Cheers to our Volunteers

In every regional community, volunteers are the backbone.  

It's volunteers who run or support regional emergency services, kids sport, community events, arts festivals, historical societies, leisure groups ... the list goes on. So much of this only happens because our volunteers give thousands of unpaid hours to make it happen. 

This week, host, Kellie Tannock talks to guests about the impact our volunteers make and hopefully inspire more people to get involved. 

With National Volunteer Week each May, this is the perfect time to say thank you.

The image supporting this podcast is the voluntary members of Margaret River Off Road Cycling Association working to maintain mountain bike tracks.

Here are some links to local volunteering resources;

Busselton Dunsborough Volunteer Centre 

Community Clubs & Interest Groups - Augusta Margaret River Community Directory 

Directory Category | Rotary Margaret River Directory 

Thanks for listening and if you've enjoyed this podcast, please share with your family and friends.

For more inspiration on visiting the Margaret River Region follow @margaretriver on Instagram or explore www.margaretriver.com.

This show was recorded at RMR 101.9FM, Margaret River Region.

Transcript

Kellie Tannock 0:01

Welcome to Cape's Conversations, sharing the stories that make the Margaret River region a truly special place to live and visit. Hello, I'm Kelly Tannock and thanks for joining me. In every regional community, volunteers are the backbone. So just for a moment, think about what our community would be like without so many of our emergency services, kids' sport, the show, the surf pro arts festivals, and many of our school's extracurricular activities. So much of this only happens because our volunteers give thousands of unpaid hours to make it happen. So this week we're talking about the impact our volunteers make and hopefully inspire more people to get involved. My first guest is Carl Holroyd. He's the manager at the Baselton Dunsborough Volunteer Centre. Hi, Carl.

Carl Holroyd 0:48

Hi Kelly, how are you going?

Kellie Tannock 0:49

Yeah, terrific. Thanks so much for joining in. Um Carl, uh is it possible to put any figures around the impact of volunteering in our region?

Carl Holroyd 0:58

It is possible. In fact, um it's interesting our Western uh thinking, oh, what is what's it worth? Um so there's economic value, but the intrinsic value too. So we can talk about that later. But the um economic value, well, for instance, if you take roughly 4,600 odd volunteers in the Augusta Margaret Rivers Shire, and you look at them working 270 hours in a well not working, volunteering uh over the year, 270 hours, um, that gives you about a million seven hundred and forty-three thousand hours at $48 an hour. That's $83 million worth of value plus to the community here. Across the broader WA, it's up to $4.8 billion is the estimate for volunteer hours. And that the thought you posed at the uh opening what would it be like without those services? No, but you can't even contemplate it. The WA, particularly because of its regional isolatedness, it runs on volunteers. It's it's an incredibly strong volunteering state.

Kellie Tannock 2:10

But everyone has their own reasons for volunteering. Some people view it as um, you know, getting a lot out of it out of it for themselves. And so selfish, I guess, in a positive way. But what are some of the key reasons you hear from the people you work with?

Carl Holroyd 2:24

Look, there's lots. It it goes right across the board. So uh new people moving into the area love to volunteer because they make new connections, and that's being connected, feeling a part of something is one of the biggest payoffs for volunteering. Um, people who may be socially isolated or have had a workplace injury that's laid them off for a couple of years, it's a great way of getting reconnected back into activities. It's healthy. Look, just the mental health aspect of volunteering alone is immense. The health impacts are fully researched, and they show that people who volunteer don't get as sick as easily, but are healthier, are happier. So, you know, there's three great reasons just there.

Kellie Tannock 3:12

Pretty compelling arguments. Obviously, uh, volunteering is is really about giving your time freely, but you know, structures like yours, the Bastelton and Dunsborough Volunteer Centre, you need money, presumably, to facilitate and to promote volunteers. How well supported are you by government?

Carl Holroyd 3:28

WA government is fantastic. WA is the most well-supported state in the country. We have uh 16 volunteer resource centres, we stretch the entire area of WA, and the government are right behind us. In fact, other states, when we go to uh conferences, say, how do you do what you do in West Australia? And we do what we do because we've got volunteering WAs, our peak body, we've got very strong resource centres with a resource centre network which meets regularly and advocates for volunteering. And we have great funding from the state government that's not overburdensome in terms of um reporting. So we are very well supported here. Yeah.

Kellie Tannock 4:19

That's terrific to hear. Um look, we've had conversations with people who might be new to the region. We've obviously had a big influx of residents from city areas who are often very astonished to find out that so many of our emergency services are volunteer run, our paramedics, our bushfire brigades, SES, Marine Rescue. Is there a role for advocacy to have these sorts of core life-saving services better supported with paid staff?

Carl Holroyd 4:44

Always. Always, because uh these services, as we know, with the fires, you know, when we get fires in these areas, the bushfires come out, the SES comes out, the fire brigade comes out, all of all of the services, the ambulance, work in conjunction to keep us safe. But some of the Bush Fire Brigades, I think they're happy, they love being volunteers. I think the fact that they run like they do, autonomy within a and can address issues within an area at very short notice. They're proud of that. And I think um I think there's room for all of those services. Um and I think maybe we need to just have conversations about resource sharing and how that can happen.

Kellie Tannock 5:32

So we can do things better.

Carl Holroyd 5:34

Yeah, but there's always ways of doing things better. But we're doing things pretty well.

Kellie Tannock 5:39

Sounds like we are. That's good to hear. Um, you often hear people say they'll start volunteering when they retire or they have more time on their hands. Uh actually later we'll have a guest who is challenging that idea. But um is that common? What's the sort of average age for a volunteer?

Carl Holroyd 5:55

Uh, now you're talking. Um, that's an interesting question because in this area, like in the in the Bustleton area, it used to be I'd I'd say about 60% were boomers.

Kellie Tannock 6:07

Okay.

Carl Holroyd 6:07

Right. So I uh tell me what a boomer is for those who aren't familiar with a boomer. I think I'm a boomer. I think I am too. I think somebody born prior to 1960, and yeah, look, I I never remember the actual parameters. But uh COVID actually made people um re-evaluate their priorities. So we did have a uh a really strange time after COVID. Uh we saw different volunteers come through. So I would say at the moment we are fairly evenly split between 35 and and 40, uh sorry, 35 and 50 year olds, and 50 plus in terms of volunteering involvement. Uh where we struggle a little in Bussleton is youth volunteering, and that's because a lot of uh young people move away because of the opportunities or schooling. Um but the schools are heavily involved in volunteering. So yeah, um it's really hard to say. The figures move. Like if I look back at five years, the figures will show oh, the boomers were prominent here, but the generation wires were prominent here. So it it does uh it does move, it's fluid.

Kellie Tannock 7:25

What would you say to someone who's sitting on the fence a bit and saying, well, I really just don't have time? What would you say to them?

Carl Holroyd 7:32

Oh time's a construct, come on. I think um when once they start, they will say, I haven't got time not to do it.

Speaker 3 7:42

Okay.

Carl Holroyd 7:43

Because it really engages people in in a different way. Um they feel uh positive because they're giving something, but they're getting a lot back in return. You get camaraderie, you get skills development, you get a chance to maybe do something you've thought of and never done before, or something you've never even done before. So it's a great uh it's a great way to challenge yourself in a way. So just jump off the fence and get your get your shoes dirty.

Kellie Tannock 8:15

Sure, and I assume it doesn't mean that you have to give a day or two days or anything like that. You can give a really small amount of time.

Carl Holroyd 8:22

Absolutely. Um not giving uh a day or two days. Um, in fact, that's becoming more common. You can do uh micro volunteering, you can do 30 minutes a day uh proofreading on the internet if you need to. You can do that kind of volunteering. You can turn up somewhere for a couple of hours, um you can do ad hoc volunteering. So there's uh let's say the Margaret Rivers uh Disabled Surfing Association has four events on a year. Turn up at one of those and help somebody with water sports. So you know, it's uh you can you can pick and choose, but there is lots of things available.

Kellie Tannock 9:05

Um there's been talk of the cost of fuel having an impact on volunteering. Is that something that you've experienced?

Carl Holroyd 9:11

Interesting. We had this discussion uh two weeks ago. Um I was part of a uh government initiative to look at the regions. Uh that was Wacos, um West Australian Council of Social Services, and uh there is a lot of impact in regions, but I haven't heard of anything. Like the impact for us at the moment, but nobody's talking about it, and we haven't felt any. Not to say that it's not there, I'm just not aware of it. But I think it has to be there in the regions because of the distances.

Kellie Tannock 9:42

Well, let's hope that there isn't an impact for our region. I'm Kelly Tannock. This is Kate's Conversations, and a huge thanks for speaking to me, Carl Holroyd, manager of Bastelton Dunsborough Volunteer Centre.

Carl Holroyd 9:53

Thanks for having me on, Kelly. It's been a pleasure, and uh volunteering's the way to go, and thanks to all the volunteers who contribute.

Speaker 3 10:05

If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea, I shall be finding if you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see up with you, friends. You can two three I'll be there and I'll be like four three that's what friends are supposed to do on yes, I guess I'll let you just get up. You get call on me, because I can call on me.

Damian Barton 13:11

RMR one oh one point nine.

Kellie Tannock 13:13

This is Cape's Conversations, a half-hour spotlight on this wonderful region. I'm Kelly Tannock, and that was Bruno Mars with Count on Me, loosely linking our theme this week, which is celebrating volunteers. Joining me now is Damien Barton, Chair of the Margaret River Off-Road Cycling Association. Welcome, Damien.

Damian Barton 13:30

Thank you. Good to be here.

Kellie Tannock 13:32

Damien, mountain biking is huge in our region now, and I know people are surprised to hear that our trails were built and are maintained by Margaret River Off-Road Cycling Association. Uh, can you tell me uh how the group came about and also tell me a bit about your name, which is usually known by a shorter form?

Damian Barton 13:48

Yeah, we're we're shortly named as uh Marauka, so it is the Margaret River Off-Road Cycling Association. And it came about probably in about 2006 where we just basically had a bunch of passionate uh riders and enthusiasts that started building trails, uh unsanctioned trails, and uh eventually we were able to get them sanctioned and do it the the correct way.

Kellie Tannock 14:12

And obviously the land isn't yours. How does that all work?

Damian Barton 14:16

Yeah, that's right. We are the uh official adoptees, as most of our trails are on Crown Land, uh, being the land managers uh that are the Department of Biodiversity and Conservation, or better known as DBCA. Most of the trails are maintained by Morocca, and we are a passionate enthusiast uh group where we uh spend countless hours we do raise our own monies to then put back straight into trail maintenance.

Kellie Tannock 14:46

Not every organization finds it easy to get volunteers. How do you keep yours so enthused?

Damian Barton 14:50

Yeah, well, most of us get to enjoy the the the benefits of our labour by what most of us are riders themselves. We do feel that we are very lucky to have such good trails so close to town. And and that's really what's brought about the popularity of mountain biking, which has kind of also helped uh tourism within the region.

Kellie Tannock 15:10

And so Damien, you your members not only maintain the tracks, they also run programs in uh giving volunteer hours to support young riders like the Lil Ms. Orca program. I believe that mentors young girls who want to learn the sport.

Damian Barton 15:23

Yeah, that's right. We do have that, as well as uh boys, obviously, and referring to them as Groms. So that's a lot of our uh you know coaches who also volunteer their time. They're fully accredited and you know it's a way to give back and pass down their experience and and get kids on bikes. It's an after school program, it's seasonal, summer and winter. But yeah, it comes down to you know our volunteer coaches that want to put back the time that they've kind of they've grown to enjoy themselves.

Kellie Tannock 15:53

So you've got free labour potentially and willing members, but the group obviously still needs money to buy materials and safety equipment. How do you raise that money?

Damian Barton 16:02

We do get a small stipend from the government being on their Crown Lands, but the club itself uh raises most of the money by way of we host events and uh that could be where we take care of the catering and we're able to earn funds that way. We also have uh memberships, so we've got about 250 active members at the moment. The other one is trail sponsorship. So uh we reach out to local businesses where the uh we ask them to to sponsor a trail, possibly one of their favorites. So we have over 50 trails that can be sponsored. Um so we you know that that's a major uh influx of our of our funds, but most of it is uh volunteer related. So you know there's there's definitely ways um to to volunteer and to help raise funds and um and and those those are really important that we we heavily rely on to raise those money so we can put it directly back into trail maintenance. And that's what the club is all about is trail maintenance where you know we have some of the best maintained trails uh in in Western Australia.

Kellie Tannock 17:12

I wonder how many people in the community know that you have such a a big volunteer base. Is it hard to share your volunteer message?

Damian Barton 17:20

Uh you know, usually if you're a member, you'll sign up for for notifications. Um we also have our active uh Facebook page. Uh so yeah, getting the work out, uh the word out, sorry, is paramount for us. So you know every s Sunday of every month we have a dig day. And um but and amongst that we also do some community builds, uh you could say, where we ask volunteers to come out and help uh on a major bit of works. And that way we're able to come accomplish quite a bit in a short amount of time. Providing we get the good numbers and uh the weather's fine, we uh we usually get a great turnout and and really kind of takes a lot of uh pressure off the club itself.

Kellie Tannock 18:06

Historically there have been a lot of kids who just go out and build their own trails and good on them, but um I know that's not really the best way to channel that energy. Are those the kids welcome to come and volunteer as well?

Damian Barton 18:16

They're absolutely welcome uh to come out. Um you know, and that's where we are having a trouble a bit of trouble with DBCA and the Shire with with these illegal uh trails popping up. And at any stage they can come and uh give us a call and we're we'll be happy to happily to point them in a direction where they can help build, they can uh help maintain and basically get taught on how to do it properly and safely.

Kellie Tannock 18:44

And within the law, presumably.

Damian Barton 18:46

Within the law, yes. We're we're all up to to standards. Other uh legislative standards that we have to keep to and and not only us but the trail builders that we do enlist uh to do professional works on the trails. Some of the monies that we do raise is for professional builders, but most of it is reliant on volunteers and the club maintenance programmes.

Kellie Tannock 19:08

But is it sustainable for Morocco to maintain trail management? And what would you like to see as the future model for the mountain bike trails?

Damian Barton 19:16

Yeah, like everything at the moment, uh the prices have gone up and and again it's uh everything's costing a little bit more these days. You know, when when the government's put in these uh the infrastructure, these assets of of trail networks, uh it'd just be great to see a maintenance budget applied to those uh to those assets. You know, and and it's really important that uh you have a good club, more or less behind any kind of sport or recreation. And we are fortunate that we have a very strong club and a very strong committee that are willing to put in the countless hours required.

Kellie Tannock 19:54

This is Capes Conversations, proudly sponsored by the Margaret River Bustleton Tourism Association. Thanks so much, Damien. Damien Barton, Chair of Margaret River Off-Road Cycling Association. And sticking with our theme, this is Canned Heat with Let's Work Together.

Speaker 3 22:51

RMR 101.9.

Kellie Tannock 22:53

I'm Kelly Tannock. This is Cape's Conversations, and today we're honouring the impact of volunteers in our community. Now, when you think of volunteering, you might picture retirees with lots of free time and life experience under their belts. But my next guest challenges that stereotype. 17-year-old Izzy Forte is a Margaret Rivers senior high school student. And last year Izzy was named Youth Volunteer of the Year for Augusta Margaret Rivershire. Izzy, congratulations on your award. How did this happen?

Izzy Forte 23:22

Thank you. Well, I've been volunteering in the community for a while. About a year and a half just without Mike. Yeah.

Kellie Tannock 23:31

Tell us about that. What is that all about? What sort of work do you do as a volunteer there?

Izzy Forte 23:35

It's a little committee with just kids who whoever wants to join can come join. We all just gather and then decide on what activities or festivals we should do for that year, like Youth Fest, Samfest. We've been trying to get a Mudfest.

Kellie Tannock 23:48

A Mudfest sounds great. That's not working for us, sadly. Keep trying, keep trying. How did you come from that role to being awarded a volunteer of the year, young volunteer of the year?

Izzy Forte 23:58

We started this night at the Rec Center for youth to get them off the streets and just to come collaborate and just have fun with other kids of the community called Rec Connect. And I started volunteering at that because I just loved the staff that was there and everybody who came. And it was just such a great environment. So I decided I wanted to come help and be a part of that.

Kellie Tannock 24:22

Good on you. And what sort of uh activities were you doing there as a volunteer?

Izzy Forte 24:26

Well, I was setting up and packing down and then supervising all the sports and games going on, and those games were like there was a Nintendo, there was basketball, volleyball, pickleball, we now have pool and tennis, table tennis. And what did you get out of that? It was just a fun experience to do, and now having all that experience, I've now got a job there.

Kellie Tannock 24:50

So you've actually ended up with paid employment out of your voluntary work.

Izzy Forte 24:53

Yeah.

Kellie Tannock 24:53

Well that's pretty special, and of course not everyone will end up with that. But what are some of the other things that you get out of it personally?

Izzy Forte 24:59

I've got a bunch of new friends now, and I just I know more kids of the community, which is great. It's nice knowing more people in the community.

Kellie Tannock 25:09

I mean, there's not a lot of people your age out there volunteering and putting in lots of hours, but there's lots of distractions at your age, isn't there, with music and friends and your studies and you're doing year 12. So what inspired you to put your hand up?

Izzy Forte 25:21

Really just the the thought of being part of the community and helping out without honestly the money, but without feeling like I need to be paid for it.

Kellie Tannock 25:31

What would you say to other people your age who may not have sort of taken that step?

Izzy Forte 25:36

Just to do it. Like it's really cool to have the opportunity to be part of the community. Given your experience as a volunteer, can you see yourself being a volunteer for life? Yeah. Yeah, I don't know especially what right now, but I'd definitely be happy to continue volunteering because it's just such a great feeling volunteering. Izzy, when the award was announced, what was your reaction? I just thought, oh my god. Me, why me? I thought there'd be so many more kids who have done so much more for the community, but they chose me out of everyone. I was like so surprised but honored that they chose me. Fantastic. And what's what was the trophy like? It was this blowing glass trophy. It was red at the bottom, came up to a top with a spike at the top. Blue, white, with little bits of green. It's just absolutely beautiful.

Kellie Tannock 26:29

That's fantastic. And what did you do with it? And what did the family have to say about it?

Izzy Forte 26:33

My dad was there with me on the night. He was he's very proud of me. I love him so much. Um Mum too, she was very proud of me. And I think right now it's mounted on my uh like wardrobe.

Kellie Tannock 26:45

Is that because you don't have a pool room? Or yeah, yeah. Izzy, thanks so much for joining us. We're really proud of you, and we hope to see much more of you in the volunteer space in the future. Thanks so much to my guests, Carl Holroyd, Damien Barton, and Izzy Forte for their commitment to making our community just that little bit better for all of us. If you live in the city of Bartleton, get in touch with Carl at the Bartleton Dunsborough Volunteer Centre. And in Augusta Margaret River, there's a lot of voluntary groups in the community directory. We can put up some links in our show notes. If you're new to the region, volunteering is a great way to meet new people and get more connected to the community. Don't let the fear of commitment put you off. There's uh even a couple of hours can make all the difference, especially if there's a gap for your native skills. I'm Kelly Tannock, and this is Kate's Conversations, a look at what makes the Margaret River region so wonderful to live in and visit. And thanks so much to our show sponsor, Margaret River Buster and Tourism Association. And to finish this week's show, another loose link to our theme. This is Bill Withers with Lean on Me.

Speaker 5 28:22

We all have some roads. But if we are wise, we know that there always told lean on me when you understand, and I be your friend, I'll let you care. Don't let me on me that you won't let show you just call on me, brother, when you need a hand. We don't need somebody to leave on. I just might have a problem that you understand. We don't need somebody to lean on lean on me when you're not strong and I'll be your friend. I'll help you carry off it won't be long till I'm gonna need somebody to leave on you just call me, brother, when you need a hand. We don't need somebody to lean on. I just might have from um that you understand. We don't need somebody to leave the home. I'll share your loop if you just call me. Call me if you need a free.