Volunteering WA Garden Party

The Governor hosted a Garden Party for Volunteering WA and delivered an address to thank and celebrate all of the hard working volunteers and also to celebrate International Volunteer Day.

Volunteering WA makes a difference by connecting thousands of volunteers to many community organisations. They aim to build strong communities through volunteering and provide a range of resources, services and support so that people in Western Australia are aware of, and understand, the nature and scope of volunteer activity.

Over the last months, as the COVID 19 pandemic has ravaged across the world, volunteers have been at the forefront of medical, community and societal responses. The COVID-19 Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan by the WHO identifies community volunteers as key stakeholders for risk communication and community engagement. This indicates the valuable and the great effort the WHO believes volunteers are doing during COVID-19.

“International Volunteer Day will be celebrated worldwide on Saturday, 5 December. I am grateful that, amid an incredibly challenging year, Western Australia is in a position to allow us to meet together in this way today. 

This is my third year hosting the event as Patron of Volunteering WA and I am proud to be a Patron of an organisation which leads, advances and celebrates volunteering in WA and has done so this year, during what I understand has been the biggest disruption to the organisation’s 32 year history as a result of COVID-19.

I am informed that, in response to emergency needs in the community amid the pandemic, Volunteering WA recruited over 4,000 emergency volunteers to assist Volunteer Involving Organisations and Local Government Authorities to provide urgent assistance for vulnerable people most at risk from the COVID-19 pandemic crisis.

This is a truly extraordinary effort and all volunteers are to be commended for their invaluable work during these challenging circumstances.

It has been so inspiring to hear of how so many Western Australians have taken the lead to help vulnerable people in our communities by registering as emergency support volunteers.

Volunteers have played a pivotal role in the fight against COVID, and continue to play a pivotal role in the fight against COVID-19 to date. Volunteers continue to play a vital role in provided services to the vulnerable during such challenging times. Ultimately in 2020, International Volunteer Day reminds us of the most efficient and effective road through this and on to recovery, together! Thank you to each of you for your invaluable contributions to our communities.”

The Governor

The Governor is proud to be patron of Volunteering WA.

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