MSWA Bulletin Magazine Autumn 18

VOLUNTEER
UPDATE
DAWN BURKE, MSWA COORDINATOR VOLUNTEERS
Happy New Year, and welcome to 2018. It’s great to be writing
to all of you in this Autumn Edition, and the first Bulletin for
the year.
This year brings many changes to the ever-evolving MSWA.
As many of you may be aware, Wilson will be having a
much-needed refurbishment starting in March. These
refurbishments have been in the planning stages for many
months, and by the time this Bulletin reaches you, they should
be in full swing.
With it will be some slight chaos, confusion and upheaval. As
with any major renovations this is inevitable, but if we trust in
the process and go with the flow, the result will be amazing!
Please remember it will be business as usual, with some
relocation of services within and out of Wilson. Please don’t
hesitate to ask questions. I would like to thank you for being
flexible during this process, which allows for a smoother
transition for all concerned.
Let’s recap on 2017. What have we been up to here at MSWA?
The Cove in Denmark is such a beautiful place to stay and
the owners are also willing to do what is necessary to help
the camps run smoothly. I tried a few new activities which
everyone participated in, some more reluctantly than others,
but a good time was had by all. I must say, what a creative
bunch the South West Members are!
Of course, following on from camp was our annual and best
party of the year, the MSWA Members, Volunteers and Staff
Christmas Party! We had a new venue this year, which was
very cosy and intimate at times. The acts as usual were superb.
I don’t usually like to pick a favourite, but I’m afraid this year
the ‘Nurses Act of Greek Fountains’ was hilarious and was
a step above the rest with a few dampening moments from
either the fountains or laughing too much. Take your pick!
Thanks again to all the staff and volunteers who helped plan
for and set up this event. Events such as this don’t happen on
their own and it takes many hands and many hours of hard
work to coordinate and organise everything. Many staff were
behind the scenes in organising this event, and I would like
to take this opportunity to thank Donna Hill, Nicola Ryan and
Giselle Martin for their part in organising things.
I know what you do to make this happen, and on behalf of our
volunteers, I wish to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
A quiet thank you to Kevin who volunteered to don a hot and
sweaty red suit – it wouldn’t be the same without you, and
your size eight boots. Special thanks to the marvellous QBE
staff who have provided volunteers for the last six or more
years to help at this party, and always with a smile.
So, what has been happening in 2018 so far? 2018 brings
with it new volunteers and others wanting to volunteer. I
always try to accommodate potential volunteers, but this isn’t
always possible.
At MSWA we are very blessed to have a dedicated group of
volunteers who have been with us for many years. It makes
life much easier for myself, Members, and staff, when we
retain the same volunteers and have little turnover. Thank you
for being loyal and dedicated to MSWA and to the community
of people that we serve. You are a testament to yourselves
and the volunteering industry at large. Give yourselves a pat
on the back, you deserve it.
To our newest volunteers, and we have a few, the MSWA
family wishes you a warm welcome and hopes your time here
is enjoyable and helps you on your own journey, whichever
road that takes.
I’m in the planning stages for the National Volunteers’
Luncheon and hope to see all of you at this event. It is MSWA’s
way of thanking you for all that you do. I hope you can make
it, it will be great to see you there.
Keep enjoying this beautiful weather we are having, be
safe in all that you do, and remember, I’m only a phone
call away 9365 4897. Take care and bye for now.
Over the past six or more years MSWA has
benefitted from having a dedicated team of QBE
Staff volunteering for our Annual Members’ and
Volunteers’ Christmas Party.
December 2017 was no exception. Once again, they
proved invaluable, assisting our Member Services
staff to set up the venue, including the tree, to hand
out food and beverages, and generally lending a
willing hand in any task.
They are such a pleasure to work with and we
certainly rely on their good will and enthusiasm to
make this event a great success. They genuinely
love to come along to help and always ask if they
can come again next year!
Thank you, Team QBE, for supporting MSWA and
our efforts.
24 | MSWA BULLETIN AUTUMN 2018