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In front of the front door of the Red Cross solidarity store, bulky plastic bags are filled with cushions and linen. It's an ordinary, everyday deposit that the association's volunteers, who work in the shop on the heights of Gustavia, are going to take in hand. On this Thursday, December 18, four women are hard at work in the charity store. Four women who are the pillars of the local Red Cross delegation. So much so, in fact, that they don't really know when they started lending a hand to the organization created in 2005 in Saint-Barthélemy! At least, at first. But these ladies are quick to put things right. A habit.
Their names are Arlette Romney, Anne-Marie Gast, Marjorie Romney and Michèle Vaillot. "I arrived in 2017," says Arlette, who used to work as an Atsem (Agent territorial spécialisé des écoles maternelles). What made her decide to join the Red Cross? "She lives across the street," says Michèle Vaillot, eliciting a general laugh. "She was always sweeping her little stairs and we'd ask her if she didn't want to come with us," smiles Michèle. But Anne-Marie Gast, the "oldest" member of the delegation since 2006, corrects: "You arrived well before 2017, didn't you? Who did you know as President? Wasn't it Ernest (Magras)? "Arlette thinks for a few seconds. "Oh yes, it was Ernest," she confirms. In fact, she decided to cross the street to join the little troupe back in 2012. Just a little before Marjorie Romney, who recalls, "I knew Ernest too! I was still working at AMC when I started coming to the Red Cross. So that was well before 2017. 2013, I think. I started on Wednesday afternoons and when I stopped working I came on Saturdays too. "
"We get caught up in the game
For Michèle Vaillot, her entry into the game came in 2010. It was a friend, Nicole, a former member of the Red Cross, who told me while we were at the beach that there was a need for workers," she recalls. When the store first opened, everything was in the middle of the room! There were even boxes of masks left over from the bird flu days. "Anne-Marie Gast's recruitment process was similar. But a few years earlier. I was poached by Nicole and Wanda," she laughs. They told me they needed hands! "And that's how they all got involved. With another colleague they don't forget to mention: Nicole Redon. "She was in charge of all the training courses. Unfortunately she left two years ago for health reasons. "
Michèle, Arlette, Marjorie and Anne-Marie recall with enthusiasm and tenderness the delegation's first president, Henri Louis. "With Michèle and Nicole, he nicknamed us the 'funny ladies', just like in the TV show," Anne-Marie laughs. A reference that now perfectly suits the four volunteers, who have become friends.
The four women have plenty of memories of their time with the Red Cross. From the development of the delegation in Saint-Barth, through Irma and the aid given to the island's most disadvantaged inhabitants, to action in Haiti and, more recently, Jamaica. Yet none of them are nostalgic. When it comes to the Red Cross, it's current activities that immediately spring to mind. We start distributing Christmas parcels," explains Michèle. Following the list of people sent to us by the social service. "For the past, it's more the companions and fellow travelers that come to mind. From the little volunteer hands to the successive presidents (Henri Louis, Ernest Magras, Jean-Noël Machon and Christine Moizan) and their taste for commitment.
"You get caught up in the game," smiles Michèle Vaillot. "If I didn't have this activity on the island, I'd be bored," adds Anne-Marie, who says to Marjorie: "I remember you telling me you were looking forward to Wednesdays. "Marjorie confirms. Both retired, they let themselves be invaded by the volunteer virus. Henri Louis (the first president) gave it to me," says Anne-Marie. My husband used to tell me that before, at least, I was paid for all the time I spent working! "
Bonds are forged not only between volunteers, but also with the store's customers and visitors. "Some of them come here for a chat or a coffee," says Michèle. "Before, we had a lot of people from Santo Domingo and elsewhere," explains Anne-Marie. Today there are a lot of people from the island, seasonal workers too. "And let's not forget the poorly housed or those with no housing, who come twice a week for a little human warmth, as well as a coffee and a sandwich. The store has changed a lot," insists Michèle. It used to be a home for the elderly, offices and a refuge during the hurricane season".
The clock is ticking and Marjorie has to slip away to make a return trip to the ferry. Her companions get down to business. Sorting, tidying, preparing Christmas parcels and food baskets, and so on. During the festive season and all year round, the "funny ladies" of the Red Cross have their work cut out for them. Fortunately, their commitment to helping others remains just as strong.
