Volunteer Lynn clocks up more than two decades of service

A chance encounter at an aqua aerobics class led Lynn Gilliland to take the plunge and volunteer at Buderim Private Hospital. Nearly a quarter of a century later, Lynn is still with us and changing lives along the way.

In 2000, Lynn was teaching the aqua aerobics class when one of the attendees asked if she would be interested in volunteering at Buderim Private. Thinking it would be a nice thing to do, she put herself forward and has been volunteering at the hospital ever since.

During that time, Lynn has seen many changes: some roles have changed, some no longer exist, and others have been created, such as the concierge role, where volunteers greet and direct or escort people to where they need to be.

Lynn, a former teacher, has performed several roles, including helping prepare Ward Packs that record patient details, delivering mail, folding menus, taking lunches to doctors in theatre, and retrieving patient charts from the Cardiovascular Ward and delivering them to Medical Records.

Lynn does not limit her volunteering to Buderim Private Hospital – she has also volunteered for a string of other not-for-profits, including Community Assistance of Youths, Adults and Children (CAYAC), which provides meals and other resources to the community.

“Volunteering gives me a sense of purpose, and I really enjoy it,” she said.

“If the volunteers didn’t do these tasks, the staff would have to take time away from the patients to do those little jobs themselves. I love doing things to help others, and that benefit the community, but it also gives me something to do. I’ll definitely continue volunteering at Buderim Private Hospital for as long as I can.”