Celebrating our volunteers during National Volunteer Week 2023

During National Volunteer Week (15 – 21 May 2023) we’re celebrating the enormous contribution volunteers make to our community.

Woollahra Council is lucky to have more than 170 incredible volunteers who give back to our community through our libraries, the Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf, at our Bushcare regeneration sites and through our HarbourCare program.

Read about some of our volunteers experiences below and how you can get involved too.

Woollahra Library volunteers

Woollahra Libraries would not be the same without our brilliant team of 80 volunteers and we can't thank them enough!

There are a number of volunteer opportunities available at Woollahra Libraries, including assisting with our events and programs, home library service, maintaining local history records, general library services, IT support and more.

Martin Fell, Woollahra Library Volunteer

“I’ve been volunteering for seven years. My favourite thing about volunteering here is definitely the people: the staff and the customers. My favourite task is supervising The Slide. I love the slide because I don't have any kids of my own, so I borrow everyone else's for a few seconds. The noisy excitement, and the happiness they exude is a real tonic.

“If you're thinking about volunteering, heaven's above, do it if you have the time. There are beautiful surroundings here at the library and lovely people to work with. It's perfect,” Martin said.

If you love libraries, people or events and are looking for work experience, or simply wish to give back to the community, then we’d like to hear from you! Read more about volunteering at Woollahra Libraries.

Bushcare

Our team of 90 Bushcare volunteers help regenerate and preserve Woollahra's bushland, with the assistance and support of Council staff. As a Bushcare volunteer you can learn about our local environment and get involved in managing and maintaining our native bushland across Cooper Park, Gap Park, Parsley Bay, Trumper Park and Signal Hill.

The support we receive from our volunteers is invaluable and last year volunteers collectively worked 2000 hours – that’s a huge amount of weeding!

Chloe Mason has been a Bushcare Volunteer at Parsley Bay and Cooper Park for 12 months and says she enjoys planting and weeding.

“It’s great to be with other people who have a shared interest in restoring our ecosystems. You can have a relaxed chat while weeding or over a tea break. It’s an antidote to loneliness. It’s magical seeing a butterfly, a lizard, a quiet heron…a powerful owl or a pair of powerful owls,” Chloe said.

Dianne Gunn has been a Bushcare Volunteer at Cooper Park for seven years.

“As I grew up in the country I have always had a love for the bush, so volunteering my time to something like the bush care program is a perfect way for me to contribute to my community, while spending time with like-minded people,” Dianne said.

Anyone over the age of 15 is invited to become a Bushcare volunteer. Our Bushcare volunteers include local residents, retirees, businesses, community groups, school groups and tertiary students. All you need is an interest in protecting the local environment and a few spare hours a week, fortnight or month.

Read more about volunteering with Bushcare.

Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf

Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf is lucky to have 16 friendly and knowledgeable volunteers who welcome visitors to our arts destination, share the stories of the artworks on display and act as ambassadors for the gallery and its programs.

Anna Waldmann, Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf Volunteer

"I was very excited to be accepted as a volunteer. All my life I’ve worked professionally in art institutions so the opportunity to work in this extraordinary new gallery made it irresistible."

"I chose to volunteer because at some point you have to give back to the community. If what you know best is the arts, this is where you try to make an impact."

Read more about volunteering at Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf. No previous gallery experience is required, just a love of art and culture and a willingness to be part of the rich and diverse history of creativity in the local area.

HarbourCare

We'd love to hear from groups or individuals who would like to volunteer their time to clean up at our local beaches through our HarbourCare program.

Every month several corporate groups hold clean ups at our local beaches. We support clean ups by providing bags and gloves for participants.

Local business Mott Macdonald recently hosted a clean up at Watsons Bay Beach and said: “Thank you supporting our beach clean up last weekend. A great morning was had by all and we collected a significant amount of waste, dominated by plastic, that would have otherwise entered the marine environment.”

We would also like to thank the other local groups, like Splash Without the Trash and Take 3 for the Sea, who host regular clean ups at our beaches and help keep our harbour looking beautiful.

Corporate volunteers from Mott Macdonald