Most Memorable Volunteer Moments

My most memorable volunteer moment was...

Celebrating 20 yearswith 20 memorable volunteer moments...

20 volunteer momentssupplied by Tasmanian volunteers

and managers of volunteers

October 2013


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1 Volunteering Tasmania Celebrating 20 years

...helping create a mural in the local park

LYNN HASENKAM

I was the head of a not-for-profit arts organisation when I was privileged to lead a group of volunteer artists to produce a mural in a local park. The mostly older artists (60+ years) worked alongside kindergarten children, older primary school children, local residents, young offenders as well as the local progress association to produce a mural that truly reflected what the locals wanted. Every passerby was encouraged to have a go. Rather than an ugly graffiti wall the mural is as vibrant and valued today as it was when it was first painted.


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Volunteering Tasmania 2 Celebrating 20 years

...realising I had given someone the chance to feel like part of the community

SHERALYN JACKSON

Through the process of a very moving exit interview with a person who had been volunteering for a few months, I learned a very valuable lesson. This person thanked me for giving him a chance to feel a part of society by being involved in the community as a volunteer. He had come to us at a very low point in his life and had undergone two years of intense addiction therapy. He had been in trouble with the law and he had felt at a loss. He wanted to be involved and he approached me with his story and determination to continue making dramatic changes in his life.

He proved to be an enthusiastic hard worker and keen to learn all aspects of his role. Leaving the organisation as a different person and one who gained so much confidence and strength, he finally found a purpose in life. He is now studying Community Services and I know through the life experiences and skills which he learned volunteering that he is going to be able to help others...and I know he will make it!

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...helping a mature-aged couple preserve their memories

CAROLINE TANDER

I am a volunteer tutor with Broadband for Seniors. Among my first students, about two years ago, were a mature couple. I helped them to learn to save their photos digitally, among other things. They returned later for some more training. In the intervening two years they had scanned, labelled and sorted their entire collection of photos and slides. There were thousands of images.

I was thrilled to see that the bit of training that I had given them had led to such a huge project. The husband is now writing his memoirs, in which he will include photos from the collection.


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...discovering that I had made an unexpected difference

JANE LAMONT

Recently I met up with a former student who I had tutored in basic literacy and numeracy.

During the time I was her tutor I felt that she always appeared to be distracted, she rarely completed homework, she made excuses and she eventually dropped out. I felt that I had failed in helping her achieve her goals.

Imagine my delight when we met up again and she told me she was doing workplace training, doing her Cert II, was in a healthy relationship and could only see positive things in her future! She gave me a big hug and told me that I was responsible for the turnaround in her life.

It goes to show that you might never see the results, but everything we do has an impact.


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...getting my pom-poms out at Launceston parkrun

ANNE-MARIE LOADER

I volunteer regularly as a marshal at Launceston parkrun. It’s the best volunteer job ever. The process of volunteering with this organisation makes the job fun, rewarding and easy.

My most memorable moment was getting my pom-poms out on ‘Show Your Colours’ Day and encouraging a runner to keep going. That brought a lot of joy and happiness to me.


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...teaching refugee children to swim

AKIA CHABOT

One of our wonderful volunteers, Jill, has been helping refugees settle in Hobart for many years. She is a PE teacher and a lifeguard, amongst other things. She recently put her hand up to be instrumental in a Learn to Swim course that we are trialling for newly arrived youth.

Using her extensive industry contacts, Jill sourced rashvests and goggles. and negotiated a good rate with a pool.

She then volunteered to drive our 12-seater bus to pick up the would-be swimmers each week before donning her own togs and getting in to help with the lessons. With her effervescent personality and contagious enthusiasm, she ensures that the kids have a great time and feel safe and comfortable with the challenge.


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...being called a ‘green frog’ by Jim Bacon

CHRISTINE BENNETT

In 2001 John Biggs reported in The Mercury “you can judge the health of an environment by the number of frogs. That means the Junior Men’s World Hockey Cup is already a stunning success”.

At the opening of the tournament the then Premier Jim Bacon called the volunteers ‘green frogs’ because of the colour of our uniforms.

My role was to coordinate over 300 volunteers, from ball boys to carpark attendants and catering staff – all identified by their green vests, caps and aprons.

The tournament had teams from 16 countries and was heralded a success despite the poor weather, largely

because of the hospitality and support from the large band of volunteers.

The title of ‘frogs’ was enjoyed by volunteers and those on duty all around the grounds were rewarded with chocolate frogs during their shift - which might have started as early as 6am or finished as late as midnight. There developed a great comradeship amongst the volunteers and the ‘thank you’ party afterwards was one of the best parties ever.

To work with this willing band was a privilege and lots of fun. Even 12 years on people still mention the time we were frogs.


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...when a man cried after I helped him read his utility bill

MELISSA WHITE

My most memorable moments are those when advocating on behalf of people who are not confident to do so themselves.

A particular memory is when a man came to me after he had is electricity disconnected. We identified that he was in fact illiterate and was unable to read the letters he had received from his utility provider.

We were able to have him reconnected and arrange future payments to be direct debited. The man hugged me and had tears streaming down his face because he was so grateful that someone cared enough to help him.


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...meeting with three friends on my lounge room floor to discuss a vision for a better world

JESS JACOBSON

I was part of a small group of passionate young people who brought the Oaktree Foundation to Tasmania. I had seen what Oaktree was achieving on the mainland and I was sad that Tassie kept missing out – so I did something about it.

From a group of four friends meeting on my lounge room floor, discussing a vision of a generation of young people, Oaktree took its wings. Within one year we grew from an idea – a dream – to over thirty committed, passionate volunteers who gave up big chunks of their time to bring our vision to reality.

We ran campaigns, we engaged with political leaders and we educated our peers about the injustice of extreme poverty. While doing this, we became connected to a larger network of peers across the country, who we regularly met with, schemed with, debated with and grew with.

I believe that Oaktree had further benefits within Tasmania’s youth community – it awoke a consciousness that if you want something and are willing to work hard for it, then anything is possible. This belief was built off the back of selfless, visionary volunteers who I am incredibly proud to know.


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...cooking breakfast for 67 Blaze Aid volunteers

BRIAN KEIGHTLEY

When I volunteered for Blaze Aid I cooked breakfasts each and every morning for the four months that they were in Tasmania. It was my way of saying ‘thank you’ to the hundreds of volunteers who went out each morning, rain or shine, to help the property owners repair and rebuild their fences after the bushfires.

Over the months I met and cooked breakfasts for over 550 volunteers. The volunteers were male and female, from Tasmania, interstate and abroad, and as young as 18 and as old as 78.

My day started with me rising at 4am in Primrose Sands and driving to the camp in Sorell. I then checked the boards to see how many volunteers we had for that day.

The biggest number of volunteers we had on one day was 67 people. Each day I cooked eggs and bacon every which way but loose.

Once the teams left for work it was clear up time and then off to get more supplies. My day finished at around 10am.

When Blaze Aid finished up, I was lost for several weeks until I got used to the fact that it was all over. I have since offered my services to several organisations which I am in the process of giving a hand to.

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...scaring the pants off people on the ghost tour at Port Arthur

STEPHEN SMITH

I was doing work experience at Port Arthur as part of a tourism course.

The ghost tour commenced late at night. The tour guide asked for two volunteers to hold lanterns to help light our way.

To get the mood right, many stories relating to Port Arthur‘s notorious inmates were told to the tour guests. These included the type of violent crimes committed, the mental asylum where physicians performed experimental procedures on inmates as well as the brutality dished out by the prison guards.

We would stop at a certain point, turn the lanterns off and ask the group to remain silent in the dark. The guests were asked to imagine themselves being incarcerated here. “Listen closely, can you hear the cries for help?”

“Can you hear the cat’o nine tails being used on the convicts’ bare skin?”

The climax of the tour was when the tour guests were taken into the basement of the surgeon’s house. The guests were told to gather around the large table which was said to be used by the surgeon to dissect body parts from the dead.

Suddenly the light was turned off and a scream was let out. An object fell to the ground which caused more guests to scream. The light was then turned back on. The fallen object turned out to be a sheep’s skull!


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...hosting a pretend birthday party

MARGARET BRIGGS

Always a great admirer of the work of the diversional therapists at the day centre where I volunteer as a kitchen lady, I was especially impressed one day with the flexibility and compassion of one particular therapist.

We were in the process of renovating and the centre was closed while we cleared out the furniture. At lunch time we were standing around a plate of toasted sandwiches in a practically bare kitchen when a local elderly man who usually attended the dementia group mistakenly wandered in.

We were about to turn him about and send him home when our dear boss stepped in and said, “Come in Jimmy, come and join us. It’s my birthday!” Instead of the bewilderment and confusion of finding he had made a silly mistake, the old gentleman beamed at the inclusion. We even dug up half a cake and sang happy birthday.

A jolly time was had by all before our diversional therapist gently led the misplaced visitor home. I made a mental note to try and recognise this wonderful lady’s birthday when it really came around.


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...taking four suicide calls in one dayANONYMOUS

I used to be a telephone counsellor and I had one incredibly challenging shift where four people called who were making plans to commit suicide.

All four very generously shared with me their most private and painful thoughts, their anguish and their history.

As the calls went on they may not have realised it, but they also shared their bravery, dignity, strength as well as eventually a sort of hope that “things will not always be this bad”. That was enough, for them, to keep going.

They all thanked me for listening without judgement. One even said that I had “eased (her) burden and lightened (her) heart”. She is anonymous and I am anonymous and I will never get the chance to tell her that she gave me much more than I gave her. Thank you.


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...walking along the beach with a Chats participantSUSAN JOB

One of my most memorable volunteer moments was walking on the sand at a beach in Orford collecting shells with a Chats participant. She paints the shells as gifts for the people she cares about – as thanks for their love and care.

Arm in arm we strolled the beach – she has a few problems walking. The waves were crashing and the weather was a little chilly. But the expression of joy on her face when we found a suitable shell (hole included for the pearl) meant the world to me.

I gave her so little and that smile gave me so much back.


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...when a little girl said that we had given her the best day of her life

DANUSIA KASKA

In my role as a volunteer manager I feel so happy to see new volunteers grow into leadership positions. One memorable moment was during our first ‘Buddy’s Day’ – a day for children from disadvantaged backgrounds to have a fun day being kids and to forget about their worries.

The new volunteers were so warm, compassionate and intuitive – they really grew into wonderful leaders that day. They gave the children a wonderful opportunity.

One little girl said to her mother, “Mum, I had the best day of my life today.” That put a huge smile on all our faces and in our hearts. We no longer felt the weariness of the day after that moment.


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...when I chose my career path on a conservation project

RACHEL CHESMER

Many years ago when I was in my twenties I turned up for a conservation project. Quite a few others were there and nobody seemed to be in charge or familiar with the area.

After 20 minutes, some were thinking of leaving. As I was familiar with the site and enthusiastic for the conservation work to be completed, I started explaining why the work was of benefit to the environment and doing a few fun activities to entertain the children.

Half an hour later when the project co-ordinator turned up, the group were ready and really excited to do the clearing and conservation management. They also had a basic knowledge of some of the plants and why some were ‘weeds’ and needed to be removed.

The project co-ordinator had been delayed due to an accident on the road and because it was before the days of mobile phones we had no idea if and when they were coming.

I was thanked not only by the project co-ordinator for keeping the group together, but by others in the group for giving background knowledge and information to the volunteers.

For me it was a starting point in my choice of career working with people, teaching and the environment.


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...when my 91 year old client told me about her ‘new friend’

SALLY STEFFAN

My 91 year old Chats client Martina lives alone and has been having some health issues. Martina gave me the best belly laugh that I had had in a while when she told me about her new friend ‘George’.

Martina said George had literally changed her life. I thought to myself – you are 91!

“Tell me more,” I replied. “Well,” she said, “for a long time I didn’t want anything to do with George, but he finally won me over and now he comes everywhere with me. He holds my hands, helps me to stand up straight, comes with me to the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom.”

I asked how she met him. She said that a friend had introduced them – she had been trying to for a while but Martina felt that she was too young for him. “In the end I had to swallow my pride and now I wouldn’t be without George.”

It was all getting too much for me. My curiosity was piqued. “Who is this George?” I said.

Martina was laughing. “He is my lovely blue walker with wheels.”

There must be lots of people out there who feel that they are too young for a ‘George’, but don’t know what they are missing.


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...being trained to be winched out a helicopter with a German Shepherd strapped to my chest

DAVID GODFREY-SMITH

I was a volunteer about a decade ago with Search and Rescue Dogs of Tasmania with my German Shepherd, Inca. We spent the day at Rotor-Lift in Hobart, starting with the simulator then taking some practice flights in the airport area.

Inca had her own helicopter harness and wasn’t the slightest bit worried about the whole exercise.


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...when I helped someone find paid employment

CAROLYN WHAMOND

When I was front of house co-ordinator at Ten Days on the Island a mother of five approached us for some volunteering. She was severely lacking in confidence and thought she didn’t really have anything to offer. However, she had loved everything she’d ever seen from Ten Days so she thought she’d give it a go.

She had spent the last 23 years raising and home schooling her five children and truly believed she had nothing to offer. Wow, was she wrong. We jumped at the opportunity to engage such an experienced child wrangler.

After volunteering on more than a dozen performances she called and told me that her experience had given her the confidence to re-join the work force. Last we heard from her she had applied for a number of jobs as a Teachers Aide and I was proud to give her a glowing reference.


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...when volunteers saved the show

IVAN TOSIC

Recently I was a front of house and volunteer manager when 20 Circus Acts in 20 Minutes came to Huonville. Bad weather washed out the event and it was only due to the local knowledge of volunteers that the event was saved.

When the weather looked bad the volunteers were quick to let us know of alternate venues and helped us relocate the entire performance from the oval to the town hall.

Through their personal and local networks, including radio, we got the word out that the venue had changed.

We had an audience of over 250, rather than zero as we thought. it was only due to the local volunteers in Huonville that we were able to save the show.

Most Memorable Volunteer Moments

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