Honours for volunteers
THE outstanding efforts of Townsville’s senior residents were on display in front of a crowd of more than 1000 people at the 2019 Townsville City Council Seniors Luncheon.
Among them was Robyn Moore, who has dedicated her retirement years to volunteering with a range of organisations. In recent years she has worked with community groups caring for people living with disability and, more recently, with the Suicide Prevention Network Townsville and Operation Compass to deliver training and support for suicide prevention.
Mrs Moore said the recent flood event placed many more people in a vulnerable position, causing a demand for the important training.
“I felt really rewarded with the work we’ve been doing since the floods. It’s been a really hard time for the Townsville community and so many people have struggled,” Mrs Moore said. “We’ve had an increased demand for the training, even hotels have asked us to go and do training for their staff, because people that were displaced from the floods were put into hotels and the staff were having to deal with very stressed people that they wouldn’t usually help.”
Mrs Moore was named Female Senior of the Year for her work and hoped it highlighted the importance of Operation Compass and the Townsville Suicide Prevention Network.
“When I do the training for suicide prevention I feel very satisfied those people will be able to connect with somebody that’s not travelling well and be able to help them in a practical way,” she said. “A lot of organisations have been coming together to work as one and it’s not everyone just doing their own thing.
Despite her 35-year nursing career prior to working with children with a disability before retiring, Mrs Moore said the suicide prevention network was her most meaningful work. “I retired a number of years ago and got involved in all sorts of things and it’s probably the best years of my life,” she said. “I was a Lifeline counsellor for a while and just thought this was something we needed to do in the community before people got to that crisis point of ringing.”
Council’s annual Seniors Luncheon, this year celebrating a country and western theme, highlights the important contribution seniors over the age of 60 make to the community through their volunteering efforts.
Each year just one male and female are picked as the Townsville Senior Award winners from 20 deserving volunteers.
Awarded for his volunteer work to keep indigenous men out of jail and actively engaged in the community was Alfred Smallwood.
Mr Smallwood was named Male Senior of the Year as the chairman and co-ordinator of Alfred’s Men’s Group.
“I have the partners come up to me and say ‘What did you do? He’s a different man and my children have their father back’,” he said.
“I hope this award shows the value of the work we do and I can get some help funding it, because I’ve been doing it just on my own.”