NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK
The streets of Clunes tell the story of rural revival, driven by the work of dedicated community volunteers.
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The tight-knit community has one of the highest rates of volunteering in Victoria.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2016 Census data shows 27 per cent of the town’s population did voluntary work through an organisation or group in the 12 months before the Census.
That’s a rate eight per cent higher than the Victorian volunteering rate of 19.2 per cent and the Australian rate of 19 per cent.
It translates to 466 people volunteering out of a total population of 1728 in Clunes, reflective of the town’s spirit of teamwork and community celebration.
Clunes Tourist and Development Association president Steven Hunter said members of the community were close, working together toward a common goal.
“The objective at the time of the first Clunes Booktown in 2007 was rural renewal. They were very focussed on renewal so the town had the ability to stand on its own two feet,” he said.
Many described Clunes as ‘quiet’ and ‘dying’ until community members rallied behind the idea of a booktown, and new gift shops, cafes, a grocer and a wine bar set up shop in town.
It already had a historic streetscape and the title of the town to first discover gold, but growth began to progress with the introduction of a Wesley College campus around 18 years ago.
There are more than 60 volunteer run community groups and more than 200 people volunteer their time to make the Booktown Festival happen each year.
Why do so many volunteer in Clunes? Mr Hunter described it as a snowball effect.
“You start the snowball rolling and people see the benefit of social inclusion and feel able to contribute to the success of the town.”
Volunteers run an open house community dinner every Tuesday for a donation cost, an example of constant community spirit.
Clunes councillor Neil Newitt pointed to two weeks when volunteers put on three major events requiring hundreds of hours of voluneer time; the centenary of Mt Beckworth’s Lollipop Tree, the Anzac Day parade and Booktown Festival.
“Without your volunteers Clunes would just be another town. Volunteerism and how people then engage with and support each other helps define the character of the community.”
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