Connecting communities
Published on 22 May 2025
Volunteers across the City of Onkaparinga are being honoured from 19–25 May as part of National Volunteer Week.
The 2025 theme of Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering is ‘Connecting Communities’, celebrating the way volunteering creates lasting relationships that enrich lives and strengthen communities, and exploring how giving to others fosters community engagement, connection and belonging.
About 559 people volunteered close to 80,000 hours across 30 council programs and 12 locations over the past year, with some of the volunteers having racked up decades of service.
Meet some of the wonderful volunteers strengthening Onkaparinga’s communities below.
Honouring their service
A recognition ceremony was held by the City of Onkaparinga on Thursday 22 May to recognise the service of 47 much-loved council volunteers.
Among those recognised for their 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years of volunteer service with the council was Christie Downs’ Lyn Court, who started volunteering with the then City of Noarlunga in 1992.
Lyn has volunteered across a number of roles in her time – including at Christie Downs Community House and the Healthy Cities program – but for the past 25 years she’s been a member of her local graffiti removal team.
City of Onkaparinga Asset Protection Officer, Paul George, said Lyn’s contribution to the community during this time has been enormous.
“Her reliability and dedication for keeping her local community clean and tidy is much appreciated by the Asset Protection Team,” Paul said.
“Lyn has many skills, is a good listener and with sound moral principles, she has always given her all.
“She’s well respected in her district and has helped many of her neighbours with local issues.”
Lyn and many of the other 46 volunteers attended Thursday’s McLaren Vale and Fleurieu Coast Visitor Centre ceremony, where council CEO Phu Nguyen and Deputy Mayor Lauren Jew formally thanked them and presented them with recognition of service certificates and badges, followed by a performance by the Shedtastics.
A heartfelt contribution
Another long-time council volunteer, Wendy Milano, officially retired from her volunteering role after 13 years of service in 2021, but that hasn’t stopped her from contributing to her beloved Wakefield House community.
Despite no longer holding an active volunteering position, her passion for Wakefield House Positive ageing centre and its attendees has continued through her involvement in the centre’s advisory group and her ongoing attendance at Wakefield programs and events.
She’s also helping to make the centre a brighter place in a more literal sense. The talented artist recently devoted more than 500 hours to create stunning, Wakefield-inspired artworks that now adorn the centre; and also painted the pottery space’s exterior to make it a more vibrant place for its participants for years to come.
Wakefield House Positive Ageing Centre Coordinator, Nikki Bland, said Wendy’s fierce advocacy for the centre ensured its community’s collective vision continues to thrive.
“We’re incredibly grateful for her continued support, and her commitment to Wakefield House is a testament to the lasting impact one individual can have on a community,” Nikki said.
From playgroup to community pillars
When Lou Turner began taking her granddaughter to her local playgroup, she never expected to still be there almost 2 decades later.
Together with husband, Len, the couple have been volunteering at Junction’s Hackham Community Centre for almost 30 years between them.
“I came here when my granddaughter was 2 and then I took the other grandchildren too,” Lou, 63, said.
“I didn’t want it to end. I loved it here, so I decided to volunteer.” Soon after, Len joined her.
“Sometimes when I came in to pick Lou up, they would ask me to help with the garden, move furniture or hang a picture,” Len said.
“They kept asking me to volunteer so I eventually did. Lou seemed to love it so I thought I might like it too.”
Lou’s volunteering mainly involves helping with administration and sorting donations, while Len is a “jack of all trades”.
“I mainly do gardening and maintenance,” the 70-year-old said.
“I fix a lot of broken toys. When I started, there was this one boy who wasn’t connected with his dad. I was hanging some shelving and he sat with me and asked if he could help. So, I got him to pass things to me and you could see how special it was to him.”
Junction CEO, Maria Palumbo, said Junction was fortunate to have around a dozen volunteers supporting its work across housing and community services.
“Our volunteers complement our workforce adding different perspectives, experience and knowledge,” Maria said.
She described Lou and Len as stalwarts of the organisation and community.
“We cannot thank them enough,” Maria said. “The positive impact they have on our staff and the people we work with is immense.”
Lou said volunteering enabled her to stay connected with community.
“I’ve had health issues, but Len knows there are people here to help me if I need it,” she said.
“We’ve both found it a safe place to be. It’s a gift in many ways.”
Len agreed. “I certainly feel useful,” he said. “We get a lot out of it too.”