The National Volunteer Week wrapped up on 24 May 2026. The Hills Shire Council had spent seven days — from 18 May — doing something it doesn’t do often enough: stopping to say thank you.
The centrepiece was the Volunteer Service Awards Ceremony, where long-serving locals were formally recognised. Among them was Lindsay McEwan, who reached his tenth year as a Justice of the Peace volunteer. It’s the kind of milestone that sounds modest until you do the sums: the JP volunteer cohort has helped more than 1,300 people and dealt with over 4,000 documents since January 2026 alone.
That’s one program. Council runs more than a dozen.
Meals on Wheels volunteers under the Hills Community Care banner clocked 15,500 meal deliveries in the past year. The Hills Youth Army grew to its largest-ever membership. The Friends of the Hills Library, largely invisible to anyone who doesn’t use the library, raised more than $5,000 — money that goes back into the institution.
Mayor Dr Michelle Byrne acknowledged all of it at the awards, along with the volunteers who operate outside council’s direct network: SES crews, community groups, and the various organisations that don’t show up in council’s tallies but keep the shire moving regardless.
The week also included a trivia night for council volunteers — something lighter, a chance to mix with people from other programs. A team combining volunteers from Bushcare, the Community Environment Centre, and Hills Community Care took the win.
The Hills’ volunteering rate remains above the NSW state average, which is either a point of community pride or a sign that the shire has quietly built something worth paying attention to. Probably both.
Council is currently seeking volunteers across multiple programs. Information is available at thehills.nsw.gov.au by searching ‘Volunteering’.