National Volunteer Week 2026 – thank you to our volunteers
On Friday 22 May, RSL Victoria hosted a thank you event at ANZAC House for our volunteers, in honour of National Volunteer Week. More than 80 volunteers from a range of Sub-Branches attended. We also welcomed the CEO of Volunteering Victoria, Geoff Sharp, and the Victorian Minister for Carers and Volunteers, Hon. Luba Grigorovitch MP.
Our volunteers are the heart of our organisation. They support the running of Sub-Branches, they help raise money for our appeals, and they advocate for the wellbeing of our veterans and their families. Without them, our work simply could not happen.
This year’s theme for National Volunteer Week was ‘Your Year to Volunteer’.
This theme simmered through Acting State President, Lynn Mizen’s speech to our attendees, as she discussed the strategic direction for RSL Victoria. She emphasised the strength and importance of our current volunteer community, whilst acknowledging the need for new participation, and how we can grow our volunteer base.
Throughout the morning, there was opportunity for volunteers to share their experiences and connect with each other through their shared service.
Navy veteran Ricky, now a volunteer from Frankston RSL Sub-Branch, spoke to our volunteers about his experience visiting veterans in aged care facilities, and the impact this had on not only those he visited, but himself. He explained how he was able to draw on his experience as a veteran to connect with fellow veterans he visited.
To hear Ricky tell his story, please click HERE.
Like Ricky, many of our volunteers are ex-service people who have dedicated their time and effort, post-service, to giving back to their community. Some are family members of veterans, while others simply want to give back to the ex-service community.
Our Volunteer Services Lead, Kerry Burns, spoke about the direct impact each one of our volunteers has, and emphasised that the core of RSL Victoria’s mission is built on the tireless work of our volunteering community.
“Our priority now is to better support our volunteer committees. We are responding to requests over the last year from Sub-Branches expressing challenges in recruiting new Committee Members. We are developing of a series of workshops to help Sub-Branches build sustainable Sub-Branch Committees to better support veterans and their families for years to come. Our focus is on recruitment, retentions, succession, inclusivity and safety.
“We appreciate all that our volunteers do every day and want to support them the best we can. Thank you to every volunteer for all that you do, but mostly for choosing RSL Victoria as your place to volunteer.”
