Something for everyone at the Volunteer Expo event

WHAT do a hospital, CFA, Lions Club, Flying Doctor Service, community house, op shop, visitor information centre and food sharing project all have in common? Volunteers.

There’s a lot that happens in the towns around Corner Inlet that can only be done because volunteers have stepped up to be part of creating a great community and in the lead up to National Volunteer Week South Gippsland Hospital and Manna Gum Community House have teamed up to build on an event first held in 2023.

The Corner Inlet Volunteer Expo, being held at FWMAC in Foster on May 18, promises to be the perfect place for those who enjoy the life of our local towns to be ‘in the room’ with many organisations that rely on volunteers. 

“I’ve always felt that great things happen when people can be face to face, when those spontaneous conversations occur and connections can build in a slightly random way,” says Elizabeth Collins, who is coordinating the event.

“Attendees will have laid out before them a sizeable offering of ways to give a little (or more) assistance, and there’s Something for Everyone – which is the main theme of the 2024 National Volunteer Week. Whether you enjoy baking cookies, helping during emergencies, driving someone to an appointment, growing food, chatting to people, or helping out behind the scenes, there’s a huge range of activities to choose from.”

Being a volunteer can be tailored to suit the individual and doesn’t necessarily require year-round commitment. The Royal Flying Doctor Service, for example, tends to need a few more backup drivers during the winter months. It gives the RFDS more confidence to know that their rosters are solid, and that they can continue to offer a service that is so vital to many in the community who rely on their help to get to medical appointments further afield.

Social connection is a huge part of staying happy and healthy no matter what age. Ron and Ve Kennie, from Toora, are the Royal Flying Doctor Service’s oldest volunteers, with Ron turning 90 this year.

Co-ordinator Nat Jones says, “They are an amazing duo, who just love driving our clients to their appointments and the clients love them too. I had a client say to me, ‘I didn’t want to get out of the car, I was enjoying their company so much. I had such a lovely afternoon. I even forgot about my procedure because of them.’”

“Being a volunteer driver and navigator means we can work together to give back to our community, make a positive difference to our elderly and not so elderly, as well as remaining useful at our age – we love being volunteers,” says Ron.

Those attending can look forward to chatting to representatives from all sectors of the community: Foster Fire Brigade, Foster SES Unit, South Gippsland Hospital, Toora Lions, Prom Country Visitor Information Centre, Royal Flying Doctor Service, Rotary, Foster Op Shop, Tree Project, Prom Country Aged Care, U3A, Manna Gum Community House and Project GreenPlot, with a few more yet to be confirmed.

Thanks to the financial support of South Gippsland Shire Council this free event will be held in the main hall of the Foster War Memorial Arts Centre on Saturday May 18 from 10am to 1pm with the Prom Country Produce Market buzzing away just outside – attendees can chat to Manna Gum Community House staff who’ll have food and coffee vouchers to hand out on the day.

“As we approach National Volunteer Week 2024, this is the perfect opportunity for people to recognise the efforts of so many volunteers who pitch in,” says Paul Greenhalgh, CEO South Gippsland Hospital, “and also to find an activity that suits them as a volunteer by having a chat to some really special people.”