For 63-year-old Helen from St Andrews, volunteering at LINK Transport and Community has been a true labour of love, with her role as a driver being so much more than transporting clients to medical appointments and social outings.

“I love engaging with a wide variety of passengers and meeting them wherever they are at on each particular day. They vary in age from school age through to the elderly and come from very different backgrounds and I love maintaining the relationships with my regular travellers,” Helen says.

“I love hearing their stories and exchanging recipes. I can now make borscht and khrustyky and have gleaned the best way of processing olives.

“I get a lovely sense of fulfilment working for the greater good of our community.

“And volunteering maintains a sense of purpose in my life.”

Helen’s commitment to the community

Having worked as a district nurse for more than 15 years has been extremely handy in Helen’s volunteer role at LINK.

“As a nurse, I have become tuned into my surroundings and that has helped me in my role as a volunteer including safety, passenger wellbeing and being accountable for older people,” Helen said.

“I love driving and have been driving since the age of seven where I was charged with steering the ute around the paddocks while the cows were being fed at the dairy farm where I was raised in rural Victoria.”

And for Helen, volunteering has been part of her fabric for decades.

“I worked in the canteen and working bees at the children’s primary and secondary schools, as well as being a medic for the local U12 football team.  I also donate plasma to the blood bank monthly and have sewn reusable cloth bags for our community. Following the 2009 bushfires, I have also supported family and my community.”

Nothing typical about being a volunteer

Helen loves the diversity that volunteering brings to any given day.

“I sometimes set the alarm at 5:30am, to be fully prepared for the day, often working out schedules and streets the evening before. Preparing the car, which includes safety checks and sanitising the interior, is a top priority as well as using the LINK tablet to log in.  My schedule is diverse and never the same with visits to hospitals, schools, shopping centres, local community centres, bingo halls or dropping off clients to visit a friend.”

Becoming a volunteer

Helen has three pieces of advice if you are contemplating becoming a volunteer.

  • Bring to the table your best active listening skills. I’ve learnt so much and my passengers usually love to chat (it may be the only conversation they have had that week). Passengers who prefer to be with their own thoughts are fully respected.
  • Wear very comfortable clothing and shoes.
  • The night before, read your schedule and make sure your phone battery is fully charged.

Food for thought

For Helen, volunteering for LINK boasts many benefits.

“I have retired from my paid working life but feel like I have more to give to the community and my horizons are continually being expanded by driving in unfamiliar locations and my organisational skills are being kept “match fit”.

“I love maintaining a caring connection with my passengers and it also provides a workforce which enables Link to achieve its goals.”

For 63-year-old Helen from St Andrews, volunteering at LINK Transport and Community has been a true labour of love, with her role as a driver being so much more than transporting clients to medical appointments and social outings. “I love engaging with a wide variety of passengers and meeting them wherever they are at on […]