Stephen, the Quiet Man at the centre of the madness in Dock Cafe, is taking a well-earned break to get married to the love of his life, Janet.  Before he departed we halted the world of Dock Cafe for a few moments one busy lunchtime so the volunteers could present him with a gift, the customers could embarrass him with a massive round of applause, and all of us could take a little moment to thank this amazing guy.

Describing what Stevo does is easy and it goes like this: what does he NOT do?!  If a volunteer needs to postpone a shift – if Doris the Dishwasher runs out of detergent – if we need extra scones to be ordered for a big group booking – if the coffee supplies are running low (EXTREME EMERGENCY!) – if someone needs to be shown the intricate workings of the coffee grinder – if we’re looking for hoover bags or sugar sachets or loo roll or bin bags – or if a weary traveller needs a welcome, an exhausted volunteer needs encouragement or a lonely soul needs a listening ear or… or… or…. that’s what Stevo does, every day, unfailingly, and always with a smile.  Oh, and about a gajillion other things that I’ve forgotten to mention as well.

So Stevo, from every single soul you’ve met, befriended, listened-to, encouraged, served and inspired over the last few years (and that count now runs to the thousands) – from the bottom of our hearts – thank you and congratulations!