SOMEONE once said, and we have repeated it here before, “there is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer”.
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We all know volunteers play a vital role in every community, providing all sorts of services for all sorts of people, schemes, programs and even animals.
In fact, volunteers help the world go round. Without them our communities would be very different and governments would be stretched to replace many of the essential services volunteers provide.
We all know volunteers are becoming more and more scarce, and as a consequence, some worthwhile projects and organisations are under threat.
Some, unfortunately, have already closed through lack of support.
So, its significant to record the fact that two more valuable volunteers are about to be lost to us. Luckily and pleasingly, they’ve not left this world, but they will leave ours in Tamworth.
At a special farewell earlier this month, the city officially and formally bade farewell to one couple who have epitomised the character and the credo of volunteering in their community.
Del and Bladen Brooke couldn’t count on their entire digits the numbers of charitable organisations, community groups and events and functions that have provided the incredibly rich social fabric Tamworth has.
They were inaugural members of the local historical society – you can count back almost 60 years to that day.
Bladen’s electronics and sound systems commercial career background also gave way to his foundation role in what has become the Tamworth Regional Film and Sound Archive, with its thousands of miles of historic and heritage footage and images that are a lifeline to our early lifestyles.
Del is one of the three original volunteers who turned up for duty with the Tamworth information centre back in 1988, and until late last year, was still one of those golden girls of the tourism desk telling visitors where to go.
Politely, of course, and with much expert opinion and first-hand knowledge.
Heroically, too, Del has just completed what dropped into her lap a couple of years ago quite by mistake, but accepted willingly and with great cheer. It is a history of the 36 mayors of Tamworth.
While the two have shared their lives with us for so long, they are about to turn a new chapter by moving to Coffs Harbour to be more central to their children and grandchildren.
Mayor Col Murray thanked them for their civic contributions and their social leadership.
We salute that legacy too.