Alan Jessop, the Salvation Army volunteer who collected about $4 million in donations over 32 years at the Canberra Centre, has died peacefully at the age of 95. Known as the Salvo Man, he was a quiet and constant presence in the bustling shopping centre.
Mr Jessop was named ACT's Local Hero in the 2011 Australian of the Year Awards. He never sought accolades but loved the thousands of people who moved around him in the city he called home.
His granddaughter, writer Emma Batchelor, was with him when he died early on Friday morning at Canberra Hospital. She said he had been ill for several years, diagnosed with prostate cancer 20 years ago and suffering several heart attacks since, but his death was still a shock.
Mr Jessop's final wish was to return home to be with his wife, Joy. The couple had celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary months ago, having been teenage sweethearts before marrying.
Born in 1930 in Westmead, Mr Jessop worked as a ladies' tailor and gas fitter in Sydney before running post offices with Joy in Coopernook, Corrimal East and Greta. They also owned a dairy farm in Moorland for six years before moving to Canberra in 1988 to be closer to their daughter.
He began collecting for the Salvation Army in the 1990s after becoming impressed by their charity work. He retired during the COVID-19 pandemic when only volunteers under 70 were allowed to collect. The family plans a private cremation and a public memorial later.
