City of Clarence is celebrating the generous contributions of its volunteers during National Volunteer Week – 18 – 24 May.
This is an opportunity to thank our volunteers for giving up their time, while showing the rest of our community the joy, connection, and positive change that volunteering brings.
It is also a time to encourage everyone in our community to consider how they might volunteer with us.
Is 2026 “Your Year to Volunteer” for the Clarence Community Volunteer Service (CCVS)?
We have many people in our community who need a bit of extra help in their daily lives, and we offer a range of volunteering services to help them stay connected to their community.
Volunteers drive residents to medical appointments, help with grocery shopping, mow lawns, walk dogs, or simply visit their clients and chat.
Stepping in to help people complete these ordinary but important daily tasks, whilst also providing social contact, can bring joy to someone’s day.
The benefits run both ways, but don’t just take our word for it.
Meet our volunteers and hear what they have to say.
CCSV gardening Volunteer Pramila Bhandari – 8 months volunteering
Pramila Bhandari dedicates a couple of hours each weekend to mow and prune the gardens of her five regular clients.
She and husband Prakash moved to Australia from Nepal in 2023 and live in Clarence with their daughter Twesha.
As a trained agriculturalist who volunteers with the CCVS in addition to working on-farm, sharing her time for gardening was a natural fit.
Pramila said after just eight months of volunteering, she had struck up solid friendships with the people she helps, and her confidence in work and personal life had grown.
“My clients are very passionate about their gardens,” Pramila said.
“Sometimes they come with me, sit by my side, telling me about the olive tree they planted 20 years ago, or they ID flowers that I have never seen in my country,” she said.
“They are also very happy to see my baby Twesha. Now they are regular clients, they are like family.”
Pramila said these regular volunteering interactions had also helped improve her English-speaking skills, and she encouraged others in the Nepalese and migrant communities to sign up for CCVS.
“I used to only speak my own language in the home. Now I know how to chat, interact, and start conversations. I am more social.
“Volunteering builds up good relations between the people in our communities. We live in this community and we have to help each other.
CCVS shopping volunteer Elizabeth Montgomery – 4 years volunteering
Every Monday volunteer Elizabeth Montgomery heads to her friend Nora’s house to assist with a weekly shop.
The pair met when Elizabeth started volunteering almost four years ago, and have become a regular sight at the nearby shopping precinct where Nora lives.
“Some people you click with and others you don’t,” Elizabeth said.
“I’ve clicked with Nora, but you’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t click with Nora because she’s just that sort of person.”
Elizabeth said volunteering services that help people like Nora remain living in their own homes are precious, priceless gifts.
“I was a registered nurse for many years so I see the value in keeping people out of institutions, out of hospitals, and in helping them remain independent,” Elizabeth said.
“Often people want to be independent they just need a little bit of help to stay independent.”
She said having a trusted person, like a regular volunteer, to talk with about various life topics also helped people keep their independence.
“They come to look on you as a friend, not just someone who is sitting in the car driving them places.
“You may well be the only social contact that they have away from their families, and while families are fabulous, sometimes we all need someone different to run things by.”
For Elizabeth, these strong social connections are a strong motivation for her to continue to be part of the CCVS.
“You think you are giving an hour of your time but actually…you get so much back. It’s an hour where you’re giving so much pleasure to someone else, and that is just so rewarding.”
CCSV transport volunteer Stuart Galloway-Walker – 18 months volunteering
Retired IT consultant Stuart Galloway-Walker says one of the most rewarding parts of volunteering is hearing the life stories of the people he supports.
Stuart became a transport volunteer for CCSV 18 months ago because he wanted to give back to his community.
He started filling-in for volunteers unable to make their regular shifts, driving people to medical appointments or helping them go grocery shopping.
He now has one regular client and still assists in the larger volunteer service pool.
“I like hearing snippets of their life stories. For the most part they are older individuals, and it’s interesting to hear how their lives have developed, and how they have seen Tasmania grow.”
Stuart said volunteering had helped him gain a deeper understanding of the challenges some people face, including living with a disability or managing food allergies while shopping.
He said volunteering was enjoyable, not only because of the gratitude shown by clients, but because of the renewed personal focus that volunteering can bring.
“The clients who I have met are universally grateful for the service, and that is rewarding in itself,” he said.
“But also, for someone who is in danger of losing their sense of purpose volunteering can help, and I’d urge them to give it a go.”