Maria said:

“When I started as a phone peer support volunteer, I never imaged that I would get as much out of the talks with other parents as I do. I was hoping to ease their minds during these talks, and I found that at the end of these talks both parties benefited from the phone conversations”

A big congratulations to Maria for celebrating her 15 years as a Peer Support Volunteer. Your support is greatly appreciated.

MS in conjunction with the Royal Children’s Hospital now run telelinks to connect parents over the phone to share information and invaluable support.

This year 7 of our volunteers reached their 25-year milestone with the organisation! Our volunteers contribute not only time, but compassion, empathy and determination every day. A huge thank you to our volunteer team, we really could not do it without you!

You'll find Gilbert each year at the MS Sydney to Gong Ride, loading bags onto the trucks from the early hours of the morning with his partners in crime, Noel and Herbert. To recognise Gilbert's incredible support to this event, he was our winner of the “Spirit of the Gong” award in 2018.

Gilbert also supports us each year at the Sydney MS Walk + Fun Run in the BBQ Marquee alongside our amazing family the Allsop-Guests!

Gilbert has made some great friends over his time volunteering, and we love to see his smiling face each year!

Thank you Gilbert for all you have done to support our events and people living with MS.

"The participants love it and they are so appreciative."

When asked what Gaye would say to someone who is thinking about volunteering, she replied..."Go for it - once you do it you will want to keep doing it!"

We are so lucky to have Gays support each year!

Thank you Gaye for vour support to MS the last 10 years!

In 2011, Mark started volunteering his time to support MS with the Gong Ride, and then joining the MS Walk + Fun Run.

Mark has been a very loyal Sector Manager in both of these events, and has recruited the rest of his family as well as his friends to join him in Sector B at the MS Gong Ride.

His wife, Terri, is his fellow Assistant Sector Manager, and their daughters Amy and Kate, and granddaughter Rhianna, are course marshals.

"Today Sector B, tomorrow the world!"

"Volunteering not only assists various charities and people doing it tough but being involved and interacting with other vollies and participants really feeds back a lot of energy and enjoyment. Sometimes it almost feels like a selfish thing to do, it is so energising"

We love to see the Breens each year, and cannot thank them enough for all the time they have given up to support our events.

THANK YOU to the Breen family!!

At first, Phoebe and Amy were limited to entertaining the BBQ customers waiting for their sausage sizzle, and over the years have progressed to becoming "fully fledged BBQ Assistants!" - not once ever complaining about the 6am wake up call!

The Allsop-Guest family love having the opportunity to give back and to help raised funds which will make a real difference to the lives of those living with MS.

They have also met some amazing people along the way, including Gilbert and Herbert who have joined them in the BBQ the last few years, "having a good old laugh together"

We are so lucky to have the support of this incredible family.

THANK YOU Phill, Lyn, Amy and Phoebe for your support over the last 20+ years!

Julie has been volunteering with MS for 20 years. Over the years as a volunteer she managed three MS shops, Upwey, Boronia and now Monbulk.

Julie always gives 100% effort in supporting her team of volunteers , assisting the customers with their purchases, donations and making sure the standards of MS Shops are kept up.

Julie, thank you for 20 wonderful years.

Bill is a Community Visitors Scheme (CVS) volunteer and he visits Denis weekly.

“As part of my visiting duties with Denis every Friday I take in the Herald Sun car section and we digest it together, naturally Denis always has a question on the latest news at Ford,” said Bill.

On the lookout for something special to give Denis, Bill wanted to find the perfect Ford themed gift that he could find. But it proved to be more difficult than it had originally seemed. “It was easier to walk on water,” said Bill.

But a few months later, while having his car serviced at Westpoint Ford, Hoppers Crossing, Bill spied a Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III and he had a light bulb moment.

He’d see if they could bring Denis into the showroom and get a photo of him in the driver’s seat. But that idea soon fell through, and Bill was about “to give up hope.”

On return to pick up his car from the mechanic however, Ford salesman Ben Moore presented Bill with an offer that almost seemed too good to be true.

“Ben approached me and asked about Denis and where I was at with the Ford present. I replied that it was dead and buried. He replied by telling me that management had agreed to loan me a new Blue Ford Mustang Convertible GT V8 to take Denis for a drive. I just stood there in shock!”

With the help of the staff at Denis’ aged care facility, Bill swapped the newspaper for the real thing when he rolled up in the Mustang for a morning cruise.

“Denis had a wonderful morning, something he will cherish for years…so all in all, many faces were smiling that day.”

“The staff members at Denis’ aged care facility were just as excited about the car as us. They even lined up one by one to have their photos taken behind the wheel!” Bill said.

Turns out they were right!

My role at the MS shop is quite varied. I do everything from accepting donations, cleaning bric-a-brac, ironing clothes, helping customers look for something special, working the till … the list goes on, but there’s never a dull moment.

It’s so good to work with lovely people and meet new people every day. And perhaps most importantly, I feel good knowing that I’m contributing and helping people living with multiple sclerosis – even if it is in a small way.

“Those with less cycling prowess but who still wanted to make a difference to support MS, decided to do something completely different and joined together to undertake 2 gardening days in the Studdy MS Centre at Lidcombe. The team of 20 cleaned, weeded and mulched the gardens and repainted the rear pergola and deck.”

Goodman has supported MS for many years with various grants for the purchase of a mini van and Kanga vehicles in support of the Studdy Centre and other resources as part of their in-kind program. Goodman is a commercial and industrial property group that owns, develops and manages real estate globally. The Goodman Foundation is active in the community and thrives to help support people living with multiple sclerosis today and into the future.

As I couldn’t stop in the traffic to write down the contact number, I remember repeating it to myself all the way home. I gave the manager, Nerida, a call, had an interview, passed a police check … and, as they say, the rest is history.

I mainly work on Tuesdays and have volunteered now for nearly six years.

There are many different tasks I perform each week. These include accepting, sorting and pricing donations, ironing clothes, and ensuring the shop is tidy and items are displayed at their best.

However, I believe the most important tasks are working with all the friendly volunteers, chatting with customers and making lots of sales to support MS research.

I look forward to working each week as the camaraderie between the volunteers is so friendly. I enjoy the gossip and repartee on the job, which makes the day go so quickly.

We each bring a different set of skills to the job and as they all complement each other, which makes for a really good work environment.

I have also learnt many new things thanks to the advice and tuition of other volunteers.

We don’t have too many rules in the Malvern shop, but I’ve learnt that it’s mandatory to like chocolate and laugh at the manager’s jokes!

“Staff engagement and happiness is very important to DOOLEYS, and so is supporting the community – so this program just makes sense,” says DOOLEYS Community Relations Coordinator Tamara Lewis. “We hope for it to grow in years to come.”

Most recently it was new DOOLEYS staff member Patricia Maybir (pictured) who spent a day helping with a wide range of administration tasks.

Thank you DOOLEYS for your continuing contribution to MS!

This year a team of 28 Lendlease staff worked together to complete a major clean-up of our gardens, including planting new fruit trees and other shrubs in our residential services. The team worked really hard during the day and even brought with them their own food, with which they enjoyed a barbecue lunch.

Lendlease community day“This year is the 21st anniversary of Community Day at Lendlease. I join more than 3000 Lendlease volunteers across Australia and NZ to make a meaningful and positive contribution to the communities in which we operate,” said John Dahdah, Construction Manager and leader of the group for the past six years.

“We thank MS for allowing Lendlease to come each year and assist the MS Studdy Centre.”

The support of corporate volunteers such as Leadlease is very much appreciated and helps MS carry out jobs that limited funds prevent us from completing.

When that was closed in 2011 I moved on to My MS Community and I served once again as a Peer Support moderator.

In 2013, together with MS, I set up the Peer Support Facebook page group, and in 2014 I started a second one. Both are MS Facebook groups. They are there for people living with multiple sclerosis to support each other through their journeys with the condition.

I also ran a small face-to-face group in my own community for a little while.

I started doing Peer Support because, like many people living with a diagnosed disease, I wanted to help others and along the way – and I knew that it would in turn help me.

Knowing you are doing something worthwhile has many rewards. It has helped me feel that although I may have multiple sclerosis, I still can live my life and be me.

Helping others embark upon their journey can be heart-breaking, but most times it is rewarding. Watching someone find that light at the end of the tunnel, and knowing that you helped make a difference, is an indescribable feeling.

Life with multiple sclerosis has its ups and downs. We often lose what we hold most dearly, and that is one’s self. I guess that with the changes we must endure so early in our lives, we have no choice but to go along with the ride, often kicking and screaming.

I chose to be involved in Peer Support because I wanted to help people. I wanted to turn living with multiple sclerosis into something good and positive rather than negative, as it often can be.

I want to help people and support them the best way I know how. Along the way, I have made wonderful friends.

My Peer Support moto is: “You are not alone. We are all here walking along side you through your journey”.

Never be afraid to take that next step. Life is still wonderful, just maybe a little different.

Angela is helping someone who is technically challenged to learn how to use their phone and tablet. This flexibility of skill, ability and openness to new experiences is typical of our volunteer community.

Angela thinks volunteering is a very concrete way of embedding yourself in your local community and we’re very grateful for her commitment.

What we have learnt that Brian is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's so he can get very agitated and frustrated at times. I have come to know the topics he is happy to talk about and the ones to avoid and that we always have to start from the beginning because I don't think he remembers us from one week to the next.

I learned about the program through researching online volunteer work I could do with my daughter.

Fran started with the Community Visitors Scheme in late 2014 and has been visiting two ladies at one of Mildura's Aged care facilities just about every week since becoming close with both ladies.

Fran was encouraged to start CVS volunteering by her granddaughter. Fran says that it has been such a rewarding thing for her to be involved in and thinks that she is getting more out of it than she is putting in. Saying "I don't see I'm doing much."

She says, however that she has learnt a lot of things - and has even learnt some more communication skills. She says "They have so much wisdom about life" to share and the experiences they have had are so interesting.

She says that she feels good knowing that she is contributing to society and helping people through her visits. Her own personal experience has given her an insight into how lonely people can become if they don't have family and friends close by.

I know that "they enjoy my visits and look forward to me visiting because I see the smile on their face when I walk in." Fran also volunteers for Relay for Life and the local botanical gardens - and this year helped bring Relay for Life to one of the units in the aged care home she visits. She said the residents really enjoyed it.

Last year he kindly took on the role of the facilitator of the group. David said:

“Going to the group you meet other carers and you can discuss things without being ashamed to talk about them and also have a laugh. Also when they have speakers from different departments, it’s helped me understand MS a lot better”.

David plays a vital role in connecting carers, organising guest speakers and providing support to carers who may need additional support. David encourages carers to take time to focus on their needs and to maintain self care. David supports the carers to access information through discussion on a range of topics from accessing support, respite, MS services and external services e.g. Brain link and Centrelink. New carers are always welcome to join the group.

My interests and passion are the community and the people around me. I am involved with many organisations such as the Hospice Lakes Entrance Incorporated. I am the Founder and President and this is my pet project. After 10 years of really hard work, we now own our own building here in Lakes Entrance.

I am involved with the Lakes Entrance Neighbourhood House Inc as treasure and was the Founder of this group. After 16 years, I continue to enjoy being a member of the management committee. I have completed a comprehensive training program to become a Palliative Care Volunteer and am actively involved with the Bairnsdale Regional Health Service PCV program. I am also a member of the Lakes Entrance Cancer Support Group as a person who is a survivor after 20 years and 3 outbreaks of the big C.

During this 19-year period of living in this wonderful environment, I took up volunteering as a Community visitor with the MS Community Visitors Scheme. I have been a weekly visitor to both of the Aged Care Homes in Lakes Entrance for over 12 years now and have only missed a few visits for a very brief period in 2015 due to my own health issues. I thoroughly enjoy being a MS CVS volunteer and always take my little dog Molly with me when I visit the recipients in the Aged Care Homes. Molly loves visiting the oldies with whom she gets on so well with. They all love her to bits and she laps up all the attention. She has made a special bond with one chap at the Kalimna facility who has trouble communicating with people, but, you should see his face light up when I lift up my little Molly and sit her on his lap. It just gives me goose bumps when I see it happen time and time each week. This is why I just love being a CVS person and I would most highly recommend the MS CVS program to anyone who is looking for a challenging, worthwhile, rewarding and truly enjoyable community program to become involved with.

Terry and Gerard share a wicked sense of humour and horse around a lot during their time together, telling jokes etc., they share an interest in 50's/60's music and collect CD's and DVD's and during their visits they will take Stella for a walk.

Terry enjoys the strong friendship he shares with Gerard and the various things they discuss together during his visits, they certainly enjoy each other's company.

What Terry has learnt about Gerard during his visits is that Gerard has a very good knowledge of music and films and he uses 'old fashioned words' when communicating. He's also a bit of a performer/character!

Terry heard about the Community Visitors Scheme many years ago through an advertisement in the local paper - his wife saw the Ad and suggested that it would be something good for Terry to occupy himself with when he lived at Sunbury Gardens … he's been a Community visitor ever since and visited other recipients prior to now visiting Gerard.

Sharing our experiences of living with MS has also helped us better understand the disease and how to live productively and with a great quality of life.

I am both a Peer Support Group Facilitator and a Phone Peer Support Volunteer. To be a Peer Support volunteer you have to be a person with MS or the carer of someone with MS.

My grandmother lived with us as I was growing up. I adored her. She lived till she was 97 years old. I still remember her smile and her beautiful round face with its rosy cheeks. "Humm" she would utter with delight at being handed a cool drink of water. She closed her eyes and savoured its freshness. She thanked me and handed me back the glass with "Thank you my child, may you always have its freshness!"

This was but one of her many wishes for me. I felt like I had a good fairy all of my own.

Now having raised my family and in turn bestowed my chilren with "wishes" that hopefully they in turn wish upon their children, I often find myself missing my grandmother each and every time I think of her.

Visiting an elderly person for companionship requires so little effort but what a delight and a gift it is to leave this person happy with a broad smile and a wave that says "See you next week". I find myself skipping to the car and talk about my visit and its benefits to whoever wants to listen. I find I am recharged and re-envigorated having had a complete catharsis.

It is true that it is in giving that we receive.

When I was a teenager, I had part time jobs working at a fruit shop in Camberwell, baby sitting in my local neighbourhood and tutoring primary aged students.

When I was in year 11, I did work experience at the local kindergarten for 2 weeks, and that is when I realised I wanted to be a primary school teacher. I loved being around children, as I was the eldest of 6. I didn't want to be a kindergarten teacher, as I would be working only with 3 and 4 year old children and I would be working on my own. I wanted to teach in a primary school, because I would be teaching children aged between 5-12, and working with other teachers.

When I completed year 12, I did a Diploma of Teaching at Victoria College Burwood Campus ( now called Deakin University). It was a 3 year course and I was qualified as a primary school teacher. My first 2 years as a teacher were at 2 primary schools teaching Italian and 2 nights a week I studied at Christ College doing a Graduate Diploma in Religious Education, so I could teach in Catholic primary schools. In 1987, I along with 30 other Italian teachers went to Italy where we studied at the University of Foreigners for 3 weeks, and then did a tour of Italy. In 1990 I did a Graduate Diploma in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages).

I married Greg in 1991 and we have a son, James who is 19 years old. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1993 and have been working part time at a Catholic primary school teaching Italian since 2003. My M.S. has become progressive which means I can't walk, can't work or can't drive. I have therefore lost my independence and my husband is my full time carer and I am on the disability pension.

My interests include cooking, knitting and music. My life ethos is to do what you like and work hard at it.

I volunteered for the MS CVS because I had free time and I wanted to share my talents of speaking Italian with other people. I really like my volunteer work is that it gets me out of the house and I get to meet other people.

“It’s good to be doing something really useful in my retirement. I’ve met some really inspiring people here at MS. They are amazing!!”

I enjoy talking to different people and seeing even the smallest difference that you can make for someone else. The resident who I visit is Gordon and we have many chats about his travels around the world and life inside a nursing home. It is nice to walk around the garden with Gordon as he tells me about his nursery he used to own. It's so rewarding to see his face light up when I walk into his room, and when I bring him chocolate freddos."

So I decided that it would be a positive endeavour all round for us to volunteer with MS CVS. I knew of MS CVS from my previous social work days. The lady we visit gets real pleasure from seeing the girls, and I too enjoy the visits as it takes us out of our normal routine of rushing place to place/activity to activity and instead we can just all "be" and talk.

If I was at home, I'd be cooking, cleaning etc etc! My girls have exposure to an older person and are fascinated that she is turning 94 (my eldest, who's 7, says she's the oldest person we know!"). So we've been visiting now for 3 months (since 8 December) and the lady we visited today even showed signs of recognising us!