Volunteering
The $100 million windfall that quickly turned from a blessing into a curse
With Barack Obama and Ellen DeGeneres plugging the cause, donations poured into a bushfire emergency fund. Infighting followed.
- Caitlin Fitzsimmons
Latest
‘It meant everything’: The volunteers quietly helping bereaved parents
Two little-known volunteer groups combine to make clothes and “angel boxes” for babies who have died.
- Carolyn Webb
Have pasta, will travel: The volunteers cooking lasagna for strangers
Dinner’s ready: The volunteers delivering homemade lasagna to people going through tough times.
- Carolyn Webb
- Exclusive
- Animal cruelty
Tracy’s wildlife care landed her with a criminal record. Was she unfairly treated?
An expert who taught former WIRES volunteer Tracy Dods how to care for injured kangaroos told the District Court the prosecution was “unfair and unfounded”.
- Caitlin Fitzsimmons
A charity-shop worker took my donated marbles for her kid. Is that OK?
Sorting donations – using bare hands in the dank, fetid stew that used to be someone’s old clothes and bedsheets – isn’t easy, says our Modern Guru.
- Danny Katz
‘My identity was dismissed’: Teen scrubbed from Bayside newsletter over Palestine necklace
A Hampton teenager who won an award for her volunteering work was removed from the council magazine following complaints from the public.
- Gemma Grant
In an open field, the soldier had nowhere to hide. Then he became invisible
Retired teacher Nina Synyakivych sits at a desk, cutting white material into long strips. She knows what she does is essential. Soldiers tell her it’s saving their lives.
- David Crowe
Alison rollerbladed towards the World Trade Centre inferno. What she saw that day changed her life
Most people flee a crisis, but Alison Thompson runs towards it. Meet NSW’s Australian of the Year.
- Kayla Olaya
Volunteering is dropping in Queensland. Can the 2032 Games really help?
Queensland lost more than 200,000 volunteers since 2020 – and while the Games are expected to spike numbers, they could be a net negative if organisers aren’t careful.
- Catherine Strohfeldt
No one wanted to coach my son’s soccer team. This is what happened next
Loving your kids and a thorough knowledge of the game is often not enough to convince busy parents to coach children’s sports teams. But they don’t know what they’re missing.
- Niall Seewang