
Celebrating International Volunteer Day on Tuesday, we reflect on the contributions of Transplant Australia’s many volunteers.
Transplant Australia has a rich history dating back 40 years or so starting originally as the Transplant Sports Associations in each state. The big change occurred in 2003 with the formation of a national board that carries Transplant Australia through to this day.
The lifeblood of this charity over all those years has been the wonderful volunteers, many of whom are no longer with us, who dedicated countless hours of service to help other recipients and promote donation.
In honour of International Volunteer Day, I’d like to acknowledge and thank the hundreds of volunteers around the country who selflessly want something better for the next generation of recipients.
Always dangerous to name names but I will call out Margaret Hill, our Australian Team Manager to the World Transplant Games. Marg, and she won’t mind me saying, lost her husband Ian, a transplant recipient, back in 2015. She had every reason to call it a day after working on the NSW Committee for so long. But fast forward and she is still helping us and our community.
Of course, as I have said before the World Transplant Games could not have happened without the wonderful volunteers who fronted up every day.
And finally, to our state committees. It’s been tough through COVID and many of our volunteers sought the safety and comfort of their homes. We have a new strategy to join everyone again around Australia and Julie Edwards as Membership Manager will lead this in 2024. I hope you can join us.
The theme of this year’s International Volunteer Day is, #IfEveryoneDid. If everyone volunteered imagine the limitless possibilities for sustainable development – food and education for everyone, clean environment and good health, inclusive and peaceful societies, and more.
To everyone who contributes to making Australia a better place, thank you.
Chris Thomas
Chief Executive Officer
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