Local heroes wanted, no cape required

NOT all heroes wear capes, but maybe they should start distributing some to the volunteers at Lifeline.

As part of National Volunteers Week, the crisis call centre is celebrating their volunteers, and asking others to step up and be heroes as well.

Dubbo Lifeline team leader Libby Williams (pictured) said it took someone special to be a volunteer.

“We need people who have life experience – people who have lived, laughed and loved,” she said.

“We need people who are open to learning, and we need people who care about others and want to make a difference.”

People who volunteer for the 13 11 14 Lifeline service undergo six weeks of training and are then asked to give three hours of their time each week.

Ms Williams said the training covers all aspect of the service, including how to deal with “challenging” calls.

“Not all our calls are from people in dire straits,” she said.

“Sometimes, people are just lonely. Or they might call and say, ‘I’m on medication and it takes 10 minutes for it to kick in, can I just talk to someone for 10 minutes?’

“We’re a coping strategy for some people.”

She added Lifeline had experienced a 33 per cent rise in the number of people calling the service.

“Particularly after COVID, people are a bit afraid to go out,” Ms Williams said.

“They’ve lost their confidence, or they’re worried about going to things like a book club, that wouldn’t have worried them before.”

Ms Williams said the biggest concern was the number of missed calls.

“We are not able to get to around 250 calls each day and that’s huge,” she said.

“All the services are getting slammed, the hospitals are overloaded, mental health services are overloaded. The past couple of years have really heightened the level of people needing support.”

She said being a Lifeline volunteer was “extremely rewarding”.

“There’s nothing better than hearing the tone of voice change on the phone,” Ms Williams said. “To hear somebody realise that they see hope and a way forward.” Lifeline has also launched a new service called 13 Yarn, which is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The call centre is staffed solely by First Nations people. “Suicide rates for Indigenous Australians supersedes any other group in this country,” Ms Williams said. “First Nations people can call this line knowing that the person on the other end knows the terminology they use; they know the culture; they know how to talk about death in that culture.

“Culture impacts all our choices, so to have this service for First Nations people is very empowering.”

Lifeline is calling for more volunteers, with the next round of training starting on June 20.

“Our volunteers are dedicated, compassionate people,” Ms Williams said.

“We teach them emotional resilience, and self-care, because when you’re caring for others, that is so important.

“We’re so thankful for our amazing volunteers and we’re desperate for more people to join them.”

To volunteer for Lifeline call: 1300 798 258 or email: volunteering@lifelinecentralwest.org.au

If you, or someone you know, needs support or someone to talk to, you can call Lifeline 24 hours a day on 13 11 14.