National Volunteer Week

We all know that no matter what sport, club or association you are involved with, there are always volunteers who help make things happen. Giving of their time and skills, they go above and beyond for the benefit of others.

This year our National Volunteer Week is even more significant than ever. With new challenges, that the once-in-one-hundred-year pandemic, has brought to the table, time and again we have seen our volunteers step up.

Australia’s rapid social isolation rules which began in March had huge impacts on clubs and had thousands around the country looking to their volunteer committees for guidance and answers as to how it would impact them as members and in some cases even the staff.

Treasurers have found themselves navigating their way through new Govt initiatives like “Job Keeper” to ensure their coaches are looked after during these difficult times. A task which in itself has proven difficult for experts in the field, so for volunteers to persist and stand strong is truly admirable. All the while they have had to adjust their budgets and juggle finances around unforeseen and unknown circumstances.

With support of their governing bodies, volunteers have had no choice but to upskill and educate themselves on amendments and adjustments to Constitutional obligations and legal requirements to maintain their entity.

Let’s not forget that many volunteers have jobs and children who have needed home schooling during these past couple of months!

But alas, now that there seems to finally be some light at the end of the social isolation tunnel, these same committee members are currently ploughing through pages of legal documentation and working with frameworks to ensure that when the time is right and it is safe to do so, their members can return to an adjusted training regime in readiness for return to competition.

Sadly, all of this effort has not yet had the reward of seeing smiling faces at training or events. This is the reward that makes the effort worthwhile, so make sure you take the time to drop a line to your volunteers, thank them and let them know you can’t wait to be back at it again soon!