National Volunteer Week 2017: Newcastle volunteers share why they give back

People like 22-year-old Hannah Maguire do it to educate others, while others such as Ben McCauley do it to bounce back from some of life’s tough gullies.

Husband and wife Chris Marley and Barbel Stuhr just want the city looking as best as it can be.

Next week is National Volunteer Week, which aims to shine a light on the contributions of the six million Australians who selflessly give up their time for causes big and small.

The Newcastle Herald today shines a light on some of those people making a difference.

TOURISTS travel half way around the world to experience the kind of close encounters Hannah Maguire enjoys every week as part of her role as a Newcastle City Council volunteer.

The 22-year-old works at Blackbutt Reserve - one of a dedicated team of volunteers who help make the site and its animal exhibits one of the Hunter Region's premier attractions.

Ms Maguire started volunteering with Council when she was aged 16, juggling Year 10 studies with weekend voluntary work at the site.

Her role includes introducing visitors to a range of native wildlife through Blackbutt Reserve's educational programs.

"I really enjoy the work and I enjoy teaching other people about it – getting them genuinely interested in wildlife," she said.

Ms Maguire's tasks at Blackbutt also include plenty of "back-of-house" work: preparing food for the animals, cleaning out exhibits and feeding the various bird, mammal and reptile species.

"The animals have always been my favourite part. I love getting to learn about them and see their behaviours first hand – we have some pretty incredible animals at Blackbutt and over the years I've found they all have really unique personalities."

And the weekend work means the hours don't encroach on Ms Maguire's studies as a zoology student at the University of Newcastle.

Ms Maguire said another bonus of the role was the social aspect - meeting people from all walks of life and ages with a common interest in volunteering and wildlife conservation.

"It's always great meeting new people who share similar interests," she said.

"I've made a fair few friends through volunteering."

Ms Maguire encouraged other young people in the community to get involved.

"Being a volunteer is incredibly rewarding, especially if it's within a field you're passionate about," she said.

"It's not always easy - a lot of it is very hard work - but it's always worth it."

A SERIOUS car crash nearly took Ben McCauley's life. Volunteering has helped the 30-year-old get it back.

Mr McCauley was critically injured in a 2015 road accident and faced a long, painful journey to recovery, including months of rehabilitation and surgery.

"My rehab providers were helping with getting me back into work," he explained.

"I have a teaching degree but I wasn't really able to stand up in front of kids. They said: 'Maybe you'd like to work somewhere like a museum', and I said: 'That sounds great'."

By mid-2016, Mr McCauley had recovered sufficiently to start as a volunteer researcher at Newcastle Museum, writing the labels that help explain each exhibit to visitors.

"The museum job has been really beneficial to me, just in terms of getting back into a normal routine of working life," he said.

"I've had a lot of appointments in rehab and things like that, but they've afforded me the time I need to get well, which is great."

Mr McCauley now works twice a week at the museum, compiling information for its collections and archives.

"The people I'm working with have been great - that's probably my favourite thing. But it's also an opportunity to express my creativity, because there is a lot of writing involved. That's something to be proud of.

"I've come from a situation where there was a lot of sitting around in hospitals, so to do something like this really gives me a sense of purpose."

BARBEL Stuhr knew she would get to see plants grow and flourish as part of her job as a Landcare volunteer.

What she hadn't expected so much was seeing friendships blossom too.

"The people make a huge difference," she said.

"There are different personalities but most of us are like-minded. I've always liked planting things and seeing them grow, but there are so many other little positives about volunteering that you don't even think of."

Ms Stuhr, 58, and husband Chris Marley, 59, work for and coordinate some of the Newcastle Landcare groups that help regenerate and maintain vegetation along the city's coastline.

Helping transform Merewether Beach's dunes from a continuous stretch of noxious bitou bush to a thriving ecosystem of more than 50 flora species has been a particular highlight for the couple.

Seeing a diversity of birdlife return to the area was another big win, Ms Stuhr said.

Landcare volunteers undertake a variety of natural resource management activities, including bush regeneration, dune stabilisation and collection and propagation of native plant seeds.

Newcastle volunteers receive professional training and guidance, tools and resources, safety gear and insurance while working on council land.

Mr Marley said removing bitou bush and replacing it with native species helped stabilise the dunes running alongside the lauded Bathers Way Walk, protecting them from erosion caused by storms and strong coastal wind.

PETER Trist didn't want retirement to mean "exit stage left", so he put up his hand to be a Newcastle City Council volunteer.

The sprightly 80-year-old spent much of his working career pioneering drama and features radio broadcasts in Papua New Guinea, at a time when radio was that nation's main source of entertainment and information.

He also worked as a high school teacher in rural NSW before returning to Newcastle and becoming a theatre actor and director.

"I reached retirement age and felt I wanted to give something back to the community - perhaps get them to share my love of literature, poetry and drama," he says.

With that in mind, he signed up to volunteer with the council and now runs "Book Chat", a program described as literary theatre, where Mr Trist and other volunteers read excerpts from selected books.

"This little program devised at the library seemed to fit the bill very well," he says.

"I find it most stimulating doing the research and we've built up a very appreciative audience.

"I also find it very satisfying. It makes me feel useful. I feel like I can still contribute to the community, particularly on the creative side."

With no sign of slowing down, Mr Trist is urging other people to get involved as volunteers.

"If you have experience in a particular area, you can use that to reach a new audience," he says.

"You don't have to just sit down and feel like you're retired and getting old. Keeping the brain active and being involved - they're the important things."