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Harbour Hospice last week honoured longstanding volunteers and staff for their service, as the charity celebrates a milestone anniversary.
Of a total of 125 volunteers and 25 staff members across Harbour Hospice awarded for service ranging from five to 35 years, 30 of them serving the Hibiscus Coast community were recognised at an event in Red Beach.
Among them was Carol Bell of Army Bay, whose 25 years of volunteering has included working in Harbour Hospice shops, baking cakes, and giving new life to donated dry flowers by creating bouquets to be sold.
“It’s nice to help people and it makes you feel good,” the 72-year-old said of her work, adding that it also keeps her busy – “and the more busy you are the more energy you get.”
Topping the list for long service was Jan Adams, honoured for 30 years of volunteering ranging from fundraising events to creating quilts for patients. Glennis Farrell and Doreen Bunker, both working in Harbour Hospice shops, received 25-year badges.
Recognised for 15 years’ service was Yvonne Payne of Stanmore Bay, who recently organized a show featuring original wedding dresses from the 1950s through to the present, raising $15,500 for Harbour Hospice.
“I do what I do for hospice because I like everything about it, the reason behind it,” she said. “And the years just clock up. It’s not like I’m trying to attain the years – they clock up because you enjoy what you’re doing, and it’s meaningful.”
The dress show was inspired by reminiscences shared by patients over Yvonne’s years as a volunteer life story writer. Typically, Yvonne will sit with a patient for about an hour at a time, allowing them to tell their stories, which often tend to be about their youth.
“You’re given a privilege to enter into someone’s history,” she says. “It’s really lovely.”
This year’s awards come as Harbour Hospice marks its 40th birthday. Over the decades it has grown from a one-car, one-nurse operation to one with more than 230 staff supported by more than 1200 volunteers. Last year those volunteers enabled the provision of free care for 1239 patients and their families.
“Our long-service awards give us an opportunity to show our volunteers just how much we appreciate them, as well as thank them for their dedication, hard work and loyalty,” said chief executive Jan Nichols.
“Without the dedicated support of our volunteers – whether they were there at the start or joined us last year – we are incredibly grateful to them all,” she said. “Without our volunteers we couldn’t provide the community with the palliative care that we do.”
During the awards ceremony, Jan read out excerpts of a letter from a woman whose family was touched by Harbour Hospice staff and volunteers.
“Your work is so important for those dealing with the end of life crisis,” the writer concluded. “But just as importantly it affirms values that are often hidden in society – giving heart in times of sadness, and hope in the face of loss.”
