Reaching out to others

Yvonne Bambling winner of a Premier’s Award for Seniors.

Yvonne Bambling loves being part of the community and reaching out to others. 

Growing up in Far North Queensland, she often brought home neighbourhood children who needed help.

“My sisters tell me I’m the ‘rescuer’ in the family,” she says.

Yvonne’s volunteering began with the Women’s Royal Australian Naval Service when she was 20 years old and where she “experienced her first real sense of community bonding”.

More than 30 years later, she began volunteering at St Mary’s Church South Brisbane, doing whatever she could to help.

Yvonne’s life experiences had strengthened her innate desire to help others and it was here that she came to mentor a young woman with a physical disability who had moved in to her own home.

This experience taught Yvonne “to recognise the healing power of a kind word and a helping hand”.

“I will advocate and try to straighten out issues for people,” she says. “I can only work at the community level — but there is always someone who can help. I just bring the issues to others who are more qualified to deal with them.”

Yvonne volunteered with the Greek Welfare Community of St George West End and more recently, the Valley International City Church, where she tutors English to migrants and refugees at the multicultural community centre.

This Christmas Yvonne will “do whatever is needed in the community — probably at the church where there is always something happening”.

“If I’m not there I will be among the West End community, spreading the cheer and looking out for whatever needs to be done, wherever it needs to be done.”

Yvonne won a 2011 Premier’s Award for Queensland Seniors.