The family that volunteers together, stays together

Volunteering for Vinnies is a personal matter for one Canberra family.

Fondly known by their co-workers as ‘the Brosnan team’, the Brosnan family has now been volunteering for two years.

Vinnies has a committed group of volunteers, families and individuals from across the region, donating their time and effort to supporting the Canberra community.

The Brosnan family started volunteering for Vinnies after father Mark started spending a lot of his time in the book section at the store in Mitchell.

“I was approached by one of the staff members when they realised how interested I was in the books,” Mark says.

“They had noticed me looking at the books and said if I was interested in the books, I was welcome to join the team, help organise them, and do some work for the group, which I was happy about.”

Mark’s daughter Mya, currently in year 11, spends her Sundays volunteering at the counter in the same shop and says she enjoys every moment of it.

“I like serving people at the counter; the people are really nice, and it’s great to work with Dad,” Mya says.

Mya’s 15-year-old brother Mathew became involved with Vinnies as he wanted to experience a workplace for the first time.

“It felt like a great way to learn about working in the retail industry rather than going to a typical shop,” Mathew says.

“I feel better knowing I was getting the experience but also helping the community at the same time.”

The teenagers say they are incredibly proud of the work their Dad does for the organisation.

“He’s done so much, especially for the book section of the store. When he started, it was really small, but Dad has helped grow it and make it more organised, which is cool,” Mya says.

“Literature and reading are so important, and it’s awesome to see Dad helping out to make sure books get recycled and sold,” Mathew says.

While the family loves volunteering together, sometimes remaining professional takes some concentration.

“I will instinctively go to call Mya sweetheart or darling, forgetting we’re at a workplace!” Mark says.

“Now, if I need to talk to her, I call her my professional colleague to avoid confusion.”

Mark says he is thrilled to see his children take an interest in helping people.

“It’s awesome to see your kids care about other people and give up their spare time,” Mark says.

“It’s a great feeling to help others but it’s even better to see your kids picking up the same values you have when it comes to this sort of thing.”

Mark, Mya and Mathew all say they love giving back to the Canberra community through Vinnies.

“We just have a great time working together to help an organisation that helps so many people,” Mark says.

Team Bronsan isn’t the only family that uses their time volunteering at Vinnies as a way to bond.

Father-daughter duo Matt and Natasha Hartly started volunteering together a year ago when Natasha was applying for the Duke of Edinburgh award at school.

“Volunteering at Vinnies helped me win the bronze, which was great,” Natasha says.

“I was also looking for some work experience and I figured volunteering was a good way to go.”

Natasha says there are many perks to the job.

“I love talking to customers on the front counter and looking through all the clothes.”

Matt initially accompanied his daughter as a parent supervisor, as students between the ages of 10 and 14 years and nine months require parental supervision, but he found he started to really enjoy it.

“It’s great to spend quality time with my daughter but I also love going through donations and organising things, I find it therapeutic,” Matt says.

“The people there are great. We’ve both made some good friends along the way, and it’s a very low-stress and rewarding job.”

To find out more about being a volunteer or want to donate goods or make a financial donation, visit Vinnies.