Like me, recently you would have seen or heard about the wonderful people who became ‘Australians of the Year‘ in their various categories of contributions to our country.
All those people are to be congratulated and encouraged to continue to their best ability to serve their country and fellow Australians. We all thank them for their contributions to our lives as Australians and to our country and its future.
I am sure you know of people who should also be ‘Australians of the Year’ but rarely get acknowledged or recognised for their contribution to their community or the broader society in general. These are the people we call ‘volunteers.’ And I am certain you know many and most likely are one or have been one, yourself. Thank you.
Here at Pfeiffer Wines, we have a diverse range of people who are part of Team Pfeiffer. They all have specific roles to play as their job requires but not many of you know of their contribution to their community as volunteers.
Kylie who is our Sales and Marketing Manager, and Janice, who is one of our Wine Club Administration Coordinators, along with Janice’s husband Geoff, who works for us when he can, are incredibly kind people working to prevent suicide. They volunteer to an organisation called WASP – Wangaratta Area Suicide Prevention, to educate, help and support those who are impacted by suicide.
Their group has developed an incredibly valuable website that features an updated directory of over 250 resources, helplines, organisations, and support groups that provide crisis support, counselling, information, and research related to mental health and suicide prevention.
This year they are facilitating the delivery of an ongoing youth-focused mental health and suicide prevention program into their three local secondary schools. Their group have also painted two blue trees in Wangaratta. The blue trees you see in paddocks or gardens around our country are painted to be conversation-starters around mental health issues and suicide and aim to reduce the stigma that is still largely attached to mental health in our communities.
Jackson, known as Jacko, is our Vineyard Manager. Jacko is a volunteer fire fighter for one of our local CFA (Country Fire Authority) groups. There are many volunteer fire brigades on both sides of the border and each one supports the other as required. Over the course of this Summer, Jacko has been called out to numerous fires and car accidents. At times, Jacko has had to leave work at short notice to respond to emergencies. On other occasions, callouts have occurred in his own time, often meaning his ‘down time’ is anything but restful after attending such demanding and challenging incidents.
Toni who manages our Cellardoor is a volunteer with the local SES (State Emergency Services). Recently, on one of those scorching heatwave days, I watched her run to her car, dress hurriedly into her bright orange SES gear, kept in readiness in the boot of her car, and then drive a little faster than I have ever seen her drive before, to a car accident.
Sometimes she is called to attend a roof that has come off in a very strong wind event or to clear a fallen tree blocking a road. Toni and her SES are also often the first on the scene at a traffic accident and undertake the challenging and confronting task of extricating trapped motorists. These call outs can be any time of the day or night and Toni is always ready to help and coordinate alongside her SES colleagues.
Sharon is our most recent member to join Team Pfeiffer. She is a qualified Scuba Diving Divemaster and regularly dives around Nusa Penida, a stunning island southeast of Bali. Unfortunately, the ocean around the island has become polluted with plastic bottles because local schoolchildren rely on bottled water as their only safe drinking source, and many of these bottles eventually make their way into the sea.
Sharon discussed this with the local school principal, came back to Australia and through her Rotary Club, fund-raised to purchase refillable bottles (like the ones we carry around with us as a matter of course,) to be sent to hundreds of Nusa Penida students, not only to help them as individuals, but to encourage them to care for the environment in which they live and others love, as Sharon does.
She also volunteers as a crisis interviewer helping people in need with Uniting Vic Tas Emergency Food and Material Relief Services in Wodonga.
Then there are those who just ‘do.’ They ‘do’ by supporting their partners and friends who are volunteers in the official groups, like those I have mentioned above. They ‘do’ because it is the right thing to do. They ‘do’ because they know it needs to be done.
Thank goodness for volunteers and their supportive families. You know people and I know people who are volunteers and we are better off for knowing them. They truly are our ‘Australians of the Year.’
Recollections By Robyn Pfeiffer
Geoff, Janice and Kylie
Jacko
Toni
Sharon
Sharon and Nusa Penida Students
