AU – Volunteer Expo – The Hills Shire Council
It was great to see that volunteering is alive and well in the Hills Shire Sydney – the RRT attended the Volunteer Expo at Castle Grand (opposite Castle Towers Shopping Centre) on Thursday the 22nd May 2014. The community spirit was well and truly evident at this event, with a whole range of community volunteer groups given this unique opportunity to meet each other and wider community members, right from the smaller and perhaps lesser known volunteer groups through to the well-known SES, RFS and Police.
Students and teachers from local high schools as well as the general public are invited to attend the Expo which includes a panel discussion with two presentations by local volunteers as well as a panel of representatives from different organisations. The aim of the discussion is to promote the importance of youth volunteering and allow young people to share their ideas and ask questions.
The Hills Shire Council Mayor, Councillor Byrne addressed the Volunteer Expo, recognizing the importance and value placed on the role of volunteers in the Hills Shire. A broad cross-section of community volunteers from schools students to pensioners and everywhere in between were on stage as part of the Community Volunteers Panel. It was really heartening to hear these volunteers speak of the sense of reward in being able to contribute something to the community as a volunteer, what it meant to them personally, and urging further participation to all present.
It was a real buzz to see the numbers of school children in the audience, so let’s hope they heed the call for volunteers in our community for many years to come.
Eleven members from the local RRT teams attended this event and provided in excess of 200 hot dog lunches to the attendees, which was very warmly received. The venue worked really well, with the cooking team able to run the BBQ outside in the lovely May sunshine that we have all been enjoying in Sydney, and then serve the meal right inside the expo building to the hungry volunteers. The well-equipped RRT trailer and shelter provided a great base to handle this role.
All members of our team were really enthusiastic about being a part of this event and the opportunity to be included with what is obviously a vibrant bunch of community volunteers in the Hills Shire – to all concerned, keep up the good work!
“If one thing really hit home, it was that the work of volunteers is absolutely essential to the fabric and functioning of a strong community – the world has changed with technology, but the role of the volunteer is needed more than ever before!”
