Volunteering

In a few short years, Cassie Wallace has gone from being an out-of-work volunteer at Uniting AgeWell to leading a team who are a critical component of the engine room of the organisation.

“Volunteering was the key to doors opening for me,” Cassie says. “Not only did it give me a sense of purpose, but it was the best career move I ever made.”

And if Cassie ever needed confirmation of this, she was one of a handful of employees from across the organisation chosen to participate in a Uniting AgeWell course to develop her leadership skills and be “grown” to take on even greater responsibility.

Read her story

There are happy tails all round when volunteer Sue brings her Burnese Mountain pups Esme and Maggie to visit residents at Uniting AgeWell Strathdon Community.

She says residents pat, cuddle and feed the dogs, and she dresses them up for special occasions - bunny ears for Easter and antlers and tinsel for Christmas.

Sue describes Maggie and Esme as loveable and cuddly "but not the brightest sparks" in the doggie world. "They don't do tricks, and if I throw a ball for them, they'll fetch it once, and then look at me in disgust as if to say 'yeah, I'm not doing that again thanks."

Meet Enid of north-western Tasmania, who volunteers her time by knitting toddlers’ jumpers for the Country Women’s Association and has also made countless bonnets and bootees for prem babies, as well as 60 Bananas in Pyjamas toys for charity.

The fiercely independent 83-year-old lives happily on a seven-acre smallholding in the area, thanks to a home care package through Uniting AgeWell with carers coming three times a week.

“This has been my home for the last thirty years,” she explains. “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

Read her story