This week, Queensland Academy for Health Sciences joined communities across Australia in celebrating National Volunteer Week 2026, held from 18 to 24 May under the national theme Your Year to Volunteer.
To mark the occasion, students and staff gathered in the Green Heart at lunchtime on Wednesday for the QAHS Volunteer Showcase, a celebration of the extraordinary range of voluntary work happening across our community, often quietly and without recognition.
The morning had a genuinely festive feel to it, and much of that was down to the QAHS Year 12 band, led by Cayden Chung, who performed live in the Green Heart. Thank you for bringing the smooth tunes and joyful atmosphere to the event! While on the topic of music, a special shout out to the QAHS Concert Band, Big Band and String Orchestra students who will be travelling to perform at Fanfare festival this Friday. We wish them all the very best.
Beyond the music, seven community initiatives set up stalls and invited the QAHS community to learn, connect and get involved.
The Knitting for Charity group displayed the handmade items they have been quietly producing throughout the year. Members knit individual squares which are then sewn together to create blankets donated to dogs in need. No prior experience is necessary, and the group welcomes complete beginners and experienced members are always on hand to help others learn the basics. Thank you to Mrs Hammerton for leading this incredible group for many years at QAHS.
The Letters to the Elderly group were on hand to share the work they do through the simple but powerful act of letter writing. Personal, thoughtful and entirely human, their letters reach elderly members of our community in a way that no notification or message thread ever quite manages. Their creative flair was also on show, with some crafty designs and heart-warming messages for their elderly pen pals. The group made a special trip to Estia Health this week, where the students had the special opportunity to meet the residents they regularly write to, sharing conversations, stories and valuable life experience across generations. A big shout out to our amazing CAS coordinator and group lead, Mrs Mitchell for enabling these incredible opportunities.
Few organisations represent the true spirit of volunteering quite like Rosies Friends on the Street. Founded in Queensland in 1987, Rosies reaches out to people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or simply isolated from the world around them, offering something that costs nothing and means everything - friendship, a warm smile and a hot drink. The QAHS Rosies Outreach CAS Program sends small groups of students and staff to join this work on Friday evenings across the year, and it is one of those experiences that tends to stay with a person long after the evening is done. Thank you to Mrs Sabapathy for leading this powerful group initiative for QAHS.
The QAHS Community Gardeners brought their characteristic enthusiasm and shared the progress being made in a space that continues to grow in both produce and community spirit. The community garden at QAHS is well tended to by the team of happy gardeners, with the variety of fresh produce shared amongst students and staff. A special thank you to Mrs Stevens, Mrs Palekar and Ms Vallen.
The Gold Coast Hospital Foundation stall carried a particularly special energy on the day, with Moana from the Foundation attending in person to thank the QAHS community for their ongoing support. It was a generous gesture and a reminder of just how valued that partnership has become across gift wrapping shifts, Giving Day volunteer roles and many hours of fundraising effort over the last two years. Students and staff are welcome to volunteer for several of their events, including the upcoming Gold Coast Marathon (bag-drop area) and other special events. Stay up-to-date with new opportunities released on MyQA.
The QA Surf Lifesaving Group assembled to showcase their role and recruit for next season. With the 2025/2026 patrol season freshly concluded, National Volunteer Week felt like the perfect moment to reflect on another year of genuine service along the Gold Coast's beaches. It also marks the release of Part 2 of our special feature series, Beyond the Red and Yellow: Stories from the QAHS Surf Lifesavers, celebrating the contributions of our Year 12 surf lifesavers. A special shout out to Mrs Hudson for coordinating this terrific community initiative.
Gold Coast Recreation and Sport rounded out the afternoon, attending to recruit volunteers for the upcoming Trek for Rec event, an inclusive community initiative that QAHS has proudly supported in previous years. Students keen to get involved are encouraged to reach out through the Enrichment Hub on MyQA or contact Mrs Stevens directly.
National Volunteer Week is Australia's largest annual celebration of volunteering, and Wednesday's showcase was a fitting reflection of what makes QAHS genuinely distinctive. Service at the Academy is something students and staff choose, return to, and build lasting experiences around. We are proud of every one of them for it.
Thank you to all students and staff who assisted with each stall and made the afternoon what it was. A special thank you to Moana and the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation for coming to campus to celebrate with us. And to our musicians, thank you for making the Green Heart sing.
To learn more about National Volunteer Week 2026, visit volunteerweek.org.au. This is Your Year to Volunteer.
Dion Obst
HOD Global Connect