Joanne Shares Volunteer Experience With RDA

RDA Young continues to seek volunteers for their organisation. A series of current volunteers will share their experience with RDA over the next couple of months.

Perhaps you would like to join them for a chat and a cuppa and see if volunteering with them is the right fit for you.

Volunteer: Joanne Brown

How old are you?
I’m in my late 50s.

How did you learn about RDA?
I think I saw an ad somewhere when I moved here or got talking to someone who steered me in the right direction.

Why did you start volunteering?
To give back, get involved with my community, and to get to know people. I moved here three years ago from the Illawarra and wanted to meet people and volunteering was a great way to do that. I knew of RDA in the Illawarra so it was in the back of my mind when we moved. I came along and met the team and it went from there.

What do you do in your role as volunteer?
In my role, I help to bring horses in, help with grooming and saddling, lead the horses with our riders on board, and assist our riders with the activities. I have horses myself so I am quite involved with the RDA horses and am also a trainee Assistant Coach with RDA now. But, we also have many other roles for volunteers such as helping set up our arenas, helping riders with the activities, and our fundraising barbecues and activities.

How has volunteering with the organisation changed you?
Wow, in so many ways. I have made so many friends and learned so much, about horses, about children and adults with disabilities, and about myself. There’s nothing like the smiles on the faces of children when they get on the horses. That’s why I do it. The smiles. It’s magical.

What advice would you give to a prospective volunteer who isn’t quite sure whether to go ahead or not?
Please come and have a look and meet our team of volunteers. You don’t need to have horse experience, just a willingness to learn and a love of the outdoors and people. All our volunteers are friendly and love a chat and a cuppa.

Is there anything else that people should consider or know before volunteering?
Because we work with children you’d need a Working with Children Check. Other than that, you may have valuable skills we can use. You could be a retired teacher or have first aid knowledge or be a support worker with free time. If you can spare a couple of hours on a Tuesday, we’d love to meet you.

• Topics:

• Volunteering
• Community Groups
• Equestrian