Thursday January 4, 2024
Seven years ago, Eastern Health Volunteer Ambassador Lin Merry was encouraged by a fellow retired friend to give back to the community.
Mr Merry has served the Eastern Health community, namely the Box Hill campus, bringing comfort and smiles to those who need an extra helping hand.
“When you come into a hospital for the first time, you’re usually a bit nervous because you don’t quite know what’s going on. I think it’s just fantastic to have somebody at the door to say, ‘hi, how are you?’ And then of course, next question is, ‘where do you want to go?’
“You feel you’re part of the community. You feel that you’re doing something that will be useful somewhere along the line, even if it’s just that you’ve made somebody’s entrance or introduction to the hospital just a little bit easier,” he said.
Mr Merry sees a greater good in the work he does at Eastern Health. Whilst he gains a great deal of satisfaction giving back to the place he himself was once a patient, he’s also noticed another upside.
“We do tend to be cocooned a lot in society. We live in our own little houses, and we do our own little things. It’s a great way to understand the world around us, to be able to interact with others on a broader basis. You’re interacting with people who you wouldn’t normally interact with in your daily life, people from all different backgrounds, socio economic groups, all sorts of people.
“And when somebody comes past you, and says, gee, thank you very much, it was really great to have you. It makes your day, it really does, because you think well, I’ve done something useful,” Mr Merry explained.
Now only one of few Volunteer Ambassadors at Eastern Health Box Hill, Mr Merry hopes more people will put their hand up to lend one to the community. He advises to make sure the role you fill, is in fact fulfilling to you.
“My first role was as a driver and I’m not one of those people who really loves being behind the wheel of a car. So I said ‘no, that’s not really something for me’. I was then assigned the job of coordinating cars to come out to meet patients.
“I did that for a few months, but I felt I wasn’t using my ability to its full potential. I asked the team if they could find me a more active role. I’m the sort of person who likes talking to people, and so I was given the opportunity to step into the Volunteer Ambassador role. It really inspires me and I love doing it.”
If you’re interested in volunteering across Eastern Health, you can visit easternhealth.org.au/about-us/volunteers or call 9895 4658.