A listening ear

Major Afolau Toluono provides a listening ear and support for those who pass through the Wellington District Courts.

I have been a Salvation Army court officer at the Wellington District Court since 2014. Before that I served with The Salvation Army in Auckland and in Tonga.

My job is to be a listening ear, to offer support and, if needed, assistance with welfare needs. My day begins when I get the list in the morning of who is coming to court and I start praying for them and how I might serve them.

I go down to the lobby, say hello, and see if there’s anyone who needs help or needs to talk. I go to the cells as well. If somebody is distressed before they go to court I will talk with them. It’s similar to chaplaincy or pastoral care. I have had people yelling abuse and getting upset with me, but it doesn’t happen much.

At the end of the conversation, sometimes you get people needing a food parcel or something and I refer them to one of our Community Ministries centres. Sometimes I recommend people visit their local Salvation Army church. It helps to get them connected to a community. Sometimes I look after children for people attending court. I have some toys they can play with, and I have some toys, donated at Christmas, that I can give to families in need.

I also sit in court during the cases and listen. Part of my role is to help people getting home. Often if they’ve come from the cells they don’t have money with them, so police, corrections officers and lawyers refer them to me and I help them get home. And sometimes the judge orders that someone make a donation to The Salvation Army, so I deal with that too.

Once a month I attend the Special Circumstances Court, which is a court which addresses homelessness and other complex issues. Before or after the court session I try and chat with clients to see how they’re doing and ask if there’s anything else I can do to help, other than what their social worker is doing.  

Being appointed to my current work was a bit of a shock, but I never imagined becoming an officer either.

I came to New Zealand when I was 24 , when my sister sponsored me for a work visa doing an office job at The Salvation Army’s Epsom Lodge in Auckland.

I had a shallow faith. My parents went to church every Sunday and I followed them, because in Samoa that is what you do to obey and respect them. At Epsom Lodge I met Major David Millar and what I saw from him and his family was their caring for people and that God was an everyday God, not just a Sunday God. That is what I try to practice here at court.  

It can be very draining listening to what is happening in the court. It’s challenging seeing the situations people are in and thinking, ‘How can this person get out of what led them here and what can I do for them?’ I have a simple faith, so that if I see the people come in, I want to love them and offer a word of encouragement.

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By Afolau Toluono (c) 'War Cry' magazine, 2 April 2016, pp 9
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