The Observer June 2023 Edition

June 18th -24th is National Volunteer Week, and the theme this year is ‘Time to Shine – He wā pīataata.’ It is a time to thank all the volunteers that make our community a better place, and to showcase some of the ways that you can get involved.

Volunteering is more than just helping others, although this is certainly a huge part of it. There are a large number of services, events and community groups that are run entirely by volunteers, which benefits everyone living in the community. As well as helping others, the benefits to individuals who volunteer are extensive, including helping them to feel connected in their community, and sharing a purpose with others. In a rural community, it is easy to feel a sense of isolation, but Oxford has a lot of options to get involved. There is absolutely something for everyone!

U-Drive is a mentored driving programme to help youth move from their Learner’s Licence to their Restricted. Mentors are trained to help the young people practise their driving weekly, to gain the skills needed.

Trish has been involved in the U-Drive programme for about 3 years. Her role entails weekly driving, first in Oxford, then Rangiora for about 10 -12 weeks, teaching everything from proper mirror use, how to negotiate roundabouts, traffic lights, parallel parking, turning correctly, speed control, proper hand use on steering wheel & generally how to be a confident driver in all conditions. Trish says “I just love it, taking people from nervous & over cautious drivers to be confident in all aspects of driving. They start off making mistakes, driving very slowly, no idea how to parallel park to being very confident in every aspect of driving. The grin of success when they get their restricted licence is fabulous.”

U-Drive is run by Oxford Community Trust - 03 312 3006

Located at 72 Main Street, Oxford Gallery is ‘A place to create, learn, explore, demonstrate and display visual arts.’

Judith has been volunteering at the Oxford Gallery for about three years, and does at least two duties a month, but often more if they are short. A shift at the Gallery for her involved being a friendly face when people come in to visit, being able to chat about the current exhibition, and also art work available to purchase, and also having some knowledge of the Oxford township, and being able to recommend places to visit. Volunteers get to work alongside others to learn the ropes, and full training is provided. Judith says “I enjoy being able to give something back to the community, being involved in an important part of the community, plus the camaraderie of the other volunteers.”

www.oxfordgallery.org.nz 03 312 1639

The purpose of the OB&I League is "To raise funds to assist and to contribute to benevolence generally”. They raise funds through the running of movies at the Oxford Town Hall for the benefit of the community.

Alice has been volunteering for the OB&I League for around 7 years. She is Secretary which involves administrative tasks, but along with this she also attends the movies regularly to assist with the set up of the venue, ticket selling, greeting patrons and cleaning up at the end of the movies. Alice says “I have met some amazing local people through my volunteering with OB&I League, and I love movies. It is hugely satisfying to be part of an organisation giving the opportunity of viewing movies locally.”

www.oxfordmovies.nz

Oxford Senior Citizens hold monthly meetings for the purpose of entertainment, fellowship and outings. It is open to retired people within the Oxford ward and other members at the discretion of the committee.

Jan has been a member of OSC for 5 years, and is in her second year in the role of Secretary. She says “At our meetings we try to have entertainers or speakers of interest for us. We also do outings during the year and have a mid year luncheon and a Christmas dinner. If you would like to get involved, subs are $10 a year and new members are welcome anytime. Meetings are held second Wednesday of the month. For more information you can contact the President, Sarah on 027 7557196.

Waimakariri District Council recognises the huge contribution by not-for-profit groups and organisations in providing so many services and activities in our district. The vast majority of these groups rely on volunteers to function. Volunteers who are passionate about the work of an organisation often find they need to fill governance roles, but may not necessarily have those skills. The Council Community team provides workshops on many topics of value for volunteers to upskill, such as funding, health and safety and communication plans. They can also provide assistance to groups with strategic planning or reviewing their governance structure. For more information on these workshops or for any assistance, you can contact Wendy Howe Community Development Facilitator at wendy.howe@wmk.govt.nz, or 032669151 .

If you are interested in finding a way to get involved and become a volunteer in Oxford, please feel free to pop into the Oxford Community Trust, and they can have a chat about some of the options that are out there in the community for you. They are based at 37 Main Street, or you can call them on 312 3006.