Many of Armidale’s army of volunteers, who usually work quietly in the background, were a visible presence last week to promote their activities.
Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay, who opened the Volunteers Expo at the Armidale Plaza, said the community, the State and the nation could not manage without them.
“I’m told that, if we had to pay for the work so willingly undertaken by volunteers, we’d be taxed at 98 cents in the dollar,” he said.
“The volunteer culture in our communities is fantastic and we now have it on record that the Northern Tablelands has the highest number of volunteers in NSW.
“Everywhere I go in our region, I meet people giving their time and energy to improve our quality of life and make a difference on an everyday basis.
“As a community we are proud of this contribution and we should never take it for granted.”
The Expo, marking a decade since the last held in Armidale to mark the International Year of Volunteering, attracted 23 participating organisations.
Armidale Volunteer Referral Service Coordinator Jane Davies said the Service had 470 local volunteers on its register.
“That’s only a fraction of the number in the Armidale district,” she said.
“Across the Northern Table-lands, a quarter of the population is involved in some form of volunteer work.
“The Expo was organised to give the community a view of some of the work being undertaken and to recruit more people who might want to be involved.”
