By Brendan Rees
For great-grandmother Sandra Little, offering a warm smile and greeting to anxious patients is the greatest gift.
The 72-year-old has been volunteering at St John of God Berwick Hospital for the past three-a-half years and says she “loves every minute of it”.
Whether it be making a cuppa, helping people with directions or simply having a chat to people, Ms Little enjoys the varied work.
National Volunteer Week from 18-24 May celebrates the immense contribution volunteers make to the community such as Ms Little who spends two days a week every fortnight talking to patients and boosting their emotional wellbeing.
“It’s very rewarding because you feel that you’re putting people at ease and you get to meet people as well,” she said.
“We’ve even taken people down to find their car in the carpark.
“They’re very grateful for the help they receive.”
However, Ms Little, who used to work as a cleaner for 20-and-half years for the old Berwick Hospital, has sadly had her volunteering commitments put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Many of our volunteers are seniors; they didn’t want to compromise our health,” she said.
Ms Little is crossing her fingers she’ll be able to return soon: “It is hard and looking forward to when I can go back actually, I miss the people.”
Like many, the Pakenham resident has been cooped up at home during the lockdown but has kept herself busy with various activities including baking, solving crosswords, reading, and watching television.
But her most joyous moment came when she was able to finally hug her one-and-half-year-old great grandson and grandchildren aged 17 and 21 as well as her adult son who dropped in from Churchill after restrictions were eased in Victoria.
“It was lovely.”
