Australian Red Cross Emergency Services calls for volunteers

Ms Edwards is Australian Red Cross Emergency Services Regional Officer for the Greater Western Region, based in Dubbo, and said the organisation had helped her make friends and feel part of a community, while helping those in need.

The work is varied and exciting, too.

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"We helped out the Bourke community in the recent floods. They were evacuated to Dubbo into motels so we did a lot of wellbeing calls and welfare checks and sitting and chatting with them because they were taken out of their environment," Ms Edwards said.

"I've also partnered-up with the Aboriginal Health Department, they started a knitting group, so now we've taken on the role of making trauma teddies we hand out to people.

"I've worked alongside Catholic Care, and interagencies with Dubbo and surrounding villages as well. Plus you work alongside the emergency services, the local emergency management committees, so we have a voice to be able to be there for people."

The local Red Cross is calling for more volunteers to join its ranks to free-up some of the existing volunteers, some of whom are ageing, with others "exhausted" due to the number of natural disasters around the country over the past few years.

Volunteers go to other areas to help, too, and Ms Edwards recalls helping-out in the Eugowra floods and the floods in the Northern Rivers where she staffed evacuation centres, provided training programs and preparedness response.

"It's been a pretty full-on couple of years and we want to continue to build on our volunteers base and try to get a younger demographic in there as well," she said.

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People don't need any experience to become a volunteer with Red Cross. The organisation will put them through a Psychological First Aid course and they will receive ongoing training.

"It's just an enthusiasm to get involved and an ability to talk to people," Ms Edwards said.

She became involved because she loved talking to people and called it "the ultimate job".

"I love to chat, I love to be involved. I've met a huge amount of beautiful people since I've been up here, and just the support Red Cross gives you as well. It's not just work you do for Red Cross, it's the background of support and friendship - there's always somebody there that will pick you up," she said.

Australian Red Cross State Manager Emergency Services for NSW, Diana Bernardi, encouraged anyone with a passion to help and meet like-minded people to consider joining the volunteer community.

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"Volunteering means joining a group of nearly 1,200 volunteers across NSW who are ready to assist locally and across the state and rest of the country in times of emergency," Ms Bernardi said.

"As a volunteer this could mean supporting people in evacuation or recovery centres or supporting and delivering disaster preparedness activities and workshops in schools and communities.

"No matter your background, there is a role for you if you have the desire to help people in times of need".

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