Maybe there was a bit of foreshadowing of a happy ending in the Christmas movie Deanna Gaudry watched with the Vernon branch of Canadian Mental Health Association on Saturday, Dec. 12.
After the movie, which came with some pizza, Gaudry got in her car and headed to her residence in downtown Vernon, parking on the street near her home.
A mobile hairstylist by trade, Gaudry didn’t return to her car until Sunday night, Dec. 13. That’s when she realized that somebody broke into her car in the front seat, went into the back and pulled out all of her hairstyling equipment from the trunk.
“I guess they really wanted those things that probably didn’t mean anything to them but mean everything to me,” said Gaudry, 55, mother of four.
Gaudry told her two brothers of the theft and one posted the situation to Facebook, which brought about comments from readers about what a bad place Vernon is to live because of the crime.
Enter Gaudry’s former salon workmate Cher Hinz, owner-operator of Cherz in the same 31st Avenue downtown storefront with Cyenthia Findlay of Styles on Mane – also a former colleague of Gaudry’s in another salon – and Blanca Crane of Blanca’s Hairstyling. The trio, along with Karla Bruneau from Studio 568 in Coldstream and Treena Hampton from Blanca’s, combed together some of their old equipment and gave it to Gaudry Thursday, Dec. 18, so she could start to work again.
“I was reading on Facebook about the theft and people saying what a bad place Vernon is, so I thought we should do something nice to let people know it isn’t a bad place,” said Hinz. “We know Deanna. Cyenthia and I have worked with her at other salons. We wanted to do this so she could get back working and wouldn’t have to buy anything.”
Gaudry fought back tears as she happily accepted the equipment which included scissors, clippers, masks, combs and everything she needed to return to work.
“This will get me going,” she said before she started to chuckle. “I got a client booked for tomorrow. I’ve only done her hair once, she lives downtown. I took the booking as usual but then thought, ‘Oh, no, wait, I don’t have the stuff to do her hair,’ but then I remembered, ‘Oh, no, I do because I’m coming here today.’
“I’m overwhelmed. Both of these women (Hinz, Findlay) I’ve worked with in the past. This brought me to tears. When I told my family, especially my daughter, we both had tears in our eyes.”
It was the fourth time Gaudry has been robbed since she moved downtown. Despite the latest theft, she remains a believer in humanity.
“I know stuff like this happens. I live in a neighbourhood that’s not that safe,” said Gaudry. “But that’s OK. I have always had faith in people.”
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roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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