This week is National Volunteers Week, Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering to focus on the role of volunteers in building and strengthening Australian communities, according to this year’s theme ‘better together’.

In marking National Volunteer Week, Diving Australia would like to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of volunteers from grassroots local competitions to national events, and celebrate their crucial role in supporting the development of the sport and the diving community.

Volunteers come from all walks of life - some start their journey into the sport to acquire knowledge and experience, some to grow their social network, many of them just for fun, or love of the sport. 

For Diving Australia 2021 Volunteer of the Year Janine Barrett, one of more than three million Australians who volunteer in the sport and active recreation sector, it was her daughter Grace who brought her into the diving community, almost ten years ago.

“I’ve never been one to sit in the stands and wait, I’ve always been one who wants to keep busy,” Janine said. “So when Grace was 12 and she started diving, I joined the recording table with Diving NSW and have been volunteering ever since.”

With both parents active in their community as volunteers, Janine was almost seamlessly born and bred into volunteering herself. But other people with different backgrounds might sometimes be intimidated by the commitment and overestimate the skill set required to become part of the volunteering community. To them, Janine recommends not to be afraid and give it a go.

“Volunteers are very supportive of each other,” she said, adding that the diving volunteering community in particular is one of the best she’s come across.

“Everyone is absolutely fabulous. Everyone works together, always looking for new things to do and new ways to learn. Everyone just gets in there, lends a hand wherever it's needed.

“It’s not difficult. For me [volunteering at the scoring table] requires concentration, I suppose, especially during long events. But it’s not a difficult thing to do.

“You just have to love what you do and get in there. Give it a red hot go!” she said.

National Volunteer Week is a chance for all of us to celebrate and recognise the vital work of our amazing volunteers and to say thank you for their contribution. 

Put your hand up and wave your appreciation for volunteers by adding a smiley face on your hand and uploading your photo to social media using #WaveForVolunteers and #NVW2022. 

If you’d like to explore volunteering opportunities with Diving Australia, reach out to admin@diving.org.au.