Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

There is nothing quite as special as being a volunteer. Today is a unique chance to say thank you to all those amazing people. If we did not have our band of volunteers, there are many whose lives would be that much poorer. The National Volunteers Week theme this year was 'Give Happy, Live Happy'—and this is the essence of being a volunteer. If you are able to give your time, make someone else's life a little better, then you yourself are actually one of the beneficiaries.

Volunteers are extraordinary people with big hearts. They offer the gift of their time to teach, to listen, to help, to inspire, to build, to grow and to learn. But so many more people could join the ranks of being a volunteer. They just need to have the confidence to say, 'I think I can do that and I know I can help.' The PCYC in the Shoalhaven could do with some volunteers to help in the office—perhaps with some supervision, perhaps with the activities. Volunteers do not expect to be paid, yet the value of their work is beyond measure. Collectively, these volunteers have planted tiny seeds of inspiration in countless lives. We have many volunteers in our schools, for breakfast programs and for reading programs. There are volunteers to be class helpers and canteen mums or dads.

The Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham, visited Gilmore in April and helped to present certificates to Nowra Christian School students who participated in the Shoalhaven Youth Volunteering Initiative. This is a unique and very successful program where students participate in short-course, cadetship-style training in one of the local volunteer services like the State Emergency Service or the Rural Fire Service. This program has been running for many years now and is responsible for inspiring participants to join up. In fact about a third of current volunteers in our local RFS and SES began this way. At the same meeting, the minister met Daniel Palmer and James Godwin, who had just returned from a stint helping in the North Coast floods—and, yes, these two young men came through the volunteering initiative scheme. Today another group of 25 keen students from Ulladulla High School will start their training to become volunteers.

We in Gilmore are truly blessed by the extent of volunteerism in our region. From Red Cross to CWA to Lions and Rotary, and from Zonta to the surf-lifesaving clubs, every aspect of life has the dedicated touch of a volunteer.

In recent weeks I have attended numerous presentations for surf-lifesaving, and I am reminded of the huge numbers of hours these amazing people give to our community. They laugh and joke about the time spent in lousy weather and duty rosters on Christmas Day and over all other weekends. They spend time training and then, in turn, train others, spending many hours to make sure our thousands of visitors are safe in the sea.

Less than a month ago I attended my own Rural Fire Service brigade, the catering brigade's AGM. During the last fires we spent 10-hour shifts preparing food for the ones on the front line—but not so the captain and assistant, Donna King and Ingrid Nordermeer. They spent 15 or 16 hours making sure everything was in place for the rest of us to prepare. In a regional area that is more than 40 per cent national parks and bushland our RFS volunteers are very significant and active groups. The Bay and Basin Community Resource Centre has an inspiring network of volunteers. These people help in day care for the elderly. Their Men's Shed helps our local schools with all manner of projects, even being the father-figure in some of our single-parent families.

Just two weeks ago the Minister for Ageing and Disability, the Hon. Mitch Fifield, came and met another group of volunteers. He came for a number of reasons but, most importantly, the visit gave an opportunity for all our Meals on Wheels volunteers and their coordinators to speak honestly and frankly about their concerns with the new fee structure. These volunteers explained that their work—for which they receive no pay—is more than a meal delivery; they are the social connection for many of these people who are unable to prepare for themselves, either due to age or disability or both. The issue is still in discussion, and the volunteers deserve gold stars for the phenomenal work they do.

The volunteers for St John Ambulance absolutely help the Gilmore region to hold the many sporting, cultural and fundraising events, such as Relay for Life, the Celtic festival and the agricultural shows. Without their presence and expertise these events simply could not happen.

In Gilmore we have volunteers for Landcare, Bushcare, park care, Dunecare and Rivercare, all dedicated and fantastic individuals. The volunteers for the natural world cannot be listed without mentioning Dusty Jones, the local snake man, rescuing reptiles all over the region. Such a gentleman. Then there is WIRES and NANA. Friends of the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby—who last week celebrated 20 years of protecting the marsupial—launched their documentary film On the Edge. Without their dedication the local Shoalhaven population would have been lost to predation.

There are volunteers in all regions. This weekend I appeal to those who might have a spare moment or two to go and collect for the Salvos. This weekend is their collection weekend. Everyone can be a volunteer, and I thank all Gilmore volunteers, from the bottom of my heart. By you giving your time and passion, you help us live in a better place.

See this speech in context