Champion volunteers

This article appears in the October 2009 edition of Sportshorts.

Profiling the efforts of sporting volunteers in NSW

Judy Fasher

Current club/association/organisations:

• Equestrian NSW

Current volunteer role(s):

• Equestrian NSW Board Member
• Equestrian Coach and Coach Educator for NCAS
• Equestrian Committee Member Eventing NSW
• Former Elite Squad Coordinator, New South Wales Institute of Sport

How long have you been volunteering?
I’ve been a volunteer for the sport since 1985.

Why do I volunteer?
Equestrian Sport has been an obsession since I can first remember. I like my fellow sports enthusiasts and have always wanted to contribute to the growth and opportunities within the sport

What’s the key to getting people to volunteer for sport?
Most important is to make people feel important and that anything they do to help is valued. Ask people to help and let them know they are contributing to something very valuable.

How much time do you dedicate each week?
The number of hours spent is very variable on average 20 to 30 hours as a conservative estimate....my family would say more!

What’s the key to getting people to volunteer for sport?
The key to keeping volunteers involved in the sport is constantly giving us all the opportunity to see that we are making a difference to the riders’ experience. Increasing competitors at all levels of Equestrian is resulting in higher levels of required volunteer support. This is recognised by Equestrian NSW who run a highly successful recruitment program for volunteers.

What’s your most rewarding moment?
The moment we heard that the sport of Equestrian had been recognised by the Australian Sports Commission and the NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) as worthy of government support. It was something I worked on with Wayne Roycroft (National Coach) Sue Ryan (mother of competitors Matt Ryan and Heath Ryan) and Franz Venhaus, CEO Equestrian Australia. The decision enabled us to put in place an elite high performance program, meaning our riders and their horses could travel overseas and compete in both Olympic Games and World Equestrian Games without the riders having to be responsible for all their costs, which as you can imagine are prohibitive.

Another highlight was the creation of the NSWIS Scholarship Program for Elite Riders.

Contributions to Sydney International Equestrian Centre (SIEC)
Judy was nominated by Mark Fulcher, Manager of SIEC. He says:

“Judy is a volunteer involved in many activities at SIEC. She has been instrumental in the NSWIS program and the driving force behind our regular Friday night showjumping event, geared towards novice and young riders. At the 2008 Equestrian NSW Awards Judy was honoured with a special award for Extraordinary Service to the Sport, highlighting her tireless work in all areas of equestrian. She’s truly an amazing volunteer.”

Judy too values her work with SIEC saying: “It has been a great pleasure to see SIEC develop since the 2000 Olympic Games as an outstanding venue. It serves all equestrian sports, from kids jumping ponies to our top Gold Medallists. The venue is now recognised as the home of the major Equestrian Events run in NSW, largely thanks to enthusiastic staff, government support and the combined efforts of many volunteers.”

We want to hear from you!

Do you know a champion volunteer? We’re looking for champion volunteers to profile in upcoming issues of Sportshorts.

Volunteers can be ‘champions’ for all sorts of reasons – e.g. innovations and great ideas, hours dedicated, helping to grow your sport and making sport special for others. We want to hear about a range of volunteers.

Email your nomination and briefly (100 words) tell us why they’re a ‘champion volunteer’. Email Shannon Dixon.