Camden Council’s Volunteer Thank You Receptions Highlights

2024 Volunteer Thank You Reception

Volunteer Thank You Receptions have been part of the Camden Local Government Area volunteering scene for many years.

In 2024, the Volunteer Thank You Reception was held in the council meeting room at Oran Park.

The second sitting, at 7:00 p.m., was introduced by a musical ensemble, followed by an introduction by the MC and some short comments by Mayor Ashleigh Cagney on the importance of volunteers in the Camden community.

After an earlier sitting at 4 p.m., around 120 volunteers sat at tables in the room for the 7 p.m. sitting.

Volunteers were welcomed with a drink and then found their way to one of the tables to be seated for a meal. Staff served the meal, which included an entrée, a main, and then sweats, with tea and coffee for those who helped themselves.

The evening ended with more entertainment from a young female music ensemble.

2017 Camden Council Volunteer Thank You Reception

In 2017, the Camden Council’s Volunteer Thank You Reception was held at the Camden Civic Centre.

This is an annual event put on by the Camden Council and Mayor Lara Symkowiak. This year, those attending volunteers were welcomed by the soulful tunes provided by saxophonist Will from Camden Council.

 

 Sarah from Camden Council was the event MC, and the council also supplied food and drinks for the assembled throngs of volunteers. Several council staff and councillors attended the evening.

Over 220 representatives from 53 voluntary groups were present, including those from Oran Park, Narellan, Camden, Gregory Hills, Cobbitty, Macarthur, Harrington Park, and Catherine Fields.

 

 Mayor Lara Symkowiak addressed the audience and said, ‘Volunteers make a difference in the community, and the evening was a thank-you by the council.’

The mayor said, ‘It was an opportunity for volunteers to be served rather than serve’.

 

 One volunteer thanked the mayor for the recognition and the evening. She replied, ‘It is better that the council put on a thank you evening rather than a ball which would only compete with balls by other organisations’.

 

Camden voluntary sector

The Camden community has a long history of volunteering. Voluntary organisations date back to the mid-19th century, and one of the first was the Camden Farmers’ Club and General Improvement Society, established in 1857. It became the Camden School of Arts in 1858, which centred on providing a library and reading room.

 

 The Camden community voluntary sector was active during the First and Second World Wars and supported the war at home through patriotic fundraising and other events. Their efforts can be seen at the Camden Museum.

 Current community organisations in the Camden Local Government Area are listed in the Camden Community Directory, which has several categories of organisations. They include: Accommodation and Housing; Animal Services; Community Facilities; Conservation and Environment; Education; Employment and Business; Equipment; Financial Support and Low-Cost Goods and Services; Government; Health and Wellbeing; Information Services;  Law and Justice; Sport and Leisure; Transport; and Volunteering.

Benefits of volunteering

Studies have shown that volunteering is good for well-being and health. It reduces the risk of depression, provides a sense of purpose, provides mental and physical activity, reduces stress levels, provides the ‘happiness effect’, and provides opportunities for overseas travel.

Volunteering builds social capital by encouraging social interaction, social networks, and networking opportunities between people. It strengthens personal and emotional support, choice (sovereignty), and power. Volunteering also builds community resilience and cohesion and strengthens the local community.

Volunteering is a form of active citizenship that allows citizen participation in our democracy, which strengthens our democracy.

According to the Queensland University of Technology, there are around 600,000 voluntary organisations in Australia. These organisations made up over 3.5% of the Australian GDP in 2012 and had an annual growth rate of 6% per annum. The sector employs around 9% of the Australian workforce, which totals over 1 million people, and it is made up of the top five sectors: social services, education and research, culture and recreation, health, and environment. These organisations have nearly 3 million volunteers across the country.

According the PrivacySense.net the voluntary sector is

 The Voluntary Sector is usually comprised of organizations whose purpose is to benefit and enrich society, often without profit as a motive and with little or no government intervention.

Unlike the private sector where the generation and return of profit to its owners is emphasized, money raised or earned by an organization in the voluntary sector is usually invested back into the community or the organization itself.

One way to think of the voluntary sector is that its purpose is to create social wealth rather than material wealth.

Although the voluntary sector is separate from the public sector, many organizations are often tightly integrated with governments on all levels to support it in the delivery of programs and services.

 Night finishes up

To thank Camden volunteers, the council gave those attending two small gifts: a succulent from Little Miss Succulent, the proceeds of which will go to Turning Point, and a boiled Christmas cake from the Campbelltown Uniting Church.

The council provided entertainment for volunteers attending, including music, a magician, an artist, and a photo booth.

 Will supplied music on Saxophone on arrival, while Theo and Bel provided vocals and guitar on the main stage for the enjoyment of all the attendees. 

 The evening ended with the mayor drawing out the lucky door prize. The fellows from the Men’s Shed seemed to score most of the prizes, but then again, they had the largest group attending the evening.

A good evening was had by all. 

So what is the takeout of all this?

If you are thinking of volunteering for anything, just do it.

Sometimes, folk who want others to volunteer their valuable time do not understand volunteers’ needs. They do not understand that volunteers’ time is valuable. Most people are happy to volunteer if they have a reason. Volunteers need to understand the reason they are volunteering. Ad-hoc volunteering is OK, and often, time is more valuable than money.

Volunteering is productive and good for you, so get to it. Whatever interests you will benefit the community.

Updated 3 December 2024. First posted on 7 December 2017 as ‘Volunteers Have a Night of Thanks’.