Byron Bay is such a beautiful place, with stunning beaches and natural vegetation. However, keeping it that way takes an army of volunteers – people who donate their free time to do unpaid work for the community.

Volunteering is an Australian tradition. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics  38% of women and 34% of men did volunteer work in 2010. In fact, Australia ranked in the top three giving nations in the World Giving Index 2011. This index is  measured by someone donating money, volunteering time to an organisation or helping someone he/she didn’t know who needed help.

So, if you want to be “more Aussie,” give back to this beautiful town that you currently call home, and have fun mixing with native speakers at the same time, here are a few suggestions for you.

If you want to combine your volunteering with beaches, beer and music then Stone and Wood’s Festival of the Stone is for you. Meet next to Main Beach at 1pm next Saturday (14 May) and spend two hours cleaning up our beautiful coastline before heading to the after party for food, music and $5 beers. What a way to do good and have fun.

If you want to get started this week (7 May), you can join the Suffolk Park Dune Care weeding and planting morning. Meet at 8.30am at the northern end of the Alcorn Street bike track. Training and morning tea are provided. For more information call Helen on 6685 4964.

Perhaps conservation work isn’t your thing? Then Liberation Larder, the charity that collects,cooks and distributes over 450 meals per week to people in need, are looking for volunteers. For more information on what you can do call 0435 879778 or visit www.liberationlarder.org.au.

Or if there is something specific you want to do, come to the office and we’ll try to help you find it or check out the comprehensive list of all the volunteering jobs currently on offer around the Byron at www.volunteer.com.au  (just type in Byron Bay).

Happy Volunteering!

Learn English in Byron Bay. Lexis English students can study General English, IELTS, FCE, CAE and English plus Surfing in a friendly and professional school right in the heart of Byron Bay and only 15 minutes from the beach.