CREATING a welcoming environment for visitors is high on the agenda for a group of volunteers who give their time to open the doors of the Greenbushes Discovery Centre to the public each week.
Some members of the group have been volunteering at the centre since it opened in the late 1990s, while others are more recent arrivals who love their town and are keen to share their knowledge and enthusiasm.
Leonie Eastcott, who is the current secretary of the Greenbushes Discovery Centre Committee as well as a volunteer on the roster, says the group is always keen to have more people to help out with opening the centre to provide visitors with a positive experience of the town.
“We have a core group of people who help out, but there’s always room for more volunteers,” she said.
“Our centre is not Shire or Government-funded like some Visitor Centres, so we rely completely on our community volunteers,” she said.
“It’s not just long term residents who volunteer, we find that new people in town can get to know the community and make new friends quickly if they join a community group such as ours,” Ms Eastcott said.
“New volunteers are always rostered on with people who are experienced so we don’t just expect people to man the centre without any support.”
The volunteers work on a roster system to open the centre on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between 10am and 2pm or by appointment at pre-arranged times.
Two volunteers are rostered on for each shift and some have regular days and times while other people volunteer a day a month or whatever time they have available.
Hundreds of school children visit the centre each year when participating in the Bridgetown Primary School’s Camp School programme, which includes visits to the Discovery Centre and the Greenbushes Mine.
Seniors groups, rock collecting and caravan groups and other community organisations visit the centre each year.
People who are interested in becoming a volunteer at the centre should contact Leonie Eastcott on 97825717.
