Lifeline South Coast Volunteers Recognised

Lifeline South Coast will today close its shops and warehouse so that all volunteers have the opportunity to attend a recognition celebration in Shellharbour. Over 170 volunteers from both Nowra and Wollongong will attend, some receiving accreditation and long service awards.

Grahame Gould, Executive Director, Lifeline South Coast says volunteers within Lifeline South Coast play a vital role in our community.

“About 90% of Lifeline South Coast is made up of volunteers. Currently we have over 240 fabulous volunteers working in a range of roles,” he said.

“We have volunteers trained to take calls on our telephone counselling line, some who pick up and sort the many donations we receive from the community, others who sort through thousands of books for our Big Book Fair and some who contribute to selling over 200,000 items a year through the Lifeline Shops.”

John Wiltshire will be one volunteer recognised today for his 40 year commitment to Lifeline South Coast. He was still working full-time at BHP in 1971 when he completed the training and started as a telephone counsellor. John has taken on many roles over the years including an on-call supervisor to telephone counsellors, being a member of the ‘trouble team’ in the 1980s, which visited people in crisis in their homes, and being the committee secretary of the run/walk fundraising events for Lifeline South Coast.

He comments that volunteering with Lifeline South Coast has allowed him to be part of a wonderful team of people who are all focused on helping an organisation which is very beneficial to the community. His various roles have allowed him to use his skills and develop new ones.

Since his retirement in 1996, John has taken on more of an administrative role with Lifeline South Coast. He has been on the Board for 24 years and has been the Board Secretary for 19. He has been the Honorary Financial Administrator for more than 14 years and has been the Secretary of the Finance Committee since its inception nine years ago. John leaves the organisation and the Illawarra later this year to be closer to family.

Five other remarkable volunteers are set to be recognised for more than 15 years of volunteer service to the organisation. They include Joan Bell, who has contributed her time to work in the warehouse for 25 years; Robin Cundell a maintenance volunteer for 20 years; Lorraine Humeniuk who receives a 15 year long service certificate as a volunteer in the warehouse; and two volunteer telephone counsellors who have both contributed enormously to the telephone counselling service not only as counsellors but in a range of other roles also. 

Lifeline South Coast’s telephone counselling service responds to 14,000 calls a year in the Illawarra and South Coast and covers the coastal area from Helensburgh to the Victorian border. Lifeline’s 24-hour telephone counselling service number is 13 11 14.

ends…

 For more information, please contact:   
Clare Leslie                                               
Marketing and PR Manager                       
0402 068 597