13 June 2018
For Emma Belenus you can’t put a price on the feeling she gets from volunteering. Emma established the Artscape Garden about three years ago in a community housing development in suburban Newcastle as a way to encourage greater engagement, participation and social interaction between the local residents. With the help of the residents, there are...
7 June 2018
Back in 2011, a small group of recently retired blokes decided to put the skills they’d learnt over a life time to good use – they formed the Dural Men’s Shed. Seven years on the Dural Men’s Shed has more than 100 members and they devote their time to mentoring and developing skills for young...
22 May 2018
‘Our state’s top volunteer award winners from the past decade were honoured at a special event at NSW Government House on Monday 21 May, in what was hailed as our very own Volunteering Hall of Fame. About 40 of the past NSW Volunteer of the Year Award winners attended the event hosted by His Excellency...
9 April 2018
Why did you decide to volunteer? In the past, I have studied and have a keen interest in art. Volunteering at the Murray Art Museum Albury (MAMA) has reignited that passion. Why did you choose this particular role? I saw it as an opportunity to make the gallery experience as welcoming as possible. Many of...
9 April 2018
Why did you decide to volunteer? The main reason I decided to volunteer is I miss my Mum and Dad. Since they died a few years ago, leaving a big hole in my heart, I have no older person to visit as now I am the senior person in the family. I am not lonely...
9 April 2018
Why did you decide to volunteer? They say that payment is all part of the joy. Well, I have been paid in some wonderful ways over the years that I have been a volunteer. And there is nothing greater than a warm smile or the wag of a tail from a dog to make you...
9 April 2018
Why did you decide to volunteer? My parents migrated to Australia during the 1970s. They instilled the idea of giving back when you can, a belief that also resonates strongly with my religious faith. I became a volunteer when I turned 18. I have worked as a volunteer at the Starlight Foundation since 1997. Why...
9 April 2018
Why did you decide to Volunteer? At a young age I started rescuing animals that were abandoned in or around our local school. I would organise a whip around of the kids’ pocket money and we would take the dog to the RSPCA, along with a donation, to ensure it would be cared for –...
9 April 2018
Why did you decide to volunteer? Volunteering has always been important to me. It has been my goal to give something to the community to help make the world a better place for us all. I know that by volunteering I receive many wonderful gifts in return the chance to: meet others and give some...
20 March 2018
The Australian Government has launched a campaign to prevent Australians from inadvertently contributing to child exploitation through the practice of orphanage tourism, including by participating in misleading volunteer programs. The Smart Volunteering Campaign discourages Australians from any form of short-term, unskilled volunteering in overseas orphanages and provides guidelines on how to be a child-safe volunteer....
20 February 2018
The Australian Institute of Disaster Resilience (AIDR) develops, maintains and shares knowledge and learning to support a disaster-resilient Australia. Following a comprehensive development process a new handbook has been released on volunteer management. Handbook 12: Communities Responding to Disasters: Planning for Spontaneous Volunteers is now online. This new handbook builds directly upon the national Spontaneous...
1 February 2018
Volunteer Managers Spotlight – Read stories about amazing volunteer managers Kerry Souter – Riding for the Disabled NSW Diana Piper -Cerebal Palsy Alliance Let us know your volunteer management stories. Help promote your good work and cause! Just email your details including volunteer management stories and a photo of you at work to membership@volunteering.com.au and...