Volunteering

Who would have thought that buying a ticket in a raffle would turn a woman’s life around? Eight years ago, Kerry Turpin bought that ticket from Kirra Hartland, a volunteer with  Evans Head Marine Rescue. Kirra is “very persuasive”, Kerry said. And that’s how Kerry became a volunteer.

The smell of smoke from the Bean Creek fire sat heavy in the morning air at Mallanganee as the local RFS unit mourned the loss of one of its members. The  NSW Rural Fire Service  said the RFS “suffered a great loss with the tragic passing of senior deputy captain John Holmes”. John was battling the Bean Creek Fire, about 15km north of Bonalbo, when he had a heart attack...

Back in 2021, the Birchip Cemetery Trust received $22,000 from the Department of Health’s Cemetery Sector Governance Support Program to upgrade the original lawn cemetery and a further $18,000 from the “Cargill Cares Cropping for the Birchip Community” program ... concrete plinths could be installed in all six rows of the initial lawn cemetery to rehouse the plaques that used to sit on individual concrete blocks or directly on the lawn.

Over the first weekend in August, Maldon played host to the second Goldfields Gothic Festival of Dark Ideas. The events were well attended and brought hundreds of visitors into town, many of whom had never visited Maldon before ... "Just like our friends at Dark Mofo, we’ve found the existing business model for Goldfields Gothic doesn’t work in the present environment": Festival Director Valentina Tansley.

Lismore City Mayor Steve Krieg has welcomed the return of volunteer organisation, BlazeAid, to assist local farmers with clearing and rebuilding fences ... Following the 2019 North Coast bushfires, BlazeAid set up operations near Casino to help local farmers get their paddocks re-fenced.

A volunteer firefighter, who attended both the 2019 Yanchep and 2021 Red Gully bushfires, has returned from fighting wildfires in Canada. Gingin Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service captain Nikki Woods said fighting wildfires in Alberta, Canada was completely different to fighting bushfires back home.

One of Australia’s oldest checkout chicks is our own sprightly 81 year old, Judy Biggins of Naracoorte. “I love my job!” says Judy, while packing and sorting groceries as they pass through her checkout, and her customers love her.

A group of around two dozen young people from Darwin and Mareeba visited Tennant Creek this week, as part of the STORMCo initiative by the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Despite their holidays, these young people volunteered their time to assist the community in Tennant Creek.

The Evans Head Bombers Junior Rugby League Club has relaunched after a 15 year hiatus. At the club’s annual general meeting the Northern Rivers Group 1 Junior Rugby League was launched.. A committee of 14 was formed to see the juniors head into next year’s season.

Will Hunter. A lack of volunteers has spelled the end for a major staple of the Copper Coast New Year’s Eve celebrations. The event held at the Wallaroo jetty — consisting of amusement rides and food vendors — will not run this year following the disbanding of the CCNYE committee.

Last week, the Lions Free Skin Cancer Screening Unit was stationed in Nhill for three days. The team ... are all to be congratulated on their service throughout the three very busy days of screening. A few statistics ... show ... the obvious need for such a service in our area.

Storytelling will always provide a window to the culture of any team or community. Storytelling is the most powerful weapon any leader has to engage, inspire and influence others ... Storytelling reveals how a leader walked their talk. Whilst storytelling is the mechanism to pass on history and wisdom, it is also the mechanism for a leader to build trust, belief, and credibility. No story, no impact!

Adair Dunsford. The Naracoorte Regional Art Gallery estimates that volunteers contribute about 6000 hours annually towards keeping the gallery open for locals and visitors. The vital role they play was highlighted at the recent annual meeting of the Art Gallery Board.

Erica Paynter. Australians are famous for stepping up when there is a need and our local district again has not disappointed. Some time ago we sent out a request in On Our Selection News asking for people to make cotton drawstring dignity bags that could be used by one of our hospitals to supply basic toiletries to patients ...

Cambooya State School celebrated a huge achievement in August, winning the Queensland P&C Award for Fundraising Impact and taking home a $2000 cheque for the school ... Despite its small size, Cambooya State School has wonderful volunteers who are always keen to help and do their utmost to support their students and school.

Narrandera Landcare Group held their AGM in the last week of August, when the only change in the executive positions was Sue Ruffles accepting a nomination as vice-president ... The group received and accepted a healthy financial report from the treasurer. A pleasing increase in membership numbers was noted ...

The Charlton community has rallied behind an important initiative led by the Charlton Forum and Charlton Neighbourhood House. A range of work has been undertaken to beautify areas of the town, with many  hours volunteered by the North Central Garden Club, Lions, Flexible Learning  Options program students, Beautify Charlton, CWA, OASIS, and civic minded individuals.

This week I am going to explore what demotivates volunteers, and hence increases the likelihood they will stop being involved. Volunteer participation is the responsibility of leaders, and I provide a checklist to help ensure leaders are doing everything in their control to maximise the likelihood of volunteer attraction and retention ... Volunteer motivation is a key factor in their continued commitment and contribution to any community organisation or charity.

From responding to flood emergencies to trekking through bushland on search and rescue operations, SES volunteers do whatever it takes to keep Queenslanders safe. As SES Week celebrations kick off across the state, Queensland’s volunteers in orange are being honoured for their outstanding efforts in helping their communities prepare and respond to emergencies.

It's easy to go to a big horse event and admire the beauty and talent of the horses, the elegant riders, the enormous size of the fences jumped, but what people should really be looking at and applauding are the volunteers who have made it all possible. These events don’t just happen and unfortunately it is getting harder each year to find the people who are willing to put the time in behind the scenes to ensure the sport we love to participate in and watch continues.

A community plan that was launched seven years ago has chalked up a number of milestones and will continue to bring economic benefits to the region. In a three-part series, we report on the projects that have been delivered and what the future holds.

The Legacy Torch Relay will pass through Horsham carried by a local Donald identity and war veteran, Brian Williams, in support of veteran families and widows, of which there are nine remaining in the township of Donald.