aston man

but what have you done for australia?

anyone done anything for australia?

voluntary work etc...

BadgeIsBack

Ich bin ein Volunteer Firefighter.

aston man

hey badge,you wouldnt believe it but thats why i asked.i was talking to a fireman tonight about that very same subject...

how do you find it...?

BadgeIsBack

Best job in the world. I feel so privileged I can do it. The feeling of achievement at the more demanding turnouts is truly fantastic and people really respect it. It's not all bushfire and summer strike teams, your're on call for every 000 call going. We've had house fires, hostage situations, rescues - naturally varied.

I'd do it fulltime if I could.

I feel sorry for cops, the people they deal with, and ambos have to deal with snot in a way we don't.

aston man

i dont know where you live badge but the volunteers up here remind me of the film roxanne,they sell hot dogs outside the supermarket,,good on em..

i think i will join..

i asked this fireman tonight,he said there recruiting for full timers here,but i believe you have to be here two years ,is that right?

Hutch

Surf lifesaver - on patrol at the beach here in Shoalhaven Heads, as well as age manager for the under 6's and 7's at nippers - getting the next generation into the surf lifesaving scene. If I was 10 years younger and 20kg lighter I'd become a professional surf lifesaver. Have pulled three people out of the surf this season already ...

aston man

good on you hutch,,,thats great mate...

ast

worzel

There is a volunteer in just about every family we know.

2 in the SES
1 helps with cubs
2 on Sea Rescue
I do the accounts and website for the residents association...

It is a big part of Australian life to "give something back". I bet there is a strong correlation between those that do and those that are happy here. You can draw your own conclusions on which is cause and which effect.

worzel

In a round about way that reminds me, you don't have to be the macho guy in orange overalls putting out fires. They even need people to drive the refreshment van and serve drinks to firees.

aston man

hey,worz...nice to give something back eh,,,mate?

rosscov1970

I offer literacy support to year 5s and listen to the readers in reception and year 1. My husband is coach to the year 5/6 volleyball team.

steandleigh

I volunteer at a flexible learning centre each week (for kids yr 7 to yr 11) who have been expelled from school for various reasons and which aims to integrate them back into mainstream schooling. Lots of fun, the kids are challenging but individually great and they just need someone who cares a bit.

I also volunteer each week at a specialist centre for kids with ADD / ADHD / Autism spectrum disorders. We use Lego Mindstorms (Google it) kits to get the kids to focus on something meaningful to them and IT REALLY WORKS!!! They love it. They also love the one-on-one interaction.

Volunteering is something many of us think about and we all agree it's worthwhile but it's one of those things that many of us "never get around to doing".

GO DO IT.

The look on the kids faces, the relationships you build with them and the feeling you get, sets you up for the whole week ahead. It's real living.

worzel

Absolutely. Have you decided what you are going to do? Being up in the hills with all that eucalytpus oil-filled timber, joining the SES must be in your own interests I would have thought?

hevs

Given the neuro surgeon a story to tell at dinner "the biggest cyst to chop out of someones head and they lived to tell the tale!"

Seriously... Matts a cub leader and I have helped out with PMP at school for a year.

temptininnit

I picked some litter up in the park which wasn't mine- does that count?