Volunteers Wanted, Needed & Appreciated

Tablelands Regional Council is taking the opportunity this National Volunteer Week (20–26 May) to highlight the important role volunteers play in our community.

‘Volunteers are the backbone of any community, offering their time and skills selflessly to support a range of organisations, causes and initiatives,’ said Deputy Mayor Dave Bilney.

‘Their tireless efforts in sporting clubs, community groups, committees, support services and other places in the community ensures our region thrives.

‘Our TRC volunteers are key to the success of our information centres, galleries, museum and community nursery.

‘Volunteering is a great opportunity to meet new and like-minded people and to support your community.

‘Our volunteers enjoy their roles and have fun contributing to the community.

‘You don’t need any particular skills — we’ll provide training and ongoing support.

Apply at any time, or come in and see us,’ said Deputy Mayor Bilney.

Volunteers have contributed more than 70,000 hours to the Malanda Falls Visitor Centre over the past 10 years.

‘The Malanda Falls Visitor Centre has more than 20,000 visitors a year.

‘Join us at the centre for a free morning tea at 10am Friday 24 May to meet some of our centre volunteers and find out if volunteering is for you.

‘It’s a great opportunity to share your knowledge of Malanda and surrounding region with locals and visitors,’ Deputy Mayor Bilney said.

Theresa Jansen has been a volunteer at the Malanda Falls Visitor Centre since 2019.

‘I have found my time here to be very rewarding.

‘I love giving back to my community — I love a chat so this is perfect for me.

‘Talking to our visitors from many countries, from all over Australia and locals is so fascinating.

‘Guiding visitors to our many beautiful and diverse attractions in the area is a very important part of my role as a volunteer.

‘We get to go on familiarisation tours to visit some of the many attractions that we send our visitors to.

‘This is great because we then have firsthand knowledge of some of the wonderful attractions we are promoting.

‘Volunteering is also a wonderful way to meet new people — give it a go,’ Ms Jansen said.