After six years at the helm of the Salvation Army’s Ministries in Nanaimo, Majors Joan and Martin McCarter are leaving the city this summer.
When the couple first arrived, the Salvation Army was in the midst of building the New Hope Centre and took on the challenge of overseeing the project to completion.
Martin McCarter said he’ll miss the community and people’s willingness to make it a better place.
“People are prepared to work together to achieve a common goal,” he said. “Nanaimo has come a long way in working together on social issues. We’ve been privileged as the Salvation Army to be part of that situation.”
This year, Martin celebrated 45 years of service with the Salvation Army while Joan marked 50 years of service. Both have worked in several countries through their careers, including Swaziland, Australia, Zimbabwe, as well as many locations across Canada.
Dawne Anderson, fundraising and promotions coordinator for the Nanaimo ministry, said the couple bring strong leadership, compassion and humour to the organization.
“Their love and compassion for people has been very appreciated,” said Anderson. “They will be sorely missed. They have been awesome bosses.”
The McCarters' last day is June 26 before heading to Edmonton to work in the provincial office.
Although sad to leave the community behind, McCarter said he knows the organization is in good hands. He said there are strong leaders within the Salvation Army that will make it easier for the couple’s replacements to oversee the charity.
Replacements Captain Sergey and Tanya Katchanov are expected to arrive in July. Both were born in Russia and are currently serving as the corps officers in Kharkov, Ukraine.