Volunteers are the backbone of the Noosa community with over 300 organisations locally that support the many facets of our lifestyle, from kindergarten and school groups to the many sports we play, to residents’, service and business support organisations. With today’s technologically connected lives and multiple different options for our leisure time, volunteering can often be seen as something we “don’t have time for”.
However, volunteering is not only good for our community, it generates enormous economic and societal benefit for all of us, and helps fill the gap between what governments and businesses can provide. Additionally, volunteering is good for us – we derive satisfaction from helping others and in retirement, volunteering keeps our brains, bodies and social connections productive, energised and engaged.
Below are some of the ways I have served the Noosa community in volunteer roles.
Advocacy
As the community leader responsible for the campaign to bring back the local surf club, my role was to advocate to all stakeholders about the importance and likelihood of success for a revived and re-established Peregian Surf Club. These stakeholders included Surf Life Saving Queensland (Sunshine Coast Branch), Noosa Heads SLSC, Noosa Council, existing local community groups including business and environmental groups and other surf lifesaving clubs across the State. The club was eventually re-incorporated for the 22/23 season.
As a volunteer and supporter of Katie Rose Cottage Hospice, I worked with the Katie Rose leadership team to highlight to stakeholders and elected representatives the importance of the work that is done by the hospice and the impact a planned extension to the facility would have. In 2022, Katie Rose Hospice was successful in obtaining a grant of $1.5m for capital works to add two more guest rooms to accommodate more hospice guests, a very welcome outcome!
While leading LNP Noosa, we created a team to create policies to advocate for within the Party with more than 20 ideas contributed to LNP forums during this period. This included important changes to the LNP’s Constitutional reform as well as policies to improve Queenslanders’ everyday lives.
Growing Membership Organisations
Volunteering is the backbone of our community, and therefore I have spent much of my time as a community leader building membership by encouraging others to commit their time and energy to volunteer causes. I encourage their involvement by making it enjoyable: connecting like-minded people with each other, working hard to make a tangible difference they can be proud of and above all by making volunteering fun!
These organisations have grown under my leadership:
- Peregian Family & Friends, Inc
- Peregian Nippers re-establishment of program
- Peregian Beach Surf Life Saving Working Group to re-establish Surf Club
- Queensland Country Women’s Association Tewantin-Noosa
Branch - Liberal National Party Noosa Branch
Fundraising
Over the past five years, I have helped deliver more than $600,000 of additional funds into the community, through fundraising campaigns, events, disaster recovery and charity support.
Through organisations where I have served on the committee, led or been employed by, funds have been raised for:
- Community Consultation for Peregian Surf Club community revival campaign
- Verrierdale, Doonan and Valdora Rural Fire Brigades
- Peregian Beach Surf Life Saving Club
- SunnyKids
- Share the Dignity
- Queensland Country Women’s Association charitable projects
- Katie Rose Cottage Hospice