Minister’s brushwork marks volunteer celebrations

Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Amanda Vanstone, today applied the first brush stroke to a mural in Adelaide which celebrates the efforts of volunteers in the arts, heritage and tourism fields.

Senator Vanstone launched February as the month in the International Year of Volunteers (IYV) celebrating the efforts of volunteers in those fields, by painting the IYV logo on the 5 by 2.5 metre canvas.

Volunteers and the public will contribute to the mural – highlighting the partnership between South Australian volunteers and their communities.

The Minister also launched the International Year of Volunteers official web site (www.iyv2001.gov.au) and a $10 Telstra Phonecard which pays tribute to the work of volunteers.

The mural will be in Rundle Mall until the end of the week, after which it will be moved to the WOMADELAIDE festival and then displayed in the Adelaide Festival Centre.

This will be a fabulous, lasting reminder to everyone who visits the Festival Centre of how much the people of South Australia, and the rest of the country, appreciate the work of our volunteers, Senator Vanstone said.

Senator Vanstone also welcomed the recent announcement of the $1.2 million grant to Regional Arts Australia, saying that the training for up to 15,000 volunteers provided by the grant would be an invaluable resource to the community.

Volunteers are the backbone of arts and cultural organisations across Australia and fostering the talent and expertise of the volunteers through formal training will be of great benefit to the arts sector, Senator Vanstone said

We should also remember that IYV is about recognising the outstanding work of all volunteers and I want to particularly thank those whose valuable work often goes unnoticed.

Australia’s two and a half million volunteers have many exceptional talents that add a great deal to the community and I look forward to a year of celebration and recognition that will see their magnificent efforts heralded across the country.

Minister’s Media Contact: Kevin Donnellan 0419 400 078