celebrating our volunteers

It was National Volunteers Week last week. To celebrate and thank our volunteers I attended a high tea for our volunteers at Sherbrooke Cottage in Tecoma. It was a very fitting venue for the occasion.

Sherbrooke Cottage is the home of the local Planned Activity Group (PAG) Service conducting day services for frail aged, people with a disability and people with dementia living within Yarra Ranges. The aim of the centre is to maintain and enhance the independence and quality of life of the persons attending and to provide respite care and support for carers.

Volunteers are the heart and soul of our community, it's not just about the work that they do such as delivering meals on wheels, it's the social connections that are so important and valued. I'm very proud that the Lyster Ward has the highest level of volunteerism in the shire.

As part of the occasion the Wednesday Group at
Sherbrooke Cottage wrote a poem to celebrate our
volunteers. Lucy, member of the Wednesday Group,
was passionate in her recital of this acrostic poem
 to the assembled group of shire staff, volunteers and
planned activity group participants.

As part of the occasion the Wednesday Group at Sherbrooke Cottage wrote a poem to celebrate our volunteers. Lucy, member of the Wednesday Group, was passionate in her recital of this acrostic poem to the assembled group of shire staff, volunteers and planned activity group participants. 

by the Shiralee Group participants:

V   Volunteers are Valuable, Valued and Very helpful...
O   Often Organised, Obliging and Operational...
L    Likely to be Loving, Loyal and Loveable...
U   Unfortunately often Underappreciated even though they are Understanding  and honourable.
N   Naturally Nurturing, Noticed and Necessary...
T   They are Treasured and Thoughtful and we are very thankful.
E   Exceptionally Economical and Energetic...
E   Enjoyable company and always Enthusiastic...
R   Regarded as Reliable, Resourceful and Respectful;
S   Sincerely we thank you for the Support, the Service and Smiles and for being So Special.

And with that Lucy ended with a hooray and 3 cheers for the volunteers. A wonderful addition to the official ceremonies.

Last year 8,000 hours of service was delivered by over 220 volunteers interacting with the frail aged clients in Planned Activity and the Food Services Program. The Food Services program drivers and jockeys have delivered over 40,000 meals and travelled over 100,000 kilometres, a huge achievement and I extend my heartfelt thanks to them for their dedication and commitment to making Yarra Ranges a better place to be.

The broadbeans and silverbeet are looking good at the
Tecoma Community Garden.

I took the opportunity to have a look at the Tecoma Community Garden next door while I was there, it was thriving. A hidden treasure, the garden is much enjoyed by clients at Sherbrooke Cottage as well as the broader community.

 

Kevin Holmes a Tecoma Community Garden stalwart, is passionate about sustainability, the garden is his pride and joy along with much of the garden infrastructure which is made from reclaimed materials, the hard rubbish collection providing a great source of material. It's terrific to see sustainability in action.

I had the great pleasure of presenting Kevin with a certificate to recognise 5 years of volunteering efforts late last year. Kevin is part of an enormous network of volunteers who do so much to improve the quality of life for others.

 

I thank all those volunteers in Yarra Ranges, I am always inspired by your dedication and commitment.