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.
Labels: community garden, cr samantha dunn, meals on wheels, sherbrooke cottage, tecoma, volunteers, yarra ranges
- Greens #wewontstandfor it, candidates head out on the trains to see just how overcrowded they are 
