Volunteering

Want to work outside? Volunteers work on beaches, parks, showgrounds, natural areas and waterways. Our volunteers are important in helping to maintain our wonderful environment to a high standard. We rely on our volunteer workforce, as without them we couldn't maintain the standards we want to achieve. This type of work is varied, sociable and helps keep you fit. Most groups meet weekly for a couple of hours. Council supplies the equipment. Volunteers supply the muscle power.

In the Great Lakes, there is currently over 50 active volunteer groups consisting of mowing and maintenance groups, land care and dune care groups, and waterways maintenance groups.

Southern districts groups are situated in Allworth, Tea Gardens, Hawks Nest, Pindimar/Bundabah, Karuah, Wards River, North Arm Cove and Nerong. Northern district group are currently based in Forster, Tuncurry, Pacific Palms, Bungwahl, Coolongolook, Coomba, Darawank, Green Point, Nabiac, Smiths Lake and Tarbuck Bay.

If you are keen to start a new group, or even work solo, we want to hear from you too. You will need to be registered and undertake a short safety induction. The first step is to fill in the Volunteering Registration Form. We can't wait to meet with you.

If you would like to volunteer as a part of one of the local Landcare groups, please contact MidCoast 2 Tops Landcare Connection on 0487 477 603.

Volunteers are a vital part of our community support programs, such as MidCoast Assist. The more volunteers - the more people can benefit.

We provide suitable training, along with ongoing support and payment of some expenses.

Volunteers in this area will need to go through a screening process in order to assess their suitability for different roles.

What sort of assistance can you provide? There are so many varied opportunities to utilise your skills to assist older people. These include:

• Shopping assistance

• Social visiting & companionship

• Assisting in our day Centre for people living with dementia

• Assisting older people to use technology devices to maintain social contact 

• Taking people for meals or outings

• Helping with transport

Whatever you choose to do, your volunteer time and energy will make a massive difference to our clients.

Take the first step to helping others by visiting the MidCoast Assist Volunteering page.

We have lots of volunteers at our branch libraries in Taree, Forster, Gloucester, Wingham, Harrington, Hallidays Point, Old Bar, Nabiac, Stroud, Bulahdelah and Tea Gardens.

Library volunteers have a number of varied roles and get involved in many of the aspects of library operations.

Duties may include: maintaining items in the library collection, helping the public, shelving items, ensuring bookshelves are organised and tidy, home library service delivery, literacy tutoring, assisting with book sale itemsassisting with a wide range of children’s programs, internet and genealogy assistance*. You won't believe how much fun there is in our libraries!

It's a great place to get involved if you enjoy meeting and helping people. Not only do you get to help your community, but you will learn new skills yourself.

Please note: We have reached capacity for Library volunteers due to a great amount of interest. We are currently unable to take any further registration forms, but will update the website when volunteering positions become available.

*This variety of roles is dependent on the branch at which you are interested in volunteering. Some of our branches do not require assistance in this range of services.  

Volunteers are a vital part of the Manning Entertainment Centre. If you would like to volunteer as an usher, a bar attendant or for occasional office assistance, fill out the Volunteering Registration Form. 

Please note that ushers will need to be comfortable walking up and down stairs and bar attendants will need to have completed Responsible Service of Alcohol training.

The Manning Regional Gallery welcomes volunteers. We currently have 65 volunteers at the gallery, assisting with reception, retail sales and supervision. Our volunteers also assist with installation of exhibits, fundraising activities, opening nights, and maintenance of the gallery grounds.

If you have an interest in the arts and would like to get involved, fill out the Volunteering Registration Form. 

We have numerous community halls across the MidCoast region. Volunteer community committees manage many of these.

Volunteer Hall Management Committee members generally oversee the upkeep, maintenance and cleanliness of the building and grounds; take both regular and one-off event bookings and payments; organise hall-based community events; liaise with Council; and generally run the day to day affairs associated with 'their' hall.

To get involved, simply start by filling in the Volunteering Registration Form. 

Green Bikes is an informal group which specialises in repairing unwanted bicycles for resale to the public as cheap transport.

We repair, supply spare parts, train budding mechanics and help the public fix their own bikes.

All are welcome to call in and/or join. Prior skills in bicycle repair are not required.

Visit us at the transfer station site in Tuncurry on Mon 9am - 12pm or Wed 12pm - 3pm.

Heritage volunteers are crucial to maintaining our local heritage. Directly, we have a number of volunteers who once a week transcribe the details from historic rates books into tables that are made available as a research tool on the MidCoast Stories website. To-date volunteers have provided over 4,000 hours recording these documents which is an amazing effort. Volunteers have also assisted undertaking research to improve our information on heritage sites.

If you have an interest in heritage and would like to get involved please fill out the Volunteering Registration Form.

Across the MidCoast numerous volunteers provide their time to the nine historical societies/family research groups that provide museums and research facilities for residents and tourists to our region. These organisations are always looking for volunteers who have an interest in our local heritage. To find out more visit the relevant websites below:

• Manning Valley Historical Society
• Tinonee Historical Society
• Cundletown and Lower Manning Historical society
• Manning Wallamba Family History Society
• Great Lakes Historical Society
• Gloucester Historical Society
• Stroud Historical Society
• Bulahdelah Historical Society
• Tea Gardens Hawks Nest Family Research and Local History Group