Great-grandparents Brian and Lola Milsom of Bonny Hills have gone bush.
The couple is using spare time and years of experience to lighten the load for families in the outback.
The great-grandparents of three and grandparents of 10 are volunteers with the Frontier Services program Outback Links that provides support for families in the bush.
Mr and Mrs Milsom, aged 74 and 73, recently travelled 19 hours north to volunteer their time for a family on a cattle station near Duaringa, west of Rockhampton.
Previous to this, they have volunteered to help repair a run-down historic pub in the tiny town of Fifield, 150km west of Parkes, and provided an extra set of hands at a property in Thargomindah in south-west Queensland.
Mr Milsom said they first learned about Outback Links at the Bonny Hills Uniting Church, where they are members. The idea of supporting families in the outback immediately struck a chord with them.
“We have a lot of experience between us,” said Mrs Milsom.
“It’s a shame to sit back and do nothing with it.”
They seized on the opportunity to use their experience to help others with Outback Links.
Travelling in their four-wheel-drive and caravan in tow, the Milsoms travelled to Duaringa and spent two weeks at the cattle station, assisting wherever they could.
Mr Milsom, a fitter and turner who retrained as a solar engineer when he was 50, helped out with general duties around the farm and house. He installed screen doors, repaired a vehicle and constructed a box for a cattle weighing machine.
Mrs Milsom, a former school librarian, assisted with painting and wallpaper and was a big help with the children.
In particular, she minded the younger children while the mother assisted her eldest child with the School of the Air.
“The people we help are not destitute, they just do not have the time to get all the jobs done,” said Mr Milsom.
“Most of the time, we are helping out with the mundane, everyday jobs that have to be done, but the honest gratitude and thankfulness that we receive really brings home that these are the things they appreciate the most.”
Outback Links volunteers provide an extra set of hands to help families cope with added pressures, such as an illness, financial strain, seasonal workloads or any other situation.
Volunteers come from all walks of life, including retirees, backpackers, tradespeople, teachers and others.
To find out more, go to www.frontierservices.org/outbacklinks or phone 1300 731 349.
