On Saturday 21 May, we came together for the Volunteers’ Champagne Breakfast. After the previous two and a half years, we were finally able to have a function to acknowledge our valuable volunteers.
What is a volunteer? A volunteer is someone who contributes their time, skills and experience to an organisation or group and does this for free. In return, a volunteer may gain work experience, broaden their own skills, develop new interests and become more involved with the community. To me, volunteering also provides a vehicle to meet new people and forge lifelong friendships. It provides self-satisfaction and the feeling that you have given something back to your community or club.
So if we are receiving benefits while volunteering and our club is also benefitting, then that is the perfect scenario. Volunteering has to be a two-way benefit otherwise it just becomes a chore. The strong participation in our breakfast indicates our volunteers must be pleased with how their volunteering journeys are progressing. Well done!
Family, friendship, sailing. It is what we are all about at BYS and we are proud to say that you will hear these three words regularly, no matter how you choose to enjoy the club. Perhaps it is also why many members are happy to give their time as volunteers. Like any member organisation, we rely on our committed volunteers to take on the roles that make our sailing days so successful and so much fun. Many volunteers also assist our club outside the sport of sailing.
Thank you to our office staff, F&B staff and the Membership Committee for organising our event. National Volunteer Week, which is Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering, was held this year from 16 to 22 May. The theme for National Volunteer Week 2022 was Better Together. Quite appropriate for BYS.
It was great to recognise our volunteers as part of National Volunteer Week and I sincerely thank everyone for everything you do to make BYS a great club.
Matt McCarthy
Commodore
