National Volunteer Week 2021

Date posted: 19 May 2021

A message to all volunteers at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium.

This year National Volunteer Week is being celebrated from 17-23 May 2021.

This important event is a timely opportunity to thank you for the significant contribution that you make as a volunteer at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium.

The theme for National Volunteers Week 2021 is Recognise. Reconnect. Reimagine.

The past 18 months have been a challenging time in our lives, and have impacted on our capacity to operate our diverse volunteer programme and, importantly, your capacity to volunteer.

While I recognise that volunteer activity has not resumed to the scale it was pre-COVID, I have been delighted to see an increase in reconnecting with our volunteers since the November lockdown.

On behalf of everyone at the Botanic Gardens and State Herbarium, I want to recognise your patience throughout this difficult period, and your enthusiasm to reconnect so quickly.

Volunteers contribute to many different areas within our institution. It can be through the important science and conservation work of the State Herbarium and Seed Conservation Centre, or through vital quality support to our visitors through the Visitor Information Centre, Santos Museum of Economic Botany and guided walks, and education in the Little Sprouts Kitchen Garden, as well as the practical ongoing work in the Hands on Hort programme and International Rose Garden.

Volunteers like you make our institution richer.

We rely on your knowledge, expertise and passion to improve our contribution to the community; your work helps us to connect people with plants through our diverse gardens, scientific research and lifelong learning opportunities.

It is evident that the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic is still having some impact on the way we do our work, and there has been some decline in volunteer activity.

Over the next year, we will be focused on reconnecting with our volunteers. At this stage, we are hopeful that we can celebrate and acknowledge your achievements, in person, at a small event later this year.

Thank you again for your dedication, hard work and commitment to our institution.

Best wishes