A message from the Mayor: Volunteers are awesome

Published on 29 August 2022

Last week I received a notable dollar coin. It was a ‘donor dollar’ minted by the Royal Australian Mint in 2020. It celebrates the idea that donations are important in our life. Making donations to worthwhile causes is always a positive for people and our community.

An even more important donation is time. When people donate their own personal time to help others, they are volunteering.

Last Friday, I attended the award ceremony for the 2022 Mid North Coast Volunteer of the Year Ceremony at Port Macquarie. The main awards went to Port Macquarie Marine Rescue, Rosemary from Riding for the Disabled, Arthur from Uniting 120 Countdown Nambucca and Jeffrey from Old Bar Beach RSL Subbranch. Congratulations to them and to all the many worthwhile nominees.

I have been reflecting on the very many volunteers that are found throughout the Kempsey Shire. There are many groups which do amazing work everywhere.

The biggest volunteering organisation in our area is the group of surf lifesaving clubs who make our beaches safe for locals and visitors. There are 2337 members on the Mid North Coast.

When disasters strike, we have other volunteer organisations that help us. The State Emergency Service and Rural Fire Service volunteers are essential parts of our community for our safety. They donate a lot of time in training for events that we hope do not arrive.

We should all thank and applaud the volunteers in these organisations and in a myriad of others around the Shire.

One such organisation is the Lilli Pilli Ladies. I was recently honoured to attend their main fundraiser function a week ago.

These ladies volunteer to raise funds to help cancer treatment patients in our local hospital. Since their inception in 2016 they have raised over $60,000.

All these volunteers have stepped up, not for attention or thanks, but because they are community members who want to contribute to make our world a better place to live.

Presently Kempsey Shire Council is seeking volunteers be part of our new Better Together Network.

These potential leaders in all areas and villages of our Shire are being asked to step up and see what they can contribute to making communication more effective in challenging times.

Please consider donating your time to ensure that all Shire activities are positive and contribute to a betterment to our world. Thanks.