Broken Hill volunteer legend wins NSW award

In the last 40-plus years, Amelia Butler has volunteered her time coaching, umpiring, running canteens, raising money, helping local charities and generally lending a helping hand wherever and whenever anyone needed it.

Amelia has volunteered at the Red Cross for 36 years, works with the Salvation Army shop and St Vincent de Paul, and been a Broken Hill Hospital kiosk auxiliary member for 11 years. The kiosk has donated nearly $2 million over the last 10 years to buy much-needed hospital equipment.

And it's Amelia's love of people and her genuine interest in their welfare that has seen her named the 2020 NSW Senior Volunteer of the Year.

The former aged care nurse began volunteering when her children were at school and was always on hand to help at soccer, softball and netball canteens.

Retirement from work didn't stop her role as a volunteer; in fact it blossomed and took on new meaning.

Now her grandchildren have started school she is back volunteering with the young ones and has a great desire to help young people, including supporting youth programs as a director on the local PCYC.

Amelia is involved in the Southern Stars country music group and before COVID-19 was raising money for them by manning the ticket office for Saturday night harness racing.

She has been a director of the Barrier Social Democratic Club (Demo) for more than 19 years and has rallied another director to join her in becoming the club's official hospital visitors, which sees them visit lonely inpatients at Broken Hill Hospital.

Amelia not only brings companionship and local news, but also delivers "care packages", which consist of biscuits, fruit drinks, healthy snacks and magazines or books.

She was nominated for the award by Broken Hill mayor Darriea Turley, who describes her as an "extraordinary, larger than life, funny, kind, caring and gracious lady".

Despite the bright smile that touches the hearts of everyone she meets, Amelia has sometimes done it tough.

She left Fiji in search of a better life and balanced family and a full-time job, having many ups and downs. But, Ms Turley says, "you will never hear her dwell on the past. She takes the good with the bad and believes in dealing with whatever life throws at her".

Not content in sharing what she says is a fortunate life by volunteering in her adopted community, Amelia goes to great lengths to provide for others less fortunate in her country of birth.

When she travels back to Fiji to visit family she is usually loaded down with presents as well as goods for the whole village. On a recent trip, as well as the usual assortment of clothes and household goods, she also took walking sticks and two walking frames.

The NSW Volunteer of the Year Awards is an annual program run by The Centre for Volunteering to recognise the outstanding work of volunteers across the state. Amelia received her award at a virtual ceremony.

"The past 12 months have thrown up challenge after challenge for communities across the state and volunteers have continued to give their all in the face of this tremendous adversity," said Centre for Volunteering chief executive Gemma Rygate.