A record turnout of more than 500 Curtin volunteers will assist with 47 community service projects across metropolitan and regional Western Australia, as part of John Curtin Weekend, beginning 4 September.
The six-week long project, now in its 14th year, is organised by Curtin Volunteers! through Curtin University and is one of WA’s largest annual community projects.
John Curtin Weekend coordinator, Maureen Meredith, said students, staff and alumni would work with local charities and not-for-profit organisations to complete projects that benefited the community.
“The regional projects benefit country towns and also provide a great experience for our student volunteers, particularly those from an international background,” she said.
“The volunteers spend a weekend in their chosen rural communities, with locals providing accommodation at farm stays, clubhouses and even shearers’ quarters.
“Projects include running music festivals and town shows, refurbishing run-down buildings and restoring bushland, in regional areas from Margaret River to Toodyay to Leonora.”
The weekend is held to honour Australia’s wartime Prime Minister, John Curtin, and also ties in with the John Curtin Medal, which is awarded to members of the community who demonstrate his qualities of vision, leadership and community service.
The medal will be presented in a special ceremony to commemorate his accession to the country’s highest political office on 7 October 1941.
Curtin Volunteers! is a not-for-profit, student-run organisation that has been part of Curtin for almost 20 years.
