Volunteer Service Awards
Brief ministerial statement
Ms Hannah Beazley (Victoria Park—Minister for Volunteering) (1:22 pm): Last week, as part of National Volunteer Week, I had the privilege of attending the 2025 WA Volunteer Service Awards. Since its inception, these special awards, delivered through the Department of Communities, have recognised over 4,000 individuals who have contributed five or more years of voluntary service. This year's awards recognised 492 generous Western Australians, including 20 remarkable individuals who have volunteered for more than 50 years, providing a combined 1,171 years of voluntary service. Each person recognised has an inspiring volunteering story, but I can mention only a few here today. Importantly, that should not take away from the incredible achievements of many award recipients whose details I seek leave to table this afternoon.
Among the volunteering stalwarts recognised was Dorothea Brown, who was celebrated for a remarkable 65 years of volunteer service to Girl Guides WA. Dorothy began volunteering with Girl Guides WA in the 1960s and is a long-serving member of the Perth Trefoil Guild, for which she continues to volunteer today.
Peter Nelson was similarly recognised for his 51 years of volunteer service to the Geraldton Surf Life Saving Club and Champion Bay Surf Life Saving Club. Peter is also the organiser of community swimming events, provides water safety advice to users of beach wheelchairs and helps to maintain beach access matting for people with disability or mobility challenges.
The awards were also an opportunity to recognise young volunteers aged 18 to 25 years. As Minister for Youth, it was fantastic to see 51 awardees aged 25 years and younger receive a volunteering service award in recognition of five or more years of service across a variety of organisations. One of the recipients was Shyanne O'Keefe, who has been volunteering since 2019 and now, at just 21 years of age, has been giving her time to groups, including the Mandurah Volunteer Marine Rescue Cadet Group and Mandurah Crab Fest. Research shows that young people who engage in volunteering activities prior to entering the workforce are more likely to engage in community volunteer activities for the rest of their lives.
Congratulations to all our younger volunteers who are doing so many wonderful things to empower and strengthen WA's communities. Now that Volunteer Week has come to a close for another year, I know members would agree how important it is that we continue to show our appreciation for Western Australian volunteers. Recognising volunteers throughout and outside of National Volunteer Week not only shows our appreciation for their contributions but also serves as an inspiration to others across our state to give volunteering a try so they too can discover the profound benefits of giving back.
