Volunteer Stories - Shannon

Volunteers' Week 2026

I'm Shannon Sutherland, 28, mum of 2 and I volunteer for Rogart Gala as Secretary and I'm also Chair of the Rogart Play Park Committee. 

I have been volunteering with the Rogart Gala since December 2016, and the play park is a new project that started about two years ago which we hope to have complete this year. 

For me, volunteering means making a difference in your community for positive change and also gaining skills and experiences yourself. 

I enjoy seeing the community thrive, making positive changes for the people who live here from young kids to the older generation. The gala is a fun weekend for everyone, bringing communities together. 

The play park in particular has been a very exciting project and for it to hopefully be complete this year is great. It will give the kids an exciting place to play and bring families from other rural communities together. 

If you are thinking about volunteering, do it. You can gain great skills and experience. It benefits you and the people around you, it can be challenging at times and a lot of work, but very rewarding.