Inspired by: Denis Leetham, Founder, Thursday Friends

Interview by Rebecca Rusinovic

Move out the way because Denis Leetham is well and truly blazin’ trails! Thursday Friends was born out of Denis’ passion to give back to the community and as the name suggests, volunteers come together at the Queen Victoria Market every Thursday to lend a help to their friends less fortunate and sleeping rough in Melbourne. Yes Queen is so proud to introduce Denis and Thursday Friends to the community.

Hi Denis, we are so excited to introduce you to the Yes Queen community and the trailblazing movement you have built with Thursday Friends! The foundation of Thursday Friends is friendship – it is a group of friends, helping their friends in the community who need a helping hand. Why is this a core value of your organisation?

Friendship is the core value because it’s the whole reason we are there. Our work helps Friends who are going through a rough patch in their life. Whether it be for a short or an extended period of time, we are there to help them by providing food or clothing and a chat. All without judgement – just support. A lot of charities like to place labels on the less fortunate or emphasise the position they are in. Thursday Friends supersedes this ideal and removes the notion that those who visit need help.

Was this the inspiration for the organisation – taking a different approach to giving back?

I think it has just evolved naturally over the few short years we’ve been operating. During this time, we’ve gotten to truly know many of our Friends we support and see each week. If someone is not around for a week or two we wonder why and become concerned and ask questions. It feels much more personal.

How do you ensure volunteers understand that the whole foundation of Thursday Friends is treating people as friends?

That is a very good question. I always tell any new volunteers about it being a little bit confronting when you first go along. I try to install in our volunteers that it is about our Thursday Friends – not about any of us. Our role is to be there for them: to listen to their stories and offer any support that we can. I always make sure to thank all of the people and businesses who support us, but at the end of the day, the whole project is about who we are there to help. All our volunteers are really receptive and understanding of how we run things. Thursday Friends offers so much more than food and clothing donated; some Friends must cherish and look forward to simply having a chat and sharing stories with the team of volunteers.

What is it like getting to know some of the community members and the journeys their lives have taken?

Yes, we love hearing stories of what they have been through and we are thrilled when any of our Friends turn things around – we always encourage them to continue stopping by and saying hi. Some stories are very sad and it just shows us how easily one’s life can be flipped upside down by events like the loss of a job, a marriage break up, domestic violence or forms of addiction, such as gambling. But then there are the great stories that we love to hear as well; like the woman who had fled an abusive relationship and lived in her car or under a bridge while still attending university. She’s since graduated with a marine biology degree and now has a grant and is working at Melbourne Uni. We all really enjoy catching up with her on a Thursday when she comes along to say hello.

Since its inception in 2017, you must have some regular faces coming each week and developed some amazing connections over the years. How have some of these relationships impacted your life?

Many of the regular Friends that we see have certainly impacted my life in different ways. On a week to week basis, I sometimes start work at 4am on a Thursday and find myself feeling a little tired and sorry for myself. As soon as I see everyone [at Thursday Friends] and how appreciative they are, I immediately feel really proud of the work we do and grateful for what I have. It has also taught me to not sweat the small things.

How has Thursday Friends evolved since inception and what are you most proud of?

This is a good question at this particular point in time. I have been having some personal issues recently which have prevented me from attending Thursdays for a few months, and have been totally blown away by the amount of support and other volunteers stepping up and making sure our Thursday Friends are supported each week. Since Thursday Friends started, the number of volunteers who have become involved has really made me proud. We’ve had volunteers in the form of colleagues, friends, friends of friends, and even passersby who stop to ask how they can help out. I consider all of our volunteers personal friends.

Yes Queen strives to inspire workplaces to create safe, supportive and inclusive environments – very similar to the values to the space you have created for Thursday Friends. How do you ensure your Friends feel welcomed, supported and accepted just as they are?

I believe this is the most important aspect of what we do and is so important for us all to remember. I try to remind all our volunteers that our Friends are doing it tough and we never know what they are currently going through or have been through. Some of our Friends have been living rough for the majority of their lives and may not have had a great education, so it is important to keep that in mind. It is also important to listen to what they have to say and avoid passing judgement in any way at all. My theory is that you never know what is around the corner and it could be yourself falling on hard times. Thursday Friends relies on the generosity and commitment of its volunteers.

Was it difficult finding donations in the early stages and how has this changed over the years?

Thursday Friends was originally started up by a mate under another name in 2016. When he couldn’t continue, a few colleagues and close friends who had started to come along met up, and we decided to try and keep things going ourselves. We have managed to for 2.5 years now. We started asking – and still ask – volunteers to contribute $5 each week they come along to help fund things. We have also had many generous donations of food and money as well. All of the clothing is donated by various colleagues, friends and family members of our volunteers. We continue to run on the smell of an oily rag but we are all thrilled to contribute what we can.

Can anyone volunteer at Thursday Friends and what other ways can people get involved?

Absolutely anyone can get involved in supporting our Thursday Friends. Just follow our Facebook or Instagram page to see how we operate and private message myself for more information. Or just turn up and make yourself known on a Thursday evening at 7pm on Franklin Street on the outside of the Queen Victoria Market car park.

I love that Thursday Friends motto is “share the love, there’s lots to go around” – this is very Yes Queen! How relevant and important is an organisation like Thursday Friends in today’s world?

I think it is ultimately important for all lives, not just for the group we interact with. In the big scheme of things, what we are doing is a tiny, tiny bit of what our government should be doing already. I believe that in such a great country like Australia, nobody should need to live on the street or in poverty. It is great knowing that the little bit Thursday Friends does each week makes our Friends so appreciative and supported.

What was your goal when you started Thursday Friends? How has this transformed over the course of the past few years and what are your goals for the future?

When Thursday Friends started in April 2017, I don’t think think we had any goals other than providing our Friends with some food, clothing and a sense of belonging. Moving forward, I am not sure that we want to do much more than that, although additional sponsorships and donations would certainly make the little bit we do so much easier.

What is it that keeps you so passionate about the organisation you have well and truly actualised from an idea to a reality?

The smiles, gratitude, thanks and appreciation of our Thursday Friends!

Thank you Denis, for your love and insight – we are so grateful for the work you do with Thursday Friends. You can find out more about Thursday Friends on their socials below.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/ourthursdayfriends/about/?ref=page_internal https://www.instagram.com/thursday_friends/