Lyell McEwin Regional Volunteer Association

Ms VLAHOS (Taylor) (15:24): Today I would like to speak about a visit I made a few weeks ago, with members of my team, to the Lyell McEwin Regional Volunteer Association at the Lyell McEwin Hospital. Maxine Henke, the association president, and Caroline Letchford, manager of Northern Respite Care Services, accompanied me for the time I was at the hospital.

Maxine and I had a chat when we first met each other at the 2015 Northern Volunteering Awards, and she kindly offered me a tour around the Lyell McEwin and to introduce me to many of the volunteers. I thought it was a great opportunity to get to know more about the association and their activities in the North, as they certainly service many constituents in the electorate of Taylor.

Originally from the Ladies Auxiliary, the Lyell McEwin Regional Volunteer Association can date its roots back to 1959. Over the years volunteers continued to join the auxiliary, and it became involved with other volunteer groups. In fact, I believe it is one of only two of its kind left in the world. In 1987 the leadership group of the auxiliary started investigating how to bring all these different groups and people together under one umbrella body, and in July 1988 the association, as we know it today, was officially registered.

Maxine informed me that the association now has more than 800 volunteers registered on its database, and volunteers work in more than 30 key positions around the hospital on a day-to-day basis. All this equates to approximately 100,000 hours of volunteer time being given by the association on an annual basis.

Volunteers have been dedicated and passionate towards serving their community in the North for many years, and to servicing the clients of the hospital. You can never miss one of the volunteers, as they have a very recognisable orange uniform. As we were walking through the hospital I could see volunteers either showing patients where they should go or helping with inquiries at a desk near the front door, which is one of the very first things you see when you arrive at the hospital.

I also visited the childcare centre run by the association. It can look after children for up to two hours at a time, and has a very dedicated team of volunteers in place. In fact, one lady I spoke to had been a volunteer there for 10 years. From what I could see it was certainly a welcome relief to many families, as they visited loved ones at the hospital, that a child could be looked after without disrupting a sick relative.

A highlight of the tour was the gift shop. There was a wide variety of items on sale that were targeted towards people in hospital, with flowers, soft toys, gifts and handmade greeting cards made by volunteers. Funds from the gift shop contribute towards the running of the association. Another business operation arm is the Thrifty V op shops. The association has four stores, with its operation centre in Salisbury South. Like the gift shop, all profits generated through Thrifty V operations go towards the work of the Lyell McEwin Regional Volunteer Association and the Lyell McEwin Hospital.

One of the key mission objectives of the association, to establish and maintain the best volunteer management practices in order to provide community development, was clearly a testament to the people I spoke to the other day, who have contributed to the community and who are learning new skills on a day-to-day basis with the association. It is an impressive story, and the spirit of volunteering in the North is alive and well and in great hands. I commend them for their work and for the work they do for the local community. Valuing the North is a good and worthy cause. Well done.