By Jacky Howgate
I’d never been to Coolart before. As I pulled into the car park I felt a twinge of nerves. But, I spotted a few people wearing the same blue T shirt, and around their neck hung a red lanyard. Volunteers! My nerves started to slip away. My tribe!
I followed a friendly couple to the briefing area. We were met by Julie – warm, friendly and very capable. She passed me my T shirt and lanyard and told us all we needed to know.
I was on duty as an usher. It was perfect for me as I welcomed guests and showed VIPs to their seats in the Coolart Observatory. I met several fellow volunteers and in the breaks we had time to exchange stories and get to know each other.
I was also on microphone duty; this entailed passing the microphone to a member of the audience for them to ask a question of the very knowledgeable presenters. The tech support was fantastic, and all ran smoothly. One elderly gentleman brushed me aside with a gruff, ‘I don’t need that thing’. As a polite volunteer – I smiled at him and stepped back.
We were never going to be thirsty or hungry. Morning tea and lunch were set out in the volunteer room.
Events like this festival can’t happen without a huge amount of hard work, nearly all of it unpaid. Committee members and other volunteers gave hugely of their time in the months leading up to the festival. They worked tirelessly during the festival weekend, and though I’d missed the run up to the festival (as I was in the UK), I was included in emails and welcomed back to Australia by people I’d never met before.
The Western Port Writes festival was a wonderful event. I’m sure everyone is exhausted and can’t contemplate another one next year. If and when they do, I’ll be ready to don my T shirt and lanyard again.
The Western Port Writes festival was a wonderful event. I’m sure everyone is exhausted and can’t contemplate another one next year. If and when they do, I’ll be ready to don my T shirt and lanyard again.
