Michael Lunn (10/JN) spent the most recent holidays volunteering in Tavuya Village, Fiji through a charity called Communities for Communities. Michael was part of a ten-person team that worked over five days to build a house for a family who lost their home during Cyclone Winston in 2016. Members of the village gathered together for a dedication ceremony of the house to the family. Michael was truly moved by his experience, as seen in his reflection:

“The trip was truly one of the greatest things I’ve ever done and honestly one of the best overseas trips I’ve ever been on,” he said. “The whole group bonded extremely well with the village, whether that was on the build site, at lunch where we ate together or during a football match we had one afternoon.

“The experience really put things into perspective for me – we think we have all these problems and we get stressed about things that seem minuscule compared to some of the struggles that these people have, yet they’re some of the most loving, welcoming and happiest people I have ever met. The sense of community I felt in the time spent in the village was unlike anything I had ever felt before.

“The charity does trips like these all the time and I would strongly recommend to anyone interested.”

Max McNamara (9/MO) recently volunteered at his local nursing home, Huntingdon Gardens. There, he spent time getting to know members of the community while lending his support with an art project.

Going into his service experience, Max wasn’t sure how he would connect with his elders. Fortunately, Max described his 98-year-old partner as “one of the most caring, thoughtful and funny [people] I have ever met”.

Over the course of two days, Max helped to identify colours and recommended patterns to aid his partners with their art work. He enjoyed listening to stories, and was surprised to discover how many St George Illawarra Dragons fans live in his neighbourhood.

“Without this experience, I would have never had the opportunity to connect with these people,” he said.