As part of this year’s National Volunteer Week 2022 and its theme of #BetterTogether, the State Government acknowledges the important community roles played by volunteers in regional Western Australia.
Volunteer work is vital to the social fabric of many regional communities and volunteering is an integral part of life across rural and regional WA.
Volunteering builds social cohesion and contributes to strong and resilient communities.
Many sporting, community and emergency services organisations in regional centres depend heavily on volunteers.
This was on display more than ever, over the past year, when volunteers stepped up to assist several communities by providing essential services to support recovery after extensive damage from cyclones and bushfires.
When Ex-Tropical Cyclone Seroja left a trail of destruction throughout the Mid-West and Wheatbelt in April of last year, State Emergency Service volunteers from the South-West region, hundreds of kilometres away from the scene, were among the first to respond.
Working together with Volunteering WA, improvements to the emergency.volunteer.org.au website are making it easier to manage and recruit volunteer assistance in local areas during times of emergency, community recovery and other significant events.
National Volunteer Week provides opportunities to highlight the meaningful contribution of regional volunteers and acknowledge the significant impact they make to each of their communities.
As stated by Volunteering Minister Stephen Dawson:
“Volunteer activities have for decades been the ‘glue’ holding regional communities together through the best and worst of times.
“Anyone who’s grown up or lived in a regional centre will most likely have been involved in some activity where volunteers are integral, starting perhaps with playing junior sport and later being involved as a coach or official.
“Regionally, Western Australians often get involved with the local bushfire brigades, the St John Ambulance and the State Emergency Service or special interest movements such as Landcare, all of whom depend very heavily on volunteers in regional WA.
“Similarly, community support organisations such as St Vincent de Paul and the Red Cross, to name just two of many, rely on volunteers for outreach and fundraising in regional centres.
“Volunteering is at the heart of every community and living with COVID-19 has made it even more significant.
“Local governments in regional WA are very strong supporters of volunteering, in many cases having volunteer development as an integral part of their business plans.”
