A life of love and joy I never knew existed: Jason's Christmas story
13 September 2024
Every year, Jason dedicates three days of work leave to join a team packing thousands of candle bags to sell at Sydney’s Carols in the Domain. Together with his youngest son, he then volunteers during the event, selling and distributing candle bags to support The Salvation Army’s work helping others in need. For Jason, this experience is full of joy, connection and care – a far cry from many Christmases he spent isolated, alone and struggling with addiction.
Jason shares:
The Salvos took me in just before Christmas in 2000, and that’s when my life started to change.
I grew up always feeling unaccepted. There was a lot of alcohol in our family and life hurt as a kid, even though we had a nice house, pool and everything. Other people loved coming to our house, but all I wanted to do was get out of there.
When I was about 12, I caught a sibling drinking, and they made me drink some of the alcohol so I wouldn’t tell my parents. I loved it! It took the pain away. After that, I’d drink whenever I could.
I left home early, and although I hardly ever had a home, I never classed myself as homeless. From 18, I travelled around Australia, hitchhiking and working on farms — always drinking.
A helping hand in tough times
By the time I was 30, I had kids but couldn’t see them. I slept on trains overnight and I used to go to 12-Step meetings in Sydney just to get a meal. I always swore at people back then and told them what I thought, but they still kept saying, “Keep coming back.”
One day, it was raining, and a bloke there asked if I wanted a lift. I said, “I’m just going to the train station.” (I never usually took anything from anyone because I thought they wanted something from me.)
I ended up going to his place to clean up [instead]. The next day, he got me into a men’s home, and a couple of days later, I was in a Salvation Army [drug and alcohol] rehab service. I never saw that bloke again, but I probably wouldn’t be here today if he hadn’t done that for me.
Rehabilitation and transformation
Rehab was hard, but I knew I would die if I didn’t do something different. I was 58 kilos when I arrived, and I was full of anger and attitude.
Before rehab, if you didn’t agree with me, I’d hate you. I used to hold grudges, but now I sort things out before they bubble up. I still worry and make things worse in my head, but my wife gives [great support and assistance] by talking things through with me.
I had a great counsellor in rehab who said, “You just have to keep it simple,” and I’ve kept it simple ever since. I don’t drink one day at a time, and I get spiritual growth bit by bit, not trying to be perfect all at once.
Church, love, and healthier choices
I had no church or faith growing up, but I went to a Salvation Army church through rehab and I soon loved it. I didn’t know there was this other life people lived. I thought everyone drank and carried on. I had never hung around with people who enjoyed life so much without drinking.
The Salvos church had an Alpha course about to run, exploring Christianity. My counsellor told me to do it, but I said, “No.” I didn’t like people, so why would I go? He said, “Do you trust me?” He was the only one I’d trusted for a long time. He said, “Just go and say how you feel and see what happens.”
My now-wife Sharon grew up in the Salvos. The first day of Alpha, she greeted me at the door and introduced herself. I basically swore at her and told her, “I don’t talk to people.” We laugh about it now! We’ve been married for 20 years. I’m glad she didn’t give up on me.
In the middle of the course, we had a weekend away with Salvation Army people and a few blokes from rehab. I had the best time of my life and realised I didn’t have to drink to have fun. We talked, laughed, played Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly – it was an awakening for me. I decided to explore what these people had because I wanted some of it!
I not only loved church, but I also learned to pray. Prayer helps me so much. I don’t often pray out loud, but I pray all day when I’ve got to do something. It helps me get through.
I’d spent many Christmases alone. It was just another day, maybe alone on a riverbank or in a rundown fruit picker’s hut.
Christmas is amazing now. It is completely different! I’ve got three great kids and two grandkids in my life. My wife also has a big, loving family and has heaps of Salvo ‘aunts’ and ‘uncles’ from growing up in church.
I love helping at the carols. We never book anything during that time, and I give it everything I’ve got from morning to night. I get more out of it than I give. Andrew, my Salvos mate who organises everything at the Carols in the Domain, says to me, “We couldn’t do it without you,” but I say, “I couldn’t do it without you either.”
It helps me more than people can know. If you help others, you aren’t worried about your own problems. I know the money goes to homelessness and people struggling, which is really important.
It’s also great to volunteer with my youngest son.
Life is so good now. It wasn’t through my doing. It must have been some higher power that put me here. It must have been God!
Christmas volunteers help Salvation Army share joy
The Salvation Army’s Andrew Hill, who oversees the candle bag packing and distribution for Sydney’s Carols in the Domain event, explains that last year 6000 bags were packed and sold, each filled with donated products worth over $150 as well as candles.
Andrew says, “We raised over $110,000 to help people doing it tough, especially with the cost-of-living crisis [last Christmas]. We had over 300 volunteers from candle bag packing to event volunteers at Carols in the Domain.
“It was an amazing event, and Jason is one of the Christmas volunteer ‘legends’ we need and look forward to having each year. His story is inspirational, and we are better for having Jason in our army of volunteers and in our Salvation Army.
“He is an inspiration to us all.”