One of the things you may notice when you move to a regional community is just how much happens because local people put their hands up to help.

In our towns and villages across the Central West, volunteers often make events, facilities, clubs, and community projects happen.

Volunteers run Progress Associations. Parents give their time to school and preschool committees. Sporting clubs, museums, show societies, community halls, arts groups, and charities rely on people willing to lend a hand. Even some of our region’s major festivals and events depend on an army of volunteers working behind the scenes to make them happen.

It’s quite remarkable when you stop and think about it. That new playground, community facility or sporting amenity didn’t just appear. That festival you attended on the weekend didn’t happen by itself. Somewhere along the way, a group of local people sat around a table, came up with an idea, applied for funding, organised suppliers, sold tickets, put up signs, cooked sausages, moved tables and probably sent a lot of emails!

That is one of the things that makes regional communities so very special. And volunteering is also one of the best ways to meet people.

If you’ve recently moved to the Central West, volunteering can be a wonderful way to find your place in your new community.

You don’t necessarily need to join a committee or make a huge commitment. You might volunteer for a few hours at an event, help at your child’s school, lend a hand at a working bee, join your local Progress Association or offer a skill you already have.

Before long, you’re meeting people you may never have crossed paths with through work or your usual routine.

You start recognising faces at the supermarket. Someone stops to say hello in the main street. You hear about other things happening around town. Slowly, that place you’ve moved to starts feeling less like somewhere you live and more like your community.

There’s also something incredibly rewarding about being able to say, “I helped make that happen.”

Maybe you were part of the committee that secured funding for a new building. Perhaps you helped bring a festival to life, planted trees at the local preschool, raised money for new equipment or spent a Saturday morning setting up tables and chairs.

Whatever your contribution, you’re becoming part of the story of your new town.

Where do you start?

Think about what interests you. If you have children, their school, preschool, sporting club or activity group can be a natural starting point. If you love arts, history, gardening, sport, events, or community development, a local group will almost certainly love to hear from you.

And if you’re not sure what’s available, ask your Local Connector.
We can help introduce you to community groups, clubs, committees and volunteering opportunities throughout the Central West.

Sometimes the quickest way to feel at home in a new community is to put your hand up and say, “How can I help?”

Following are some examples across the Central West where you can put your hand up:

Elevate Bathurst BX After Dark Volunteer Expression of Interest | Elevate

Volunteer Connect Lithgow region Volunteer Connect Lithgow Region

Orange Volunteer Organisations Volunteer – Orange City Council

Parkes CanAssist Volunteering at Can Assist – Cancer Assistance Network NSW

Forbes Shire Council Volunteering | Forbes Shire Council

SES Volunteer | NSW SES