While much fanfare is made of the contribution that grey nomad volunteers make to various rural towns, scant regard is paid to the hole they leave in the communities they leave behind in order to travel.
While kind-hearted caravanners and motorhomers are fixing fences, cooking meals at stations, and helping out on dinosaur bone digs across the country, some basic services in their home towns are counting down the days to their return.
In Port Lincoln on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, for example, the local Meals on Wheels service is already worried about how they will fill vacancies when many of their most enthusiastic volunteers hit the open road and head north during the cooler months.
“Through the winter months, we have quite a lot of grey nomads that exit to the north so we’ve got to fill those places and it’s quite difficult sometimes,” long-time Meals on Wheels volunteer, Mary Whittaker, told the Port Lincoln Times. “The regulars can’t always stretch themselves enough to cover all the rosters.”
Like many organisations up and down Australia, the group needs general volunteers to work just a few hours a fortnight. Apparently, the driver jobs are the most difficult to fill as some people are not comfortable with driving.
“If you don’t know the streets of Port Lincoln, you’ll soon learn,” Mrs Whittaker said. “I’ve been involved for over 20 years, this is my 21st year, and my daughter Adele has been involved on and off for 10 years.”
She said it was a rewarding role to play in the community, providing a service valued by so many people.
· Do you have to temporarily leave a volunteer position ‘at home’ when you travel during the winter? Comment below.
Meals on Wheels in Whyalla have the same problem in the colder months. We also have vacancies when those who don’t go away get colds and flu.