Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I missed the chance to speak during National Volunteer Week earlier this month, so I'd like to take the opportunity now to thank each and every volunteer on the mid-north coast for their tireless contributions to our community. From the RFS, SES, Marine Rescue and surf lifesavers, who keep us safe, to our neighbourhood centres and charity groups, who keep us connected, every volunteer is a thread that makes the fabric of our community stronger and brighter.

They are volunteers like 75-year-old Helen Mears, who has dedicated four decades to saving lives at the Coffs Harbour Health Campus. Rather than donning a white coat and surgical scrubs, Helen is the president of the Coffs Harbour Pink Ladies, the group responsible for garnering donations of more than $3 million in equipment for Coffs Harbour hospital since its establishment over 30 years ago. She also volunteers in a special-care nursery, provides a monthly home-made morning tea for mental health and caters for regular meetings at Shearwater Lodge, an accommodation centre for cancer patients. Helen has been awarded Senior Volunteer of the Year, New South Wales Health Volunteer of Year and, most recently, a well-deserved OAM to add to her name.

Thank you, Helen and all the Pink Ladies volunteers. Your dedication to regional health is outstanding and very much appreciated.

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