According to the above interview, please provide Profile Report on Benadette

Q.1 Current use of time Bernadette In ten years from now - well, at my age I don't know that I'd be expecting much. If I'm still Ben around I think I'd probably need a lot more assistance and care. I doubt that I'd be doing In an "ordinary" week, how do you currently spend your time?(What takes most time, how volunteer work. Someone else's turn! much time spent on work, family, leisure etc...?) Q.2a Feelings about future time use? Bernadette Work? I'm retired now. But no, I guess I see my volunteer work as work Ben Family? Now my children have all grown up my family responsibilities are fairly small. All my Does it fit with your goals? Do you expect to have enough time to do what you want to do?) grandchildren live in other cities, so I'm not roped into baby sitting and the like. Yes - there's still shopping, housework etc - keeping a home. But I'm not too fussy about that. Maybe Bernadette amounts to 11.5 days per week. I will be disappointed not to be able to do the things I do now. I enjoy contributing to the Leisure? Well now I have two free days a week just to do whatever I want. A lot of reading, community, feeling like I've made a difference. I'll miss that. playing music with friends. We also like to go for a drive to some of the nicer parts of the island and take a picnic lunch. It's good to have time to enjoy such a lovely environment. Q.3 Volunteer work means? And then there's volunteering. I spend about a day a week running the community crafts group, a day every second week I volunteer for the Tourist Welcome centre, and also about a day a Ben week representing consumers and carers on various Mental Health committees. In an average "Volunteer work": what does that phrase mean to you? week I spend about 12 hours looking after injured wildlife. (This changes according to the season - the stone curlew breeding season is particularly busy time for us.) I also volunteer for half a Bernadette day a week keeping our little community church on the go. So - adding that all up: about three and a half days per week - half my time - is volunteer work. It's a way people can share their abilities and skills to benefit the community. I think a community is born out of the ethic of sharing with others - beyond close family and friends. I Q.1a Feelings about current time use? don't have a lot of wealth to share - so what I share is my time, my energy, my skills, my effort. Everyone seems to be quick to lament the 'lack of community spirit' in towns and cities. But Ben there's not so many people are willing to get off their backsides and volunteer to change that! In a small community like ours, no one can afford to pay someone to lobby the state government How do you feel about your time use now? Does it fit with your goals? Are there other things about the appalling state of our mental health services, to make sure consumers are treated you'd like to fit in? properly, with respect and dignity. And of course the state government isn't about to fund Bernadette someone - or if they did, the position would be compromised. That is one thing I worry about volunteers do prop up the system. But what do you do, let it collapse? I'd like to put more time into my work representing Mental Health consumers. I used to do a lot more work on state committees and conferences, but I found that it started to involve too much Q.4 Volunteering experience travel and I don't find it that easy to get around any more. Sometimes I feel a bit pressured to take on more - it's so hard to get other people to volunteer. Ben No one else seems to be willing to nominate for committees or take on visiting roles. I've had to learn my own limits though - if I take on too much responsibility, I either wear myself out or I You've told me about your current volunteer work? In the past, have you done other things? don't do justice to the work. I don't like to do a mediocre job. Bernadette Q.2 Time use ten years on I've never had a salaried job - partly because my health has always been poor, and because of my decision to play such a busy and active role raising four children. However, I would go potty Ben just sitting around at home. I've always been heavily involved in community groups and some of that work is pretty serious, pretty professional. You have to be well organized, you can't let Please think ahead, to your life ten years from now. How does your use of time look then? (What will your goals be then? Will you be employed? What will you do when you are not people down. Ben Q.6 Rewards for volunteer work What did you do, and when? Ben Bernadette What do you think motivates volunteers? (What do they get out of it?) I'd say in an average week I would have pretty much had a full-time work load with various voluntary roles - at the kids' school, running music classes, looking after injured wildlife and Bernadette doing a fair bit of work representing consumers in Mental Health. They could have a personal motivation. Often volunteers are connected in some way to their cause - through a family connection. Or the skills they donate are a personal passion - such as Ben cooking, or craft. How was the experience? Recognition is important, although it doesn't have to be personal. I get a boost out of seeing the community groups I work for in the paper. It shows that our contribution is noticed, is seen as Bernadette interesting news for other people. Sometimes it's a thankless task. Sometimes the politics of community groups can get pretty Perhaps the most important thing is a sense of achievement. If you feel you are doing something nasty. But mostly I feel like my work has made a difference. Even just to see one kid get excited well, and it's making a difference, even if the work is difficult at times, it keeps you going. and enthusiastic about music, feel proud of their achievements and do something they never thought they'd be able to. Or to take in a tiny joey with very little chance of survival, and see Q.6a Incentives for volunteering? them through all sorts of difficulty until that one day when you release them into the wild. That's heart-breaking of course, when you release them - they're like your babies, but it's what it's all Ben about. What incentives should be offered for volunteering? Ben Bernadette Would you do more in future? I think it's important to ensure everyone who volunteers gets two things. One's a thankyou for their work. Make sure someone bothers to say thank you! And the other is positive feedback Bernadette about the difference they have made. For example, the amount of money raised in fundraising, I don't have the health or energy to do any more. I'm trying to spend time passing on skills and and what that money means to the charity in a real sense. encouraging others to step up into the various roles I have. And of course I can then help them along, guide them through the whole process. Ben If you were volunteering your time, how would you like to be thanked? Q.5 What sorts of people volunteer? Bernadette Ben Personal gestures are the best. For example, I got a lovely letter last week from the sister of a What type of people volunteer? gentleman who has been shuffled between the Townsville hospital and the police cells because none would take responsibility and get him the help he needed. I took his case to the department Bernadette secretary and now he's been given more support in the community and thankfully he's stayed out I think they are community minded. And sharing. And they have to be energetic! a difference. Q.5a Typical volunteer worker? Ben Ben Do you think volunteers should be paid for their costs? Can you describe a typical volunteer? Bernadette Bernadette Not necessarily - a group should make it clear what costs will be covered and reimbursed - and It's a mixture of pragmatism and idealism. You must be at least a bit stubborn - refuse to admit then it should be up to the volunteer whether they take part in anything that might need them to defeat, we can change things! It helps keep you going when things get tough. contribute money or materials off their own back. Q.7 images of volunteers Interview with Fredric I'd like to show you some photos of volunteers at work. For each, please give your thoughts about the situation and the people, what you think of their contributions and of their motivations. Q.1 Current use of time Interviewer: show Images of Volunteers card. Ben Q.7a Conservation in Sri Lanka In an "ordinary" week, how do you currently spend your time? (What takes most time, how much time spent on work, family, leisure etc...?) Ben Fredric Your thoughts about Louise and her volunteer work? Well, five days of the week are real work. Some nights after work I try to do something other Bernadette than just have dinner and watch TV, such as play tennis, go to a restaurant or the pictures. We try to do something like this at least two of the five working day evenings, but often it is less Louise must be a very adventurous type - to volunteer in a foreign country. It looks like she than two. On the weekend, Saturday morning is reserved for the weekly shopping. After that I works closely with the local community, which is good. She seems to have the trust and the go off to my weekly round of golf. That pretty much takes up Saturday day. On Saturday interest of the children, which means they might carry on her work when she leaves. I wonder how much influence she would have politically though. You need to be able to lobby and fight evenings we either just stay in and have a nice dinner or we go out with friends - about 50/50 governments sometimes, and that might be hard as an outsider. If you don't have that influence either way. Sunday morning is Church and then the afternoon is pretty much just a bit of relaxation - some gardening, TV, reading or just pottering around. you might in the long run actually do more harm than good. I don't want to sound negative, but it's no good making the people in these countries dependent on well-off kids flying over in their Q.1a Feelings about current time use? vacations and then rushing back home to their privileged life. Q.7b Housing in Honduras Ben How do you feel about your time use now? Does it fit with your goals? Are there other things Ben you'd like to fit in? Your thoughts about Ross and the work he is doing? Fredric Bernadette Oh I like to think I've got a pretty good balance in life. I believe in a balanced lifestyle - an This is good work - I hope he's involving local labourers though. At least he knows that when he appropriate amount of time for work, rest and play, as they say. Although like everyone else, I guess, I wouldn't mind working a bit less and having more time for the other stuff. But I can't leaves Honduras, his project will have left behind something of lasting benefit - the actual houses they built. I wonder how he's learnt to adapt his skills to the local environment - I doubt complain. he has access to the same materials and tools he would use at home. This would be a good opportunity for young single men with a trade. Q.2 Time use ten years on Q.7c Food program in Melbourne Ben Please think ahead, to your life ten years from now. How does your use of time look then? Ben (What will your goals be then? Will you be employed? What will you do when you are not Your thoughts about Katie and her volunteer work? working...?) Bernadette Fredric She is probably a mother - and has extended her caring from her children (who are now grown Ten years from now I imagine it will be pretty much the same as now. As I said, I reckon I've up) to the people who come in for food. I think Katie probably enjoys the social aspect of her got it pretty right as far as balance goes. work - meeting with other ladies in the program. I'm sure they all swap photos and stories of grandchildren. It would be tiring work and heartbreaking sometimes, when you see people whose Q.2a Feelings about future time use? lives are falling apart. So the social aspect would offer some important emotional support to keep her going. Ben Does it fit with your goals? Do you expect to have enough time to do what you want to do?)