By Justin Flynn
Ahead of National Volunteer Week, Bellarine police Senior Sargeant Shane Madigan has expressed his gratitude to local volunteers who work tirelessly for the Community Support Register.
A team of dedicated volunteers man a small office at the police station in Ocean Grove from 9.30am to noon Monday to Friday, making calls and checking in on people who have registered for the community care initiative.
“On behalf of Victoria Police I want to publically thank them for the role that they play for our community,” Sen Sgt Madigan said.
“It’s a terrific service of reassurance to the Bellarine community and they do a wonderful job.”
The volunteers check in on people who register for the service to see if they are OK and their records are stored in a safe database so that police can access their information after hours in case of an emergency.
“The information is protected and only accessible by us and the volunteers,” Sen Sgt Madigan said.
“It’s terrific – the registrants are so grateful and we’re always looking for more volunteers,“ volunteer Prue McDonough said.
“We do get some great feedback from the people,“ fellow volunteer Glenys Francis said.
National Volunteer Week runs from 8 to 14 May and you can register for the free service at www.bellarineregister.org.au
