Lumen Winter 2015 - Flipbook - Page 22
stor y by Er i ca Ben n
Volunteers make a
valuable contribution
The University of Adelaide has one of the largest volunteer programs at any university
with volunteers making an invaluable impact on the culture and vibrancy of campus life.
Er i ca Boyl e
D avi d Pen n
M ar gar et H ar r i son
BEc 1994, BCom 1996, MBA 2010
Volunteer in the
Urrbrae House
gardens and
Waite Arboretum
I moved to
Adelaide from
Argentina a
year ago and
volunteering
has helped me
settle into my new life. I am studying
English as a second language and part
of my course was to complete work
experience. That’s how I discovered
the Urrbrae House gardens. I studied
agronomy in Argentina so volunteering
here means I can use my knowledge of
plants and practice speaking English. It
has been a great experience and I love
working in such a serene environment.
L i n h D an L u on g
Current student
Bachelor of Media
student and
volunteer with the
Compass program
Being a volunteer
with the University,
especially the
Compass program,
has been the best
experience since arriving in Adelaide six
months ago. Through the program, I have
made new friends and learnt a lot about
Australian life and culture. Volunteering has
given me a sense of community and family,
something I didn’t imagine would happen
here in Adelaide for a Vietnamese girl like me.
20 Lumen | Winter 2015
AU Sport President
and volunteer of the
AU Cricket Club
I am currently the
President of the
AU Sports Board
and coach the
women’s cricket
team. I joined the
AU Cricket Club as an undergraduate and
have been there ever since. Over time
I’ve had opportunities to contribute to the
running of the club through committee
work and now through coaching. I’ve
had an enormous amount of enjoyment
from my involvement in sport and
coaching allows me to give something
back, hopefully by passing on my
knowledge and enthusiasm for the game.
In particular I’m glad to be able to help
increase female participation in cricket.
In recent years I’ve enjoyed contributing
to the wider AU Sport community by
serving as a Board Member and now
as President. We all know university life
is more than lectures and exams; it’s
about the wider university experience
and for some students sport is a big
part of that. I’d encourage anyone to get
involved in volunteering and to contribute
in some way; all clubs, sporting
or otherwise, need plenty of good
volunteers to help them thrive.
Volunteer in the Barr Smith Library’s
Theatre and Performing Arts Program
I have volunteered with the Theatre
and Performing Arts Program since it
began 10 years ago. Each week we
meet to sort, date and file donated
theatre programs and enter the data into
Austage, the national performing arts
database. I love theatre and concerts
and their history so this volunteering
position is the perfect fit – it is interesting
and has a genuine research purpose. I
have made many friends and we love to
reminisce about performers and shows
we’ve seen in the past and loved, which
often helps with cataloguing. Volunteering
at the University is one of the best things
I’ve done in a long life of volunteering.
