Nicki Munro transcript

Nicki Munro:

If the whole world just shut down all volunteering, the communities would fail. We need that. That is the foundation of our communities.

My name is Nicki Munro. I live here in Beechworth. I'm part of the local Landcare group Beechworth Urban Landcare and Sustainability. So our main purpose, I think, is to re-establish the native vegetation of this area. Beechworth is an old gold mining town. Areas up the creek in particular and down here were heavily turned over in the gold mining days.

It's only by the people who volunteer their time that we get the outcomes that we see. The best example in Beechworth I think, is a large strip of revegetation called the Glades. And a local group said, Let's convert this to native vegetation. Then they expanded and said, We're right on the edge of the lake. Let's have a beach, let's have a playground, let's have shelters and barbecues.

These facilities are now enjoyed by hundreds of people, and it's only because of volunteers who had a vision. I came from a family where my parents just automatically volunteered for all sorts of things in the town. It was kind of, just the done thing, and I don't look at what I can get out of it. It's almost like, what can I give, but I gain, by the wider community. Sometimes you give them little more in some areas, sometimes you gain a little more. In other areas, I reckon anybody can get into volunteering. There's a million and one things out there, and just dive in.