Community
24 May, 2024
An insight into volunteering
OP shops across Camperdown celebrated the work of their volunteers for National Volunteers Week this week and are encouraging residents to put their hand up and volunteer.
Volunteers from St Vincent de Paul Society op shop (Vinnies), Lifeline op shop and Sunnyside op shop shared their experiences with Western District Newspapers as part of Volunteers Week celebrations.
For Vinnies volunteer Maureen Larkins, her volunteering journey began through joining a St Vincent de Paul Society conference.
A conference is defined by the society as a group who volunteers their time to perform the “good works” of the organisation at a grass roots level.
“The conference does all that helping the poor, and that’s why the shops are valuable; we earn the money, and we can help the poor by having low priced items,” Mrs Larkins said.
“I was working at the time, and I felt like I needed to fit in and help people.
“I worked for a long time after I joined.
“I managed the shop for ten years, and in that time, I just loved it.”
Mrs Larkins said the “everybody helps everybody else” attitude within the shop is one of her favourite things about volunteering at Vinnies.
“It’s the friendship here; we work like a team,” she said.
“I think the team effort is fantastic – it keeps this shop going.
“A lot of people like it because it’s neat and tidy, so we can attribute that to everybody that works here.”
Sunnyside op shop’s Helen Moloney is another dedicated volunteer who freely admits she volunteers “everywhere”.
“I do South West Healthcare, I do Sunnyside, I do Merindah Lodge, I volunteer in Lismore and Derrinallum, and anything anyone wants me to,” she said.
“It is so good; it’s PR, it’s publicising that we’re here for the community.
“It’s not about me, it’s about the ones you help.
“If I’ve seen you in trouble and you’re trying to change a tyre, I’d get a lady to come up to the counter and go help you.
“That’s the beauty of Camperdown, living in the country.”
Ms Moloney was put onto the path of volunteering after a health scare led to thoughts about her purpose.
“When I was 50, I had a life-threatening flesh-eating bug and I was at the Alfred on life support for about eight days,” she said.
“When I come out, I thought about life and I thought ‘I nearly died’ and I thought ‘I’m here for a reason’.
“It’s nice to help others, and life is about ‘use it or lose it’ I believe.
“If you sit around, it’ll be pretty boring.”
Lifeline op shop volunteer Kristene Absolom said she loves the customers and the general atmosphere of Lifeline.
“Because I like mixing with people, and it keeps me young – I’ll be 73 very shortly,” she said.
“I like meeting new people. I enjoy working here.
“It gets me out of the house, and it makes me happy.
“I just really enjoy working here – if I didn’t work here, I’d work at one of the others, but I’ve always had Lifeline.
“In Queensland, I worked at Lifeline.”
Mrs Larkins said Vinnies, like all op shops, is always looking for more volunteers to put their hand up.
“The thing we need most is more volunteers,” she said.
“We are always looking for volunteers; even if they work for three hours a week, or three hours a day, or however long they’d like to work. Some people work five hours a week.
“We never have enough volunteers.
“It’s a lovely place to work because we all have a bit of fun.”
Ms Moloney said volunteers do a lot of good, but they aren’t the only ones.
“It’s not just me making the different, but it’s the people that come and donate and then the people that come and buy,” she said.
“When you retire, you could come here for half a day.
“It’s about working as a team as volunteers for the town.
“It makes a town.”
Ms Absolom encouraged anyone who is interested in volunteering to “give it a go”.
“It’s really worth it,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s here, Vinnies or next door (Sunnyside), it’s just worth it to give you an uplifted life.
“Give it a crack; it’s a good experience, it’s good experience for the young.”
Mrs Larkins said volunteers can bring many different skills with them, and all types of skills are welcomed.
“There’s lots of different jobs here (at Vinnies); you can do the linen, you can do the ladies wear, the mens wear, the kids wear, the books, the shoes, the handbags – there’s a job here for anybody,” she said
“If you can use a computer, the till is the place where we need more people.”
