Celebrating our Volunteers

Published on 28 February 2022

On Thursday 24 February we celebrated our volunteers – as the Council acknowledges that without their commitment, dedication and passion, many of the services that we value, and at times take for granted, may not be possible.

We have experienced a very disruptive and challenging 2 years and a period of great change.  Both within our community given the uncertainty and upheaval the pandemic has created around the world, and continues to cause; and within our Council itself.

It was almost 2 years to the day, in fact it was the 16 Feb 2020, when the premier made the announcement which stopped all cruise ships from entering Tasmania. The following week Council made the decision, based on our duty of care to protect our volunteers, to cease their work duties across Council operations, leaving a void that many volunteers have struggled to fill given the prolonged impacts of COVID.

Council’s decision to change the way it delivers some services to the community has also had a lasting and profound impact on our volunteers with the permanent closure of the Visitor Information Centre and Creative Paper and the temporary closure of the art gallery and museum. All of these places and activities which were cherished by many, had been made possible by the dedicated, long-term commitment and passion of individuals and groups of volunteers that have given their time and skills to their craft.

Council is committed to delivering a reinvigorated Cultural Centre that recognises the heritage of our past, and delivers a new experience that will attract new users to the Centre from across our diverse Burnie community.

As we move forward, Council is working hard to re-build the trust it has enjoyed with our volunteers in the past and to re-engage with our volunteer community.  Community participation has always been one of the things that just makes this City work.

As we learn to live in this COVID world, we are forging on and we will see new opportunities opening up for volunteers that wish to join us as we strive to meet Council’s strategic goal which is to transform our CBD into a vibrant town centre.

We look forward to the exciting volunteer opportunities that lay ahead, with some of these outlined at the luncheon. If you are interested in finding out more or becoming a volunteer please visit our website and submit your interest.