With Volunteer Week coming up from 20-26 May this year, Frontier Services shares some stories from it’s Outback Links program.
Megan was able to keep up with the farm and stock work, but she didn’t have time to look after the yard as well.
Heavy jobs were piling up. Foxes were getting at the chickens, and large branches needed trimming. When she was offered some assistance from Outback Links volunteers, she gratefully welcomed the help from Gordon, James and Ron.
Megan was blown away by their work ethic. “The first morning, I couldn’t see anyone out there, so I went out a bit later to discover they were already halfway through their morning. They’d started at 7am.
“They did an amazing amount of work in the time they were here.”
Together, they cleared fallen branches, cleaned up the orange orchard, and built a secure chicken enclosure. Foxes had gotten to Megan’s chickens, and she didn’t want to get any more until they were protected.
“The volunteers made the chicken coop fox-proof with mesh over the top as well. It’s like an inner sanctuary for chooks now.”
Megan said the best part was the companionship. They shared meals together and had wonderful long chats.
“I was mostly out there working with them, and it was just really nice having people to work with. And if something got a bit hard, you had someone there to call out to, to say, ‘I’m a bit stuck. Can anybody else get it out?’
“Just the fellowship, the friendship, the hard work they put in, but even just sitting down and chatting. It was all really, really good and very worthwhile.
“I feel very blessed.” Our Outback Links volunteer program is only possible thanks to the generosity of supporters like you. Thank you for being there for people living on the land like Megan.
If you’d like to become an Outback Links volunteer, or if you know someone in rural Australia who would benefit from the help of volunteers, visit the Frontier Services Outback Links.
