Being busy suits 85-year-old Bendigo volunteer Margaret Birrell down to the ground!
She volunteers weekly at Uniting AgeWell Strath-Haven Community, helping out wherever she is needed – from assisting residents on bus trip outings to helping out behind the scenes with the weekly church devotions at the residential site.
Margaret has been a volunteer at Strath-Haven Community for the last 10 years, and plans on continuing with her good work for many years to come.
And with National Volunteers Week from 17-23 May, Margaret has this to say: “Volunteering gives me a sense of purpose, it is also wonderful to give back.”
And her close ties to Strath-Haven Community are an added bonus. “My parents and my mother-in-law were all residents at Strath-Haven at one time, and I’m just earning brownie points for if and when I move in there too,” Margaret jokes.
Her late husband, Gerry, was on the local board of Strath-Haven prior to it becoming part of Uniting AgeWell back in 2004, and Margaret has nothing but praise for the “lovely warmth, kindness and energy” which she says you can feel the minute you enter the residential site.
And the retired nurse knows all about what good care looks like! She’s helped countless people over the years, and says the care that staff give to residents is “absolutely fantastic.”
In between volunteering, the busy great-grandmother spends her time swimming in the public pool, catching up with friends and family and knitting beaded dolls.
Wonderful volunteers are considered part of the Uniting AgeWell family - whether they are clients and residents, or those in the community who simply want to give. And each and every person is valued.
Uniting AgeWell General Manager People and Culture Gen Toop says being a volunteer creates a sense of purpose, provides great joy in giving back and is a social outlet and a way of making new friends.
There are so many ways you can volunteer.
You can take part in Uniting AgeWell’s many research studies that contribute to making ageing as positive and as happy an experience as possible. You can help out with the Men’s Sheds or knit for charity like many residents and home care clients do.
The ‘army’ of volunteers provide friendship, contribute to events, run Men’s Shed workshops, garden, support lifestyle activities, carry out home visits and entertain, like Bendigo’s own Evergreen Brass Band which volunteers their time to entertain residents at Strath-Haven.
There are many volunteering opportunities at Uniting AgeWell – just check our website https://unitingagewell.org/get-involved/volunteering or phone 1300 783 435 for details.
