This week (18-24 May) communities around Australia will celebrate National Volunteer Week 2026 with the theme Your Year to Volunteer.
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To the hundreds of volunteers who contribute to the Yarrawonga and Mulwala communities, we say thank you.
Volunteers strengthen society through their selfless efforts, and enrich their own lives with companionship, by learning new skills and raising much needed funds.
People discover true meaning and learn new things about themselves through volunteering.
Service runs through generations
Volunteering for 19 years with the SES Jason Forber’s family-driven commitment to service.
For Jason, volunteering with the Victoria State Emergency Service is more than just responding to emergencies, it is part of who he is.
The Yarrawonga SES volunteer has spent 19 years helping communities through floods, storms, rescues and road accidents, continuing a family tradition that stretches back generations.
“My dad was a volunteer for 40 years and a staff member with SES for 15,” Jason said.
“My grandfather was Civil Defence before that, which is what SES became.
“It’s in the blood.”
Now living in Yarrawonga for the past nine years, Jason and his wife Chloe both volunteer with the SES while raising their three sons, Noah, 14, Oliver, 11, and Finley, four.
The family connection looks set to continue, with Noah already planning to join the SES junior program when he turns 15.
Jason said the organisation had become like an extended family.
“What we do is serious and important, but when we are training together, we are just one big family where we joke, have a laugh and look out for one another.”
Working full-time as an auto electrician, Jason balances work, family life and volunteering alongside about 32 local SES crew members from many different backgrounds.
The SES crew includes people from a wide range of professions and backgrounds, including nurses, mechanics, disability support workers, airport managers and IT specialists. Jason said the mix of life experience and training means there is always someone with the right idea or skill when things do not go to plan.
Jason said many people wrongly believed SES volunteering was only about attending major rescue scenes.
“We have volunteers who only do storm response or flood work,” he said.
“We would never force anyone into a situation they’re not comfortable in.”
One rescue during a major flood at Myrtleford remains especially memorable for Jason.
He recalled helping a mother and her young son, who was suffering a severe asthma attack while trapped by rising floodwaters.
Jason and fellow volunteers drove through dangerous conditions only to find a fallen tree blocking the road as the floodwaters continued to rise around them.
A wheel loader eventually cleared the tree, allowing the SES crew to reach the stranded family and bring them safely out.
“The relief that came across the mum’s face when we got out the other side was incredible,” Jason said.
“The little boy’s asthma attack almost instantly eased because the anxiety had been removed.”
While SES work can at times be confronting, Jason said he would continue volunteering for as long as the positives outweigh the negatives.
“For me, making a positive difference is what it’s all about,” he said.
As part of National Volunteer Week, Jason encouraged anyone considering volunteering to visit the local SES unit and meet the crew.
“Come down and see why we all love being here,” he said.
“To experience that family network and see what we do — that’s the best way to understand it.”
Jeanette’s quiet mission of kindness
As National Volunteer Week shines a light on the quiet achievers who keep communities connected, Jeanette O’Connor is one of those familiar faces whose kindness is felt long before a word is spoken.
With a warm smile, a gentle knock at the door, and a few minutes of genuine conversation, she brings something just as important as the meals she delivers - connection.
Originally from Corowa, Jeanette has spent the past 60 years building her life in Yarrawonga, where she is now a proud mother of two, grandmother of five, and eagerly awaiting the arrival of her first great-grandchild in July.
For more than a decade, she has volunteered with Meals on Wheels, becoming a familiar and much-loved presence to those she visits on her regular delivery runs.
Jeanette first became involved in 2012 or 2013, encouraged by a colleague at the golf club.
“They were always looking for people,” Jeanette said.
“That was the beginning of it, and I’ve loved it ever since.”
What began as something new quickly became a routine she now treasures.
“I think I get more pleasure out of it than the people I deliver to,” Jeanette said.
“Seeing their faces and hearing thank you makes your day.”
She remembers early nerves learning routes with around 25 clients but soon knew every door and every face.
The role has also shown her how vital the service can be. On one occasion, a client did not answer the door.
“I just felt something wasn’t right,” Jeanette said.
“She had fallen and couldn’t reach her phone. Moments like that remind you why this matters.
“Just being there can make all the difference.”
Alongside serious moments, there is plenty of humour on the rounds.
“Some love a chat so much you have to remind them someone else is still waiting,” Jeanette said.
“One lady used to say, ‘Bugger them, you’re with me now!’”
Her family often joins her on deliveries, with her husband regularly helping out and sometimes her 17-year-old grandson Daniel comes along as well.
Jeanette said he absolutely loves being part of it and the clients adore him, often not realising he is her grandson.
She said it is lovely seeing different generations connect through the volunteer work.
For Jeanette, Meals on Wheels is about connection as much as food.
“For many people we might be the only face they see that day,” Jeanette said.
“That little chat at the door can mean everything.”
And the reward is mutual for Jeanette.
“You think you’re helping others, but you walk away feeling good yourself,” she said.
Her message to potential volunteers is simple.
“It’s not hard…just a bit of time, a warm smile and a caring heart.”
This week Jeannette looks back on more than more than ten years volunteering to deliver meals across Yarrawonga, offering kindness, conversation and connection with every visit.
For her, volunteering has become a deeply rewarding part of life, and she says she receives just as much as she gives, valuing the friendships, stories and connections built over years on her delivery route which has brought lasting joy to her retirement years.
Jan Parker’s lifetime of service
It started with a simple decision to walk into a Neighbourhood House for a family history course, but for Jan Parker, that moment became the beginning of a lifetime spent quietly supporting her community in ways she never expected.
What began as curiosity soon grew into decades of volunteering, leadership, and service that have touched many lives.
Jan Parker began volunteering around 1997 or 1998, when family history classes sparked a deep interest in helping others explore their ancestry.
By 2001, she was bringing in microfiche readers and research materials to assist others, and what started as small, shared sessions soon grew beyond her home and into the Neighbourhood House.
That early work led to the formation of the Yarrawonga Family History Group in 2005.
Jan has remained closely involved ever since, now a life member and long-time president, helping locals uncover their family stories and preserve local history.
Alongside this, Jan Parker has dedicated 26 years to volunteer tax assistance through the Neighbourhood House.
Each year during tax season, she helps low-income earners complete their returns, providing a free and essential community service.
“It is a free service, and it is about making sure people get the support they need,” she said.
The program runs from July to September, often becoming busier as deadlines approach.
Her volunteer work extends well beyond the Neighbourhood House.
She is Secretary-Treasurer of the Yarrawonga Cemetery Trust and the Showground’s Victoria Park Committee of Management, a Justice of the Peace, and a member of the P–12 College Council.
She is also involved in the peak Victorian family history organisation.
Despite the number of roles she holds, Jan says her motivation is simple.
“I have always been a stay-at-home mum, and this is my way of contributing to the community and helping it grow,” she said.
She estimates she has travelled around 90,000 kilometres through her volunteer work over the years, supporting various community responsibilities and commitments.
Volunteering has also brought unexpected rewards, including lifelong friendships and new skills.
“I would not have developed the computer skills I now have if I had not been volunteering,” she said.
One of her most meaningful roles remains with the Cemetery Trust, where she supports families during difficult times.
“You are helping people at their lowest and that is what makes it so meaningful,” she said.
In 2016, Jan was named Yarrawonga Citizen of the Year, a recognition she describes as deeply humbling after years of quiet service.
Looking ahead, she hopes Neighbourhood House organisations continue to stay true to their community roots.
“I hope they do not forget what a Neighbourhood House is meant to be, it is about people, connection, and community,” she said.
Her advice to others is simple.
“Just do it. You must make the time,” she said.
For Jan Parker, volunteering is not about recognition but about people, showing up, giving time, and quietly strengthening the community she loves calling home.