A message from the Mayor - Thanks to our volunteers

Published on 12 May 2016

This week we have been celebrating National Volunteer Week, a week that I make a point to recognise each year.

National Volunteer Week is a week where we can stop and thank the many people who make our community a stronger, safer and more inclusive community through their commitment to helping others.

Volunteering Australia’s theme is “Give Happy, Live Happy” and with statistics showing around 6million Australians volunteer their time in some way.  Volunteering Australia research shows that people who volunteer feel happier and generally lead a healthier lifestyle.  Just a few hours of volunteer work has been shown to make a real difference to a person’s mood, their mental health and their sense of self-worth.

Volunteers come in all shapes and sizes and in many cases you wouldn’t recognise their names or faces. Some are tucked away doing administrative roles for organisations, some are busy delivering meals, and some are setting up chairs and tables at our events. 

While many people, animals and organisations couldn’t survive without the generosity of these volunteers, there is something about volunteering that gives you, as an individual, a feeling of achievement and self-satisfaction.  And that’s OK.  It’s OK to feel good about helping others.

We have so many wonderful volunteers in our area but let’s imagine just for a moment, what we could achieve if everyone in our community spent just one hour a week doing some sort of volunteer work.

I’ve used this column in the past to talk about how a well-functioning community without volunteers is hard to imagine.  We are lucky in our municipality to have a strong tradition of volunteering and looking out for one another.

So this week, as I do every year, I want to challenge everyone get out there and do some sort of volunteer work.  If not to help the group you’re volunteering for, do it for your own happiness and feelings of wellbeing.

To find out more about volunteering visit www.volunteeringaustralia.org

Cr Glenn Milne
Mayor