Big thank you to selfless volunteers

Newcastle City Council has thanked hundreds of volunteers who help make the city a better place at a special morning tea marking National Volunteers Week.

Many of the city's 350 volunteers gathered at Newcastle Museum this morning to be thanked by Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes and Council CEO Jeremy Bath for the countless hours they've dedicated to the community over the past year.

Volunteers from all walks of life lend their skills, passion and time at various locations across the city including 23 Landcare sites, as well as libraries, the Museum, Art Gallery, Civic Playhouse and at major events like the Newcastle 500 and A-League Grand Final live site.

"On the behalf of the city, I'd like to thank all of the volunteers for their selfless contributions to Newcastle," Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said.

"Whether it's a few hours a week helping an older citizen learn how to use email, or an entire day each week guiding visitors at the Museum and Gallery, it all adds up to a better community.

"Volunteers have worked more than 24,000 hours just at Blackbutt Reserve and Landcare sites alone during the past 12 months. At $30 an hour, those two projects amount to around three quarters of a million dollars in labour being donated to our city.

"Our long-term vision for Newcastle is to have a caring and inclusive community where everyone has the opportunity to contribute. Our volunteers are undoubtedly leading the way."

Former highschool science teacher Laurie Crowe has been volunteering as a science guide at Newcastle Museum for the past 22 years.

"I come from a background in science, so I volunteer to give back to the community," Mr Crowe, who long served as a secretary treasurer of 62 Apex volunteer clubs, said.

^{Volunteer Museum Science guide Laurie Crow with Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes.}
Volunteers also sit on multiple committees, help manage city parks, fields and halls, and act as city guides through the NewCREW program.

Sixty NewCrew volunteers have helped attendees at 14 events, providing around 800 hours of their time as well staffing the Newcastle Shop at Newcastle Museum since the team was formed in October last year.

Among the volunteers thanked today was former Newcastle City Councillor Alma Tate, who acted as the chair of Adamstown Park Outer Grounds Committee and the New Lambton Ovals Board for 30 years, and was highly commended in the 2018 Australia Day Newcastle Citizen of the Year award.

The museum's longest serving volunteer and a fountain of knowledge on all things Newcastle, Ron Larsen, joined long-serving gallery guide Nancy Tapp, NewCrew volunteer Michael Moffitt and newly appointed Newcastle Youth Mayor Jacob Gamble at the morning tea.