Stories from the Edge - Volunteer Now

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Remembering this sideline I went along to meet with Lisa from the Volunteer Development Agency in the John Hewitt baron Belfast’s Donegall Street. I wasn’t sure how I could have contributed to the discussion. I suggested a Lurgan man whopricked my conscience. I would write a piece on Hugh Campbell. In one sense I was settling scores with a man who for 30years had traipsed through rain, snow and those gorgeous summers evenings collecting for the Freecrow CommunityAssociation. I always felt that Hugh Campbell should be recognised publicly for his community work. For the last threedecades he had overcome that ‘why bother’ feeling, the insidiousness that prefers the comfort of an evening before thetelevision rather than getting up and going out. I’d once even written to John Major asking him to consider Hugh in somehonour scheme. But my letter must have fallen into an administration black hole.Lisa had loads of other ideas about what sort of people we should approach. She bounced the idea that we could start byspeaking to someone involved in helping ex-prisoners. Before I could speak Lisa brilliantly said we should talk to theQuakers. That was our cue and we rambled off a dozen other ideas, which we thought would make interesting interviews.I met with Hugh on a wet Saturday afternoon. Outside mirrored exactly how I was feeling. ‘Tell me Hugh,’ I began, not surewhat I was going to ask. Two hours passed and I didn’t realise the time. At this first interview old memories were stirred. Imoved quickly and contacted the Quakers. Again their stories were fascinating but there was always something missing.The difficulty was that no one had considered putting their work onto some theoretical level. I came across Martie Raffertyby default. She had investigated her relationship to paramilitary prisoners in the context of her faith. I found some of herconclusions fascinating.I quickly moved to Strabane where I met a quiet spoken Isabel. I was moved by her story. And then there was David, a gayman. He discussed the problems of being a minority. Another minority was angry Michael Mongan who lived on theTravellers’ site. His natural suspicion of me as a settled person took time to dissolve but I think I got there in the end. Freda’sstory was touching. She had spent most of her life looking after her mother. But that came to an end when her motherdied leaving Freda with bigger problems. Her strength has lead to a new life. Then there was Terry, a conservation volunteerwho is the only person I have come across who seriously loves weeds. We met on a cold winter’s day in a tiny patch ofground that doubles as his office. A short time later“the notion of avolunteer journalist isa contradiction”I went to the middle of the wilds of Fermanagh. PatNolan takes care of hundreds of dogs and cats andanything else that has been abandoned.Ling Sun is from mainland China and has come1000s of miles to help out in Belfast’s MultiCultural Resource Centre. A tax collector bytraining, that hasn’t stopped Ling from picking up abrush and sweeping the street outside. GordonBannister admitted he regularly plays with radiotransmitters. However there is a more serious side to his volunteer work when he is the ears of many sporting events. Bettywas the wide eyed Ballymena woman whose spare time is spent collecting for charities and Jerome another person whoretired early and now spends his time working for the Credit Union and helping others. Then there were the young peoplefrom Warrenpoint who seemed flabbergasted that anyone would be interested in their work.
There were many others. A group of young folk from Derry whose heroic volunteer work failed to make the book for avariety of reasons. Others I spoke to on the phone but for one reason or another I was unable to complete the task ofputting together their story. But there will be another time.Finally but certainly not least is theone and only Angela. A tiny woman,Angela told a story that had thepotential to send a person into thenearest cupboard for a hanky to drytheir tears of grief and joy. Mine wereof laughter at her courage. At thecourageous way she was able to knowthe world and to know how the worldknew her.“I now think that the notion ofdo-gooders is a false ideaborn out of prejudice”At several points in my journey tocomplete this book I felt somewhatashamed at my own unconscious bias towards Angela and the many others I have met. I now think that the notion of ‘dogooders’ is a false idea born out of prejudice. Prejudice is not something we often acquire consciously, but it is somethingthat must be deliberately rooted out.I want to thank all those who took the time to sit and talk to me. And I want to also thank my wife Marie and daughtersMartina, Cara and Niamh for their patience during those long hours of writing. And of course taking the time to read whatI’ve written. I want to thank the Volunteer Development Agency whose idea made this possible and for giving me theopportunity to meet such decent hardworking people.Martin O’Hagan13 August 2001
Page 2: Martin O’Hagan1950 - 2001This boo
Page 7: on the same level as the coverage o
Page 11 and 12: I love people seeing me as a person
Page 13 and 14: harsh conditions. Towards the end o
Page 15 and 16: Despite being a Paralympic champion
Page 17 and 18: “I love collecting. I lovemeeting
Page 19 and 20: There is no doubt that in the last
Page 21 and 22: It’s an excuse to play radios - G
Page 23 and 24: established and the walker was guid
Page 25 and 26: Hugh Campbell“the payback isthat
Page 27 and 28: By 1979 Hugh Campbell’s volunteer
Page 29 and 30: The second ceasefire was called and
Page 31 and 32: Never do anyone a bad turn and help
Page 33 and 34: quick to give assurances to those w
Page 35 and 36: and was helping to take care of the
Page 37 and 38: “Something had tobe done”Amind
Page 39 and 40: The woman who had lost out so much
Page 41 and 42: A new and interesting adventure - L
Page 43 and 44: local tea houses and meeting other
Page 45 and 46: “A place of enormouscontradiction
Page 47 and 48: Martie Rafferty was one of those wh
Page 49 and 50: A Traveller on the inside talking a
Page 51 and 52: section of Ireland’s population m
Page 53 and 54: on the news bulletins. Most weekend
Page 55 and 56: “ Play is also learning ”Austin
Page 57 and 58: She has worked in the bank for the
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A people and a nation can be judged
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"Now that it is past its best it is
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continuum. The other end is the ugl
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“One man’s weed isanother man
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efforts have caused a huge rise in
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It’s not just local companies, Co
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We are getting something out of thi
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Before long, the group had agreed o
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“ People helping people ”Jerome
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quick to reject any form of ‘ism
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Through volunteer work an individua
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some it looked as if the Time was N
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Tel: 028 9023 6100 Fax: 028 9023 75
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Stories from the Edge - Volunteer Now

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