Day 1
Year 10 has enjoyed some amazing adventures as they start their Temora – Dusty Boots Service. After arriving, we enjoyed games and a BBQ with the members at Crossway Youth at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church. Thanks to Derek, Anna, Phil and Melissa for sharing God’s word with us. On Sunday, we went to St Paul’s Anglican Church, 9:30am and 5pm services. It’s been wonderful reconnecting with our friends throughout the community.
Day 2
On Monday we worked with many of the local churches undertaking gardening, cleaning and maintenance activities. This included window cleaning and gardening at Salvation Army Church and fence painting at Temora Baptist Church. Thank-you to Caleb, Ross and the many parishioners who worked with us and served us a scrumptious morning tea and lunch with many delightful cakes. Another group went to Narraburra Lodge and enjoyed sharing stories over a delightful morning tea.
In the afternoon, one group went to Sacred Heart Catholic Church and helped to clean and oil pews while another went to the Temora Lutheran Community Church to assist with gardening, clearing drains and cleaning inside the church. Thank-you to the Lutheran Church for a delightful afternoon tea. We also had small groups helping at The Open Door Bookshop and St. Vinnie’s. We finished our day with a trip to the local pool.
– Savannah C
Day 3
Tuesday was a great day working alongside the incredible community workers in Temora. We started the morning delivering Meals on Wheels with Pinnacle Community Services. Another group undertook gardening at St. Paul’s Anglican Church. In the afternoon, students had an engaging time with the residents from Greenstone Lodge playing bingo. This included Mr Hadfield taking control as ‘bingo caller’, enthralling all with his innovative way of calling numbers.
Thank-you to Temora Community Centre for inviting OPAC students to participate in a mentoring program with stage 2 students at Temora Public School to develop kindness and resilience. We concluded with a session of wheelchair basketball with community members at Temora Recreation Centre. It has been wonderful seeing our students witness the power of service and volunteering through authentic collaboration and compassion through all of our partners in Temora. Thank-you for your passion and dedication!
Day 4
Today, the Dusty Boots Crew woke up a little earlier than normal and was greeted by a beautiful morning sunrise. One group went out to complete some gardening, pruning and window cleaning at a local parishioner’s house, while another washed a car. Later, we all met at the Temora Girl Guides to install garden edging along the garden beds that the service trips in 2022 and 2023 helped to create. Meanwhile, a group of students worked at the Temora Community Centre to make meals which will be distributed to members of the community. Some of our highlights include meeting new people, helping people that need assistance and discovering the joy of service.
– Ben P.
Day 5
On Thursday, students undertook a range of ‘backyard blitzes’, weeding, mowing lawns, clearing leaves for elderly residents. A group also helped the local Lutheran Bookshop with a stocktake of their many beautiful cards. We’ve been very grateful working with Anne from the Temora Community Centre, and this culminated yesterday at ‘Plates of Plenty’. Here, students helped to serve lunch and spoke with members of the community. Thank-you to the Temora Community Centre for the many experiences we’ve shared and for showing us the impact of volunteering.
In the afternoon, Mayor Rick Firman hosted us for afternoon tea at the Temora Memorial Town Hall. It was wonderful to see his commitment to his town and his generosity to our students. Mayor Firman thanked each student and presented them with a certificate and pen.
Our final night concluded with a ‘pot-luck’ dinner organised by the Temora Christian Leaders association. It was great to see many of our friends again from the different churches we’ve worked at and share our memories and reflections.
Thank you to the following groups for having us:
