By Jed Lanyon
Healesville Sanctuary is taking the time to thank their volunteers who help out in a variety of roles for National Volunteer Week.
National Volunteer Week runs from 20-26 May and is the annual celebration to acknowledge the generous contribution of our nation’s volunteers.
Volunteer Coordinator Barb Wal is thankful for the many volunteers at Healesville Sanctuary.
“We have a good variety of roles here; most of them are to do with working with our visitors.
“We have our visitor hosts, tour guides, and animal encounter roles. We have horticulture and enrichment construction roles…And then we have our hospital assistance volunteers,” she said.
“And we’re creating new ones all the time, another new one we created this year was our animal observation volunteer role, that’s helping monitor animals and their welfare.”
Ms Wal said that 370 volunteers are dedicated to making Healesville Sanctuary a better place.
“Our volunteers cross a huge range of roles and are really important to us in spreading our message of fighting extinction, without them we wouldn’t be able to connect with so many different people that come into the sanctuary.
“Without their passion, commitment and reliability and the fact that they’re out here amongst our visitors constantly to ensure they have a great time while they are here, I’d hate to think what Healesville Sanctuary would look like without volunteers,” Ms Wal said.
Some of the volunteers at Healesville Sanctuary like Lesley, who has volunteered for 18 years, and Barbara, who has volunteered for 25 years, enjoy their time at the sanctuary.
“I love it, it’s just a wonderful place to come and volunteer. You’ve got the birds, the animals and the beautiful setting,” Lesley said.
“I also participate with horticulture activity which is helping around the grounds, weeding, mulching and planting.
“I enjoy meeting the people, I enjoy seeing the people and being outside,” Barbara said.
Another volunteer, Theresa, is currently studying Animal Veterinary Bioscience and said her volunteer work helps with her studies.
“A lot of the conservation stuff I do ties in with the things I learn about here, and I get to interact with the animals I love.
“It’s also kind of a lovely break from studying about animals to go to interacting with these beautiful animals.”
She urges anyone who shares a similar interest in animals to volunteer at the Healesville Sanctuary.
Healesville Sanctuary recruits groups of volunteers three times a year and encourages anyone who wants to get involved to visit www.zoo.org.au/get-involved/volunteer-at-zoos-victoria
