for weeks on training exercises. This includes supporting a wife or family until other close relatives can get there in a crisis.”

SERVING TOGETHER

Major Brett Gallagher, RSDS Chief Commissioner, said that when deployments began a few years ago, a number of female representatives put up their hands to go.

“Many female ADF personnel had also been deployed, and, as many of the ADF chaplains are male, us being able to send female representatives can add to and complement the mix of pastoral care and welfare offered.”

“We have male and female representatives and, if any representative puts their hand up for deployment, Salvation Army leadership considers them for deployment. We just try to work out the best way of doing things.”