CAROLYN MCCLEAN:
Good afternoon,

and welcome to the City of Boroondara

online International
Volunteer Day celebration.

We would have loved to see you
all in person

and shared some refreshments
and be able to meet each other.

But alas, that isn't going to happen,

but we'll have a bumper one next year,
I promise.

So my name is Carolyn McClean,
on the Director of Community Support.

And I'll be your emcee
for this afternoon celebrations.

Firstly, I would like to acknowledge
the Traditional Owners

as the original custodians of this land,

including the Wurundjeri people
in the northern part of our city,

and pay my respects to their Elders
past and present

and the Elders from other communities
who may be here today.

Joining us today is our mayor,
Councillor Gary Watson.

Our Deputy Mayor, Councillor Watson,

sorry, I should have said
our mayor Garry Thompson.

I can see big smiles there.

Deputy Mayor, Councillor Watson,
Councillor Gillies,

Councillor Hollingsworth,
Councillor Sinfield,

Councillor Biggar, Councillor Gault
and Councillor Franco.

I would also like to warmly welcome
the many volunteers

and community organisations
who are joining us this afternoon,

to celebrate what it really means
to be a volunteer in Boroondara.

We are so grateful for the work
that you do within the community.

And today is an opportunity for us

to recognise the very important
work that you do

and all volunteers do

by making Boroondara
a vibrant and inclusive city.

During our celebrations this afternoon,

we will share our Volunteers
of Boroondara campaign,

which is a collection of 12 local
volunteering stories,

which encourage us to consider
the different ways

in which we can offer our time.

We'll be reading out
volunteer shout outs,

which are messages of thanks
from volunteer managers

all across Boroondara,
to their volunteers.

And very importantly,
we'll be announcing

the winners of the Boroondara
Volunteer of the Year.

This year, our volunteers
have shown great strength

and resilience throughout
the whole pandemic.

You were all there with us
from the very beginning.

As officers and counsellors,

we were just amazed by the support

and how you really stepped
up to support the more vulnerable

and isolated in our community.

There were of course,
some volunteer programs

that were put on hold

but others responded
by sewing personal protective equipment

for frontline health care workers,

preparing nutritious meals for people
who would otherwise go without

and driving to pick up
essential supplies for people.

And this year,
we want to acknowledge and recognise

the outstanding ways in which volunteers

and community organisations were able to

quickly step up for everybody
in the pandemic.

So we actually have two additional
award categories for this year.

And that's the Outstanding Local Heroes

and the Outstanding Innovative Program,

and I would like to say all of you
are winners, absolutely all of you.

So I hope you will join me
in congratulating

each winner as they're announced.

But to start our celebrations,

I'd like to offer our Boroondara
Volunteer Resource Centre's

Laura Lynch and Georgia Lukacs-Rotow

to share the Volunteers
of Boroondara campaign.

Amanda Mandie from Koala Kids
is also here to join us,

and she will share
her volunteering story.

Thank you.

LAURA LYNCH:
Thank you very much, Carolyn.

So the Volunteers of Boroondara Campaign
is a special collection

of volunteering stories
in the Boroondara community.

So in this campaign,
we profiled 12 local volunteers

who make a unique contribution
to our community.

From making home cooked meals
for elderly and isolated

residents to caring for
our natural environment.

Boroondara volunteers go to
extraordinary lengths to

generously give their time
for the benefit of others.

Each story in the campaign
seeks to understand

what inspires a volunteer
to give their time,

how their volunteering
makes a difference,

and why they encourage others
to take up a volunteering role.

I'd now like to hand over to
my colleague Georgia who

will share the profiles of
each volunteer featured.

There are also beautiful portraits
as well of them please enjoy.

GEORGIA LUKACS-ROTOW: Thanks, Laura.

So I'd first like to share
with you Adam's story.

So Adam volunteers with Solve Disability

Solutions as a technical volunteer.

He uses his professional
skills as an electrician

plus his experienced in electronic
design

and automation to create
custom made assistive

technology devices for
people with a disability.

These devices change people's lives,
and his creations are amazing.

The second volunteer is Susan.

So Susan has been volunteering at
Villa Alba Museum for over 25 years.

She does a whole range of
tasks for the museum,

including helping out on open days.

And Susan is very passionate about

the conservation of the historic
building

and the paintings on its
walls and wants it

to be enjoyed by all for
many years to come.

Next volunteer is Dominic.

Dominic was a fairly new volunteer at

the Hawthorn Men's Shed
when this photo was taken,

but he quickly fit right in
helping men's shed members with

practical and technical support
on their wood work projects.

The benefit of Dominic's role is
clear not only on the members

but also on himself as volunteering
gave him a renewed sense of purpose.

The next volunteer is Bronwyn.

And Bronwyn volunteers
not only her time,

but her home cooked meals
in her role with Boroondara Cooks.

Bronwyn was matched with a local diner

and regularly delivers a meal to them.

Plus takes the time to
chat and get to know them

and recognises that it's
not just about the food,

but the social connection
that the visit provides.

The next volunteer is Jenny.

Jenny provides a very important role as
a

volunteer at Blind Sports and
Recreation,

Victoria, which gives those
with a visual impairment

the opportunity to exercise
and participate in sports.

She has had various roles from admin
support to actively supporting

participants in the gym exercises making

sure they can participate safely.

Next volunteer is Brandon.

And Brandon is a professional
photographer and used

these skills to volunteer
at the Epilepsy Foundation.

Through his role Brandon
brought awareness to those

living with epilepsy
and the work of the organisation.

Brandon found this role through our
Boroondara Volunteer Skills Bank.

Our next volunteer is Jenine.

Jenine volunteers her time
preserving the natural environment

may her house through
the Friends of South Surrey group.

She helps out at working
bays and coordinating tree

planting events with the aim
to re-establish native plants

and create habitat for
birds and animals so that

the park can be enjoyed by
everyone in the community.

Next is Peter.

And Peter was recently retired
when he took up a very important role

in the community by volunteering with

Council's Community Transport program.

When a resident is unable to transport

themselves to medical appointments,

Peter is there to collect them,

drop them where they need to be and then

take them home after their appointments.

Without volunteers like Peter,

these residents would find it extremely

difficult to get to their appointments.

The next volunteer is Suni.

And Suni is volunteer role
support an important community

safety program through
Boroondara neighbourhood watch.

Sunni attends events and talks to
local residents and distributes

information via letter drops
to promote community safety.

Through her role,
she encourages everyone to look out

for each other and speak up
about suspicious activity.

Then there's Ruby.

When Ruby retired,

she wanted to keep using her skills
from years of working

so took up a volunteer role
with Canterbury Neighbourhood Centre.

Ruby's administration
role involves taking

calls and responding to
queries and assisting

with the day to day
operations of the centre

and its courses and community
activities.

She also volunteers as
the occasional tutor.

Next is Kym.

And Kym's role as a father
led him to join The

Fathering Project local dads
group Dads of Ashburton,

or as they prefer to be
known as the dashes.

Kim organises regular catch ups
and events creating an environment for

dads to come together and also spend
quality time with their kids.

And now our final volunteer of
Boroondara is Amanda Mandie,

and I won't tell you about what she
does,

because we're so lucky to have her
here today to tell you herself.

So welcome, Mandie.

We're so happy you could join us.

Can you hear us alright?

Oh, you might just have
to unmute yourself.

AMANDA MANDIE: Can you hear me now?

GEORGIA LUKACS-ROTOW:
Yes, thanks, Mandie.

Mandie, please tell us about
your volunteer work at Koala Kids.

AMANDA MANDIE: Thank you.
My son and I founded Koala Kids

about nearly 15 years ago
as a volunteer driven organisation

that provides small things
for children with cancer,

their families and the healthcare
team who support them.

Today we are a very vibrant despite
COVID or in spite of COVID.

We are very vibrant
and we remain extremely

dynamic in our support of
135 families directly.

And through our network of 23 hospitals
and family support facilities,

we provide small things to children
when they're in hospital,

children and young people
up to the age of 25.

We've got a very strong
and very committed

range of volunteers who range in age.

They come from all cultural, and very,

very different demographic
backgrounds and we all come

together with a shared
passion to provide small

things to children with
cancer and their families.

Our mantra is, we believe happy helps.

And in fact, we've just conducted
through one of our volunteers,

some wonderful qualitative
and quantitative research.

And in fact, the adjective
that most of the families

chose to describe Koala
Kids was happiness.

And you can imagine that
made us very happy.

GEORGIA LUKACS-ROTOW:
Thanks so much for sharing that, Mandie.

Your story is so inspiring,

and we're so lucky to profile you

in our campaign
Volunteers of Boroondara.

AMANDA MANDIE: Thank you.
It's lovely to be part of it.

GEORGIA LUKACS-ROTOW: Yeah,
so if you'd like to read further

about the stories of Mandie
and all the other volunteers profiled,

please head over to our website
to read the stories,

the link is in the chat box
for you to do that.

CAROLYN MCCLEAN: Thanks very much,
Georgia and Laura,

for sharing those stories.

And Mandie, you know,
what an amazing effort.

15 years for you and your son,
doing so much good in the community.

We're truly,
truly grateful for what you do.

So you will continue to see
the Volunteers of Boroondara campaign

over the next 12 months.

And we will be sharing
those stories on our social media

alongside a roving portrait gallery,

which will appear in public spaces
such as our libraries,

our rec centres,
and neighbourhood houses.

If you do know someone
who is considering volunteering,

we would love you to encourage them
to share in this campaign.

So ahead of our International
Volunteer Day celebration,

we've invited community organisations
to share a volunteer shout out

recognising the volunteers
in their program,

and sharing a message of thanks.

Laura Lynch is just going to
take us through

some of the volunteer shout outs
we've received.

Thank you, Laura.

LAURA LYNCH:
Thank you very much, Carolyn.

So I know that many of
the people who are dialling in today

come from local community organisations.

And we're here today to thank you.

And some of your wonderful
volunteer managers

have shared
a volunteer shoutout with us.

So calling out some of
the fantastic things that

you've been able to achieve
over the last 12 months.

So the first one
that we have up is Wellways.

Thanks, Georgia.

And this one's from your
volunteer manager, Emily Murphy.

So Emily would like to say
to the LinC volunteers,

"You have gone above
and beyond to support your local

community by being super
flexible and patient with

the constant changes in accordance
to COVID restrictions,

even moving phone call meetings when

needed and Zoom for the craft group.

On behalf of the team at Wellways,
I would like to say a very big thank

you to each and every one of the LinC
volunteers for being so amazing.

We appreciate everything you do
for the program

and we are really looking forward

to when we can all celebrate
our achievements

at the end of the year face to face."

Thanks for sharing
your shout out, Emily,

and thanks to the volunteers
at Wellways.

Next up we have Surrey Hills
Neighbourhood Centre and Shima,

the centre manager,
has sent through this shoutout.

"So Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre

would like to acknowledge the fantastic

volunteer team connected with Boroondara

Make and Spread Kindness Collective.

Together with a committee
led by Gosia and Shima,

volunteers have sown
and distributed over 800

reusable cloth masks to
people in the community.

These three layer masks are handmade,

washed and individually packaged
before being transported

to people's mailboxes
or partner organisations.

The success of this initiative
is due to the generosity

and organisation skills of many
volunteers in the Boroondara community."

Thank you to Shima
and to the community

at Surrey Hills Neighbourhood Centre
for this shout out.

Next up, we have BASScare,

and this one is sent through
from Debbie Hall,

the volunteer engagement coordinator.

So Debbie would like to say,

"I would like to shout out
our BASScare volunteers

who have continued to support us
during the challenging year,

especially our
Meals on Wheels volunteers

and volunteers who took up
remote options

including making face masks,

knitting blankets,
making wheelie walker bags,

writing to clients
for our pen pal program,

assisting on
conference calls activities,

joining and hosting Zoom meetings
and staying connected with BASScare."

Thanks Debbie and the BASScare team
for your shoutout.

The next one we have
is Boroondara Community Outreach,

and this one is from Sarah,

the volunteer coordinator.

So Sarah would like to call out
the incredible volunteers at BCO

who have pivoted their
operating model during COVID.

BCO went from producing
500 meals per month to 2,500.

Logistically this became very
challenging with such a small team.

So Sarah would like to shoutout
to Ben, Jane, Jillian and Hillary.

There are many, many stories
of volunteer heroes here at BCO,

we cannot possibly name all of
the people who have dropped off muffins,

cakes, home cooking, perishable
and non perishable food items, clothing.

Without volunteers,

we could not have achieved
such heights this year.

Thanks to the team at
Boroondara Community Outreach.

Next, we have Each,
and this one's from Ivy,

the Chinese Peer Connection
program coordinator.

Ivy would like to say,

"Volunteers of Chinese Peer Connection
provide telephone support

services for Chinese community
in Victoria

in their road for recovery
from gambling harm.

During the pandemic,
volunteers working from home

continuously provide
support to their clients,

not only gambling related issues,

but also the challenges
tackled in the lockdown."

A big shoutout for our CPC volunteers.

Thanks for sharing your shoutout, Ivy,
and well done to the Each team.

The next one is Swinburne.

And this entry is from Jane,

Swinburne's volunteer tutor,
coordinator and ESL teacher.

So Jane would like to
give a big appreciative

shoutout to the volunteers
in our Swinburne

Volunteer Tutor Program
for their dedication

and resilience during
this challenging time.

Due to their enormous support,

our migrant and refugee students
were able to stay connected and happy,

as well as continue
their English learning

during long months of lockdown.

In particular,
I'd like to acknowledge Amanda,

who spent over 15 hours each week

tirelessly helping students
in small classes,

conversation groups,
and one to one phone calls

to improve their English skills

and settle in Australia
more comfortably.

Thank you, Amanda,

and to all of our wonderful,
amazing volunteers.

Thank you, Jane, and thanks to
the Swinburne community for this entry.

And then lucky last we've got the BVRC.

This one's from Jillian Anderson,
the volunteer engagement officer.

So Jill would like to say,

"A shoutout to our own team
of BVRC referral officers

providing advice and encouragement
to prospective volunteers,

helping out at our events
and promoting our service,

not to mention the many hours you have

given volunteers at other organisations.

We have missed seeing you
during this year and look forward

to having you back with us
when it's safe to do so."

Thank you, Jill.

And thanks for all of
the wonderful BVRC volunteers too.

CAROLYN MCCLEAN: I'd like to add
my thanks to the community organisation

and volunteer programs
for getting involved.

So we could share this
volunteer shoutout with you today.

And now we do reach
the very exciting highs.

I'm just going to invite now
our mayor of Boroondara,

Councillor Garry Thompson,

to announce the Boroondara
Volunteer of the Year awards.

GARRY THOMPSON:
Well, thank you, Carolyn,

and welcome to our International
Volunteer Day celebration.

It's an opportunity to
acknowledge the contribution

of all of our volunteers
here in Boroondara.

I'd like to start by
acknowledging the traditional

owners as the original
custodians on the land,

including the Wurundjeri people
in the northern part of our city.

And I pay my respects to their
Elders past and present

and Elders from other communities
that may be here today.

Carolyn, I'd also just
like to acknowledge we

have some councillors
that are in attendance.

Deputy Mayor Councillor Watson,
I believe Councillor Gault,

Councillor Gillies,
Councillor Hollingsworth online,

Councillor Biggar is online,

Councillor Sinfield
and Councillor Franco.

Thank you for your attendance
and all the support

that you give to our volunteers as well.

Volunteers are essentially
the social fabric of our community,

something that we've seen very much

recently through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Volunteers often go unsung,
providing support in many ways,

delivering meals for
those in need at most,

mentoring and sharing important skills,

holding positions on boards
and on committees.

Many people shooting in today
are volunteers.

But of all of us,

we've benefited from
the work of volunteers,

because many of the programs
and activities that

we participate in
would not happen without them.

Volunteering is a selfless act.

As a city, we're very grateful
for the important role

that volunteers play in
strengthening our community.

Interesting that at
the last census in 2016,

one on four or 26% of their
Boroondara residents reported that

they'd completed voluntary work
during the last 12 months.

The crossbar and we engage
with more than 200 volunteers

in diverse volunteer roles
in Council run programs.

Outside of council,

there are thousands of
volunteers making a significant

difference across our city in a
variety of sectors and causes.

We're very proud to present

the Boroondara
Volunteer of the Year award.

We ask that the community consider
the people that have gone above

and beyond in volunteer roles
and to nominate them for this award.

Every year,
we are impressed by the quality

of nominations that we've received,

making it a difficult decision
for our settlement panel.

We know that COVID-19 has
presented many challenges for

our local community
organisations and volunteers.

And while some organisations
have operated

above capacity during the pandemic,

some have had to scale
down and others have

had to suspend their works completely.

We also saw local resident
volunteers give their time

informally to provide much
needed support to those in need.

A few of the many acts of
generosity include sowing personal

protective equipment for
frontline health care workers,

or preparing and delivering essential
meals to vulnerable residents.

We're translating important
information for

residents who speak languages
other than English.

That's why this year,
as outlined earlier,

we created two additional categories
for our volunteer awards.

Firstly, the COVID-19 Outstanding
Innovative Program,

and the second one, our Local Hero
Award.

I'd like to congratulate all of

the nominees for their efforts and thank

everyone who's nominated an individual

or an organisation to do great things,

volunteering or delivering innovative
programs in our community.

To begin, I'd like to
announce the nominees for

the 2021 Boroondara Volunteer
of the Year award.

This award seeks to highlight
the achievements of volunteers

who've gone above and beyond
in their volunteering role.

The nominees are
Andrew Tynan,

for his work in establishing
and running the Repair Cafe Hub

at Trentwood at the Hub.

Angela Cartledge
for her volunteer work as

a puppy raiser at Guide Dogs Victoria.

David and Mary Apps,
for their volunteer work

through Camcare Solve
Disability Solutions,

Surrey Hills Twilight Market
and the Surrey Hills Music Festival.

Dawn Harper, for her volunteer efforts

behind Camcare's Fresh Food Program.

Francis Licciardi, for her volunteer
efforts at Assisi Nursing.

Margaret Crichton,
for establishing Ukes for Sanity

to support community through COVID-19,

in addition to other volunteering
efforts that she's undertaken.

Margaret Mine, for her selfless work
at St. Vincent's Hospital

as a palliative care volunteer.

Robert Hand, for his volunteer efforts
behind Auburn Hub

and volunteer for
the Auburn Baptist Church.

Yvonne Giltinan,
for her volunteer work through

the Yarra Gospel
Camberwell High ex-students

and St. Marks marriage course.

And lastly, Simon Martin,
for his volunteer efforts

through the Ashy Redbacks.

I think this is our drum roll.

So it gives me great pleasure
to announce Andrew Tynan

as our winner for the 2021 Boroondara
Volunteer of the Year award.

Andrew established
the Repair Cafe at Trentwood

at the Greythorn Community Hub
in Balwyn North,

encouraging his local community
to consider the repair,

reuse and repurposing of items
that would otherwise go to landfill.

Andrey builds the skills of community
members to repair these items.

Andrew has also been an active volunteer

across North Balwyn Scouts, St.

Bede’s Primary,
Marcellin Rugby and Balwyn Blazers

Basketball and he also
is working full time.

Andrew's nominator
Warren Davey said There

has been a huge amount of time donated

purely through Andrew's dedication

and passionate drive to make a
difference

to change from the throwaway society to

have a positive and sustained effect

on the sustainability of our future

and to reduce the reduction of waste.

Congratulations, Andrew,
I would invite you to cheer (INAUDIBLE).

ANDREW TYNAN: Well, thank you
very much, mayor, for your kind words.

And also thank you and your team
for recognising the efforts

of volunteers through awards
like this very much welcome.

I must admit,
I feels somewhat embarrassed

and humbled to be receiving this award.

I'm not one that generally seeks
public attention

or recognition for the work I do.

And in fact,
if I had not been nominated,

I might have looked at
a way of deflecting

the nomination to someone else.

So it's too late now, thank you, Warren.

But anyway, and I guess in
consideration,

I'm comfortable that I'm
just a representative

of the hundreds of volunteers,

as you've mentioned, across Boroondara.

I'm not particularly special,

I'm just one of them
and I'm happy to take

the award on the basis of that.

You have heard some fantastic
examples of volunteers already,

and you'll hear some more over
the rest of this session.

But he's mentioned sports groups,

school support groups, Cub scouts,

language and cultural groups
as volunteers everywhere.

They're involved in things like
the North Balwyn repair shed sorry,

the men's shed and of course,
our very North Balwyn repair cafe.

That's not my normal work.

That's basically been my effort
for the last couple of years.

The North Balwyn Repair Cafe
is a group of mostly local volunteers

with a passion to reduce waste
through repair and reuse.

We meet at least in non-COVID
times every month,

and we help teach
the public repair skills.

We've helped fix things
such as clock radios,

vacuum cleaners,
old pairs of jeans and T shirts,

jewellery, and that you can
cat scratching poles.

We have a very diverse
set of things brought

into us whether the item is nostalgic,

or functional,
we love helping give these items

a second life
or at least an extended life.

We certainly enjoy the joy of visitors
leaving with a repaired item.

And hopefully a new skill,
or at least an increased awareness

of the types of repairs that
actually possible if you try.

We've got a great bunch of volunteers
over a dozen old friends and new,

bit of a motley crew, if you like,

all of them busy in their lives,

but willing to contribute
something back to the community.

Some of the hundreds of volunteers,

as the mayor mentioned earlier,
are in Boroondara.

So again, Warren and Mary Allison
and the rest of the crew at NBRC,

this award recognises
your efforts as well.

I look forward to get back together
with you and the rest of the team

for our face to face repair sessions
COVID safe course, in 2021.

The public is waiting for us.

I know that from
the inquiries I'm receiving.

The NBRC received fantastic
support from the team down at

Trentwood at the hub that
the Greythorn Community Centre.

Many thanks especially to Kate,

Kathy and Vivian
and the rest of the access

health and community team down there.

We operate under their guidance
and with their generosity.

But also we'd like to say very much
thanks to the council

for providing their facilities such as
the Greythorn Community Centre.

Those facilities are critical
enablers of programs like ours.

Without them, I might be trying
to run my repair systems in

my own shed and I know my wife
would not be happy with it.

Anyway, so thanks again,
for this unexpected award.

And thank you for the ongoing support

you provide to volunteers
in the community.

And congratulations
to all the other award recipients

being recognised today.

Thank you.

GARRY THOMPSON: Well done, Andrew.

Giving your words
and for those that have helped you.

A little round of applause
there for Andrew.

So congratulations again for your
efforts at the Repair Café.

And I'm glad as long as
you've got a happy wife,

we're OK to keep you at the hub.

I'd like to now announce the nominees
for

the COVID-19 Outstanding Local Hero
Award.

This award recognises
the efforts and volunteers of

those who've responded to
the COVID-19 pandemic.

The nominees are Manjah Jafari
for sewing 200 medical scrubs

for personal protective equipment
for frontline health care workers.

Mary Uzunovski for her volunteer
work through Fair Shares 1000

kilos collecting pasta and rice
to cook meals for people in need.

Susan Laird for her volunteer work
through Servants Community Housing.

Yvonne Giltinan for her efforts in

mobilising the Yarra Gospel Choir
online,

and Margaret Crichton for her efforts
in establishing Ukes for sanity.

So I'm a pleased to announce
the two winners for

this category are Susan
Laird and Yvonne Giltinan.

Susan stepped up to her
volunteer role at servings

Community Housing to manage
their COVID-19 response.

Susan ensured that the organisation
had a COVID-19 safe plan

and went at lengths to ensure
the safety of volunteers,

clients and staff through the pandemic.

Susan's nominator, Madeleine Tucker

explained in her nomination of Susan,

"As a result of Susan's efforts,

Servants not only has a
COVID-19 safe plan,

it is a plan that has been refined
over three practice runs,

drills and procedures in
the event of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Including all necessary
equipment and supplies,

and numerous versions of
methods of communication

to ensure that our residents
feel safe and considered

and cared for in
the event of an outbreak."

Yvonne is the choral director
of the Yarra Gospel Choir.

In response to
the pandemic Yvonne mobilise

the choir of 70 participants
to meet online to sing.

This is amazing.

Yvonne's invested 500
hours to this volunteer

work and delivered 26 online rehearsals,

42 weekly tutorials,
12 new songs and attracted up

to 150 YouTube videos per week,
released per week.

As described by her nominator,

Judith Hubbard, "Yvonne felt committed
to continue to support in her

choir members during
the COVID lock down

because many singers were
single people living alone.

After delivering the final choir session

at Burwood Road on the 19th of March,

she and a small team took
the task of going completely online

in just one week and then that
lock down was announced."

Congratulations, Susan.

Are you prepared to share
a few words with us?

SUSAN LAIRD: Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you and well done
to all the volunteers.

Congratulations to the other winners,

and thanks also
to the City of Boroondara

for their support of volunteer work.

Servants Committee Housing
provides supported accommodation

for 94 residents in four houses
in inner East Melbourne.

It has a dedicated but small management

and staff team and an established

and robust group of volunteers
both individuals and groups,

all of whom have supported the residents
of the houses for many years.

Supporting people through
volunteering is a gift of

service and time demonstrated
to me by my parents,

and I've been pleased this year to join

the servants volunteers
and offer my support.

So as you all know,

COVID has bought
a range of challenges to us all.

And I'm aware that how
I've supported servants through

COVID has helped both
the residents and staff

and I've been pleased to do
it and I'm looking forward

to my future volunteering
experiences with servants.

Thank you.

GARRY THOMPSON: I need to
make sure I unmute myself.

Thank you, Susan, for your efforts
and your volunteering work.

It's a great contribution.

Now we've got Yvonne,
congratulations to you as well.

Are you able to share
some words with us?

Think Yvonne's online?

YVONNE GILTINAN: Thank you, mayor.

I'm not sure if I've got the video on.

Is that right?

GARRY THOMPSON: No video,
but we can certainly hear you, Yvonne.

YVONNE GILTINAN: Very honoured
to receive this award.

Thank you.

I've got my techno husband here,

hurrying to try and find
the video camera.

So if you can help, Laura,
I'd be grateful.

I'm very honoured
to receive this award,

as I said, and accept it
on behalf of our team,

who have kept our community choir
Yarra Gospel

connected throughout 2020.

We've not just survived, we've thrived.

As you said, Garry,
we've created YouTube rehearsals

and concerts for 34 weeks now.

We've delivered Zoom sections every week

for different sections of the choir.

We've recorded 15 songs
with choir members

individually recording
their parts for colliding.

We've had two interviews with song into

arrangers who live in America and
Canada,

because we've been singing their songs.

As well as singing along during
our weekly YouTube videos,

choir members have recorded
cooking segments,

interviews and their own
compositions about COVID.

It's been hard work but being
lots of fun. Nearly 50 years ago,

my mother and father were mayor
and mayoress of Camberwell.

During their mayoral years,

I met with every communication,
every community organisation.

Today my dad would have turned 100.

And I know he would have been
as thrilled as I am

about this (UNKNOWN) acknowledgment.

I also know that
the choir member of Yarra

Gospel have really appreciated our

efforts at keeping the choir going

throughout this most challenging year.

So I accept this award for them.

It's been wonderful to be
on the journey with them.

Our time together was like a lifeline
in a year we will never forget.

Thank you very much
for acknowledging our

very valuable work
as a singing community.

GARRY THOMPSON: Oh, that's fantastic.

Thank you, Yvonne.

Well done.

It's lovely to say that
your family has had volunteering

in its blood for quite a long time
here in Boroondara.

So, that's great to know that with

the next generations
will also be doing it.

So thank you again, Yvonne.

Lastly, but not least,
I'd like to announce the nominees

for the COVID-19 Outstanding
Innovative Program award.

Throughout the pandemic we've seen
local community organisations

respond in innovative ways to
support the Boroondara community.

The nominees in this section
are Zoom Online Camberwell Camera club

for their efforts to offer
their activities online.

Closer to my home,
the Ashburton Community Centre

Technical Help Hotline
for digital mentors

establishing tech helpline
to help remote support

to the community receiving
well over 250 calls.

Boroondara Community Outreach,
who pivoted operational model to support

vulnerable community members
in distributing over 15,000 meals.

Zooming with U3A Deepdene
activated the use of Zoom

to continue programming online

and support 900 members
to join at least one

of the 200 sessions
offered through Zoom.

I'm very pleased to announce
Boroondara Community Outreach

as the winner for this award.

Boroondara Community Outreach
has operated

above capacity through this pandemic.

The program continued
to engage volunteers remotely,

asking volunteers
to prepare meals from home.

Not only did they
distribute 15,000 meals,

but they also prepared
13,000 of those by themselves.

They provided face masks, hot water,

phone charging and internet
for people experiencing homelessness.

With cafes and libraries closed
they opened their home

to provide shelter and warmth
to people sleeping rough.

They also delivered meals
to vulnerable residents

to reduce the need to leave home
during the pandemic.

Boroondara Community Outreach's
nominator Jane Stewart shared,

"As the restrictions increased,

businesses, services,
community agencies and supports closed.

With each closure,
Boroondara Community Outreach responded

with creative innovation
to meet people's needs."

I would like to invite
Natalie Dixon-Monu

to share a few words with us.

NATALIE DIXON-MONU: I'm not sure
if you can see me, here we go.

Technology.

(LAUGHS) I'm just here
with my team

and we're really touched
to receive this award.

But, the award really isn't for us,

although we've been the ones who
have been holding what's happened,

Boroondara Community Outreach
has really been able to be a

place in which we're able to make
those community connections.

And this award is about
celebrating the numerous amount

of volunteers that we've had
assist us in this time,

who put their hand up
in a pandemic and said

that they would really
like to contribute,

and to support other people
who are doing it tough.

And we've been able to sort of gather

them and then gather the, you know,

whether it's the Greek food
or the tuna mourners,

they get cooked every week,

or the muffins, or the clothes that
got brought in whatever it was,

we took it in,
and then we're able to transport it out.

And it's a wonderful celebration of
the kindness and compassion that

people have shown to vulnerable people
in the community in this time.

So I really do a shout out
to all those volunteers of ours

who have been contributing
and giving of their time,

but also to my team here.

We could have chosen to close down,

that would have been an easy option.

But I decided not to because I knew
that there were hundreds of

honourable people who would be
left high and dry in this time.

And the great thing is we were
able to pivot pretty quickly.

So when the library's closed,

we became a library with
laptops and internet

and when the second hand shop closed,

we've set up a second-hand
shop on our stage.

And anything from offering
zoomed court cases,

some people came here so they could
do their court case via Zoom,

whatever it was,
we just said, OK, we'll manage it.

We had showers in our bathroom,
because all the showers closed.

We just did whatever it was
that needed to be done.

And I think the food,
while people needed access to food,

the I think the big difference
for us was that we never

saw ourselves as just
providing emergency relief.

So, we actually provide food
that we would eat ourselves.

I think it's really important with food

that it's not beggars can't be choosers.

And we tried as best as we could to
do that beautiful home cooking,

that gave people a sense
of somebody's thinking

enough about them to
do a really good meal.

And a lot of people said,
they just struggled to cook,

they struggled to get to the shops,

they just weren't managing emotionally

and gave them an opportunity to come
here once a week, check in with us.

And a lot of the time you find
us dancing out in the driveway,

having a bit of a buggy with
people a bit of a laugh,

you know, and it's been a wonderful,

wonderful celebration of all
those volunteers who have

given up their time who
themselves could have said,

"Well, I'll just take this
opportunity to sit at

home and watch all those
movies I wanna watch."

But no, they decided to
actually contribute their time

to support other people who
are doing really rough.

And I think it got summed up one of

the homeless guys who was
around for a while,

came back, we hadn't seen
him for a few weeks.

And I said, "Look,
you're in the city now you

probably really should be going there."

And he said," Look,
I've gone there for food.

But I've come back here because you
know,

there's no love in their food,
not like here".

And I think that kind of
summed it up for me.

That there's been a lot of
love from the community

of Boroondara to the vulnerable people.

And I say well done to
all those volunteers.

I also want to do a quick little
shoutout

and the big thank you to the council,

who have been incredibly
supportive of us in this time,

and we couldn't have done it without
their support and assistance.

And also particularly
the Hawthorn Community Chest who

have been amazing in their
support of us and enabling

us to be able to do both mobile phones

for homeless people and recharges,

medication a whole other things.

And of course to the Uniting Church has

enabled us to completely use the whole

property and has supported us in this

time and a lot of community groups.

So thank you to all of
those organisations,

because we couldn't have
done it without you either.

GARRY THOMPSON: Natalie,
a big round of applause

for Boroondara Community Outreach.

Natalie too (INAUDIBLE)
and also your volunteers

that have kindly sitting
behind you and all of

those Boroondara Community
Outreach congratulations

to you and the efforts that you've
taken,

which really shows how the community

galvanises together in in difficult
times.

And it's lovely to see how you been able

to reach out towards the community.

So congratulations to you for the award,

and also to Andrew
and to Susan and Yvonne for

your outstanding
efforts through this time.

If you're inspired by these outstanding
examples of volunteering,

I encourage you to contact
the Boroondara Volunteer Resource Centre

or visit our online volunteering portal.

If you'd like to see more
examples of volunteering,

please visit our Volunteers
of Boroondara campaign

on the council website.

Lastly, I'd like to wish
everyone a very much

a happy International
Volunteer Day today.

And to thank you
for your efforts all year round.

Thank you for being so much part
of our wonderful community.

Thank you.

CAROLYN MCCLEAN: I'd really like
to echo our mayor's sentiment.