National Volunteer Week is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering!
Often the backbone of a community, volunteers contribute their time and knowledge for the benefit of others. And according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data, ADF veterans are more likely to undertake volunteer roles than Australians who’ve never served – a fact that did not surprise ADF veteran and volunteer, Chris.
At age 28, Chris joined the Army in 2010 and became a combat engineer. He has fond memories of serving – something he refers to as a ‘life-changing experience’.
‘There is something special about ADF service, it gives you a great sense of purpose,’ Chris said. ‘I learnt so many new skills and experienced many cool things.’
Chris discharged after several overseas deployments, his first to Afghanistan just 6 months after he completed his basic training. Chris was facing some challenges in his personal life around the time that he discharged. He found it hard to find his place in the civilian world, he was feeling lost and disconnected from his community.
Volunteering helped to change that.
In 2020, Chris’s volunteer journey began. He wanted to find his place and rekindle the sense of connection and mateship he felt in the ADF, and to live his life with purpose. He has assisted at Foodbank and with Disaster Relief Australia (DRA), but it wasn't until Chris started volunteering with the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS) that he felt like he really belonged, and he was able to grow his civilian roots.
The ACVVS is a national program designed to provide friendship and companionship to older people through volunteer visits. It aims to improve the quality of life for aged-care recipients, particularly those who are socially isolated.
‘Being part of the ACVVS program fueled the same feelings of mateship and purpose, similar to when I served in the ADF – I can see why some veterans refer to volunteering as “service, after service”.’
If you are a veteran who’s thinking of volunteering, there are more than a few reasons why you should:
- Volunteering is good for your health and wellbeing!
- It can give you a sense of achievement and purpose, helping you to feel good about yourself and boost your self-esteem and confidence, while connecting you to others and your community.
- You can learn new skills, and combat stress while supporting a worthy cause and helping others.
Chris knows better than most that it can be hard to take that next step. There were days when he didn’t feel like volunteering. But like a good workout, he felt so much better after he did.
He said, “By helping others, you can help yourself – which is the coolest thing! You can help with hands-on tasks or simply just be there for a chat. You don’t need any qualifications or prior experience, just a willingness to help others”.
Chris started his journey as a volunteer, but he now coordinates the ACVVS program in Townsville.
“I’m living proof that volunteering can change your life – I've benefited so much from meeting new people, learning new skills and positively contributing my community”, he said.
If you’re a veteran who is ready to start your volunteer journey and make a difference to an older person’s life visit health.gov.au/topics/aged-care/volunteers.
There are many organisations who offer volunteering opportunities that are led or supported by veterans, including:
- Invictus Australia (IA) - IA connects Australian veterans and their families with sporting opportunities to support health, wellbeing, connections and recovery through the healing power of sport.
- Disaster Relief Australia (DRA) - serving communities devastated by natural disaster. DRA recognises that ‘veterans hold a unique and valuable skill set. Australian veterans are a national asset, and DRA seeks to showcase that to the world’.
- Legacy – supports the partners and children of those who gave their lives or their health for our country. Legacy provides 'essential social, financial and developmental support that these families depend on each day’.
- Volunteering Australia also has fact sheets for volunteers on its website or you can search for volunteer positions in your local area through the Go Volunteer website.
To Chris and all volunteers, especially those who are veterans, we say thank you.