VOLUNTEER GROUPS: Shout out to local volunteers

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Volunteers – they are everywhere! And in a small rural community, they are essential to keep organisations and processes running. From ambulance staff to firefighters, food bank workers to our support groups, Golden Bay has an amazing group keeping our community fair, accessible, safe, and welcoming for all.

Socially, Golden Bay does well too, with volunteers working weekly in interest groups and sports clubs. Be it the committee members, coaches on the ground, or mums, dads, and partners providing transport. If one of these vital links is missing, sports are much harder for up-and-coming and senior athletes alike.

Why write this? It’s a regular occurrence to see adult volunteers giving their time to a sport they may have been involved with themselves, as coaches, referees, and team managers, but it takes a lot of guts to step out of that comfort zone into a sport you don’t play, and even more to step up into a position of responsibility. So, this is a shout out to all volunteer sideline medics and first aiders this year. It truly is the best seat in the house to see the game, but it is a huge responsibility and often not good for your nerves.

I’d also like to make a special mention of a volunteer who is a sideline medic for a sport she doesn’t even play. Tākaka’s Lily Tait has stepped up this year. Fresh out of high school, she is working hard at her job, holding down a Strength and Conditioning internship, qualified in First Aid In Rugby (FAIR), and upskilling in dealing with trauma on a sports field, all so she can do the best job possible as sideline medic for the Senior B rugby team. In the 2023 season so far, she has earned the respect of her team, worked with the amazing Kahurangi Women’s side, and very competently assisted in sideline management of a serious injury, which no doubt improved the outcome for the athlete.

So, a big thank you to all our volunteers, a huge thank you to the medics and emergency staff, and, to any other young people out there who want to get involved, take a leaf out of Lily’s playbook: get trained, get involved, and be an important part of sport in Golden Bay, as one of our awesome volunteers.

To help celebrate and support Golden Bay’s volunteers, The GB Weekly is providing a platform for local organisations to explain what they do, and how the local community can contribute to the cause and/or get involved. Volunteer organisations are invited to submit text (maximum 350 words) plus a photo to: admin@gbweekly.co.nz iPhone/iPad Apps and much more on our store. The solutions will be published here in the next issue.