“When did you start volunteering and why?”

This is an interesting question with no right answer because each individual makes the decision to volunteer in their own time, depending on their circumstances.

When you look at the word volunteering the easiest definition is “the practice of people working on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain”.  Yet it is generally accepted that the word comes from the French volontaire, meaning a soldier who willingly joined the military but obviously earned an income.

The following from Wikipedia is interesting:

 “Volunteering is generally considered an altruistic activity and is intended to promote goodness or improve human quality of life. In return, this activity can produce a feeling of self-worth and respect. There is no financial gain involved for the individual. Volunteering is also renowned for skill development, socialization, and fun. It is also intended to make contacts for possible employment. Many volunteers are specifically trained in the areas they work, such as medicine, education, or emergency rescue. Others serve on an as-needed basis, such as in response to a natural disaster.”

Brisbaneites are justifiably proud of the “Mud Army” Volunteers who cleaned up the city after the devastating floods.  They just arrived at bus stop set up by the council, went wherever the bus took them and swept, hosed, shoveled and generally moved mountains of mud and debris from homes, parks and streets.

Then there is “Blaze-Aid” helping to rebuild fences, and much more, in the areas of Victoria and South Australia where fires yet again destroyed farming and grazing properties, the average age of the volunteers is 69 – three cheers for us Seniors! (see Starts at Sixty blog http://www.startsatsixty.com.au/living/volunteering-living/could-you-come-along-and-help-blazeaid for more details)

These are just two examples of huge numbers of people banding together in a common cause and are repeated worldwide wherever there are floods, fires, earthquakes, cyclones, look at the people of Brooklyn New York sweeping the boardwalk after cyclone Sandy.

It doesn’t take a disaster however for ordinary people to work tirelessly in their community.  Every day in hospitals all over Australia, volunteers load hot water urns, milk, tea and coffee onto trolleys and offer refreshments to people waiting for appointments in clinic waiting rooms.  Dozens sit around tables enjoying a good talk whilst knitting and crocheting little wraps, booties, jackets and soft toys for new babies and their mothers needing assistance.  In the cancer care waiting rooms, there are colourful caps, beanies and knee rugs which seem to arrive out of thin air to make life more comfortable for patients facing the huge challenge of their treatment.

People with dogs and cats train them to come into hospitals and nursing homes, to be cuddled and petted, making life happier for patients, young and old.  In community theatres all over Australia, thousands of people daily rehearse plays, make coffee, clean the building, design programmes, posters and sets, lay down music beds, stage manage etc etc etc allowing many more thousands access to well produced inexpensive musicals, dramas, comedies and even Operas.

At an Australian wide organisation supporting people with a disability, volunteers design and make all kinds of appliances for people who need assistance with daily living.  Retired engineers, carpenters or handymen, men and women “good with their hands” look at a challenge and then design and make something to try and make life less challenging.  There are people who make a phone call to an elderly or otherwise vulnerable person just to say hello, so that hopefully we never have another example of a person dead for days, months, years all alone and unmourned.

This rundown of the work done by volunteers barely scratches the surface of the millions of hours spent in “helping out”. Consider the carers, unpaid heroes who care for parents, siblings, children… Can you imagine how much these beautiful people contribute to the whole community through their service?

So let’s go back to the original questions “When did you start volunteering and why?”

This question was asked at a meeting of about 20 volunteers in a specialized cancer care centre and the answers were many and varied.  As you may expect from the location many of the participants were volunteering because someone in their immediate family or friendship circles was currently battling cancer.  For others the person had lost their battle, but on their behalf the volunteer was “giving back” the care that person received in their journey.

Many retirees felt they had the time to “do something for someone else.” Some were studying and found their volunteering was an important component of the practical side of their future career in areas such as nursing, social work and psychology. One was honest enough to say their original reason for volunteering was because at over 60 they had been made redundant and to get the Newstart allowance, they were able to volunteer rather than apply for 20 jobs per week.  In so saying, this volunteer now receives an Aged Pension but found they enjoyed their volunteer job so much they kept going, long after their obligation ceased.

In my case, I’ve been a lifelong volunteer starting in childhood and continuing through my teens until now in my 60s. In our family Mum helped out at our school tuckshop, on the Mothers Committee, cooking goodies for street stalls, taking meals to sick or elderly neighbours and a million other things I never noticed because in the 1950s and 1960s it wasn’t called volunteering, it was just “helping out.” At the same time she worked full time.

Dad was the same; he’d call into the local orphanage to fix a tap, build a fence, do some gardening, mow the lawns and whatever else the nuns needed doing.  At the same time he took us along to play with the kids.  Although in retrospect we were far from wealthy, some might say as poor as church mice in material ways, Mum and Dad constantly told us we were the lucky ones and it was up to us to share this with people who weren’t as fortunate.  Ever altruistic, when I was told at meal times that the starving kids in India would love my meal, I did offer to send it to them, bless my generous little heart.

The volunteers at the Sydney Olympics were an outstanding success and just a few months later we celebrated the International Year of the Volunteer.  At the time I was Theatre Director (President) of the Genesian Theatre Company.  This company has brought quality affordable theatre to Sydneysiders for 70 years (August 2014 is the Anniversary) and its alumnae include some of the best known names in Australian theatre, film and television.

In my annual report that year I reminded the membership they too were the much-lauded volunteers!  Just think of the number of hours put into providing affordable entertainment; I estimate about 1,000 hours by each actor each play just for starters. An audience member asked how we kept the ticket price so low.  When I told her we were all volunteers I don’t think she quite believed me!

It doesn’t matter where, when or why, as a community, we owe so much to our Volunteers, three cheers, pats on the back, hugs and smiley faces to each and every one of you.

If your voluntary work or organisation hasn’t been mentioned, please tell us about it? What is your experience of either being a volunteer or being assisted by one? Please share your stories.