Ella Mackey represents the fifth generation of her family to be born in Robe and like the generations that have gone before, she has rolled up her sleeves and worked side by side with her parents to make a difference in the seaside town.<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly my community involvement centres around the Robe Football and Netball Club,\u201d Ella said. \u201cI have played netball since I was very young and when my mother became head trainer of the football club and then president we spent a lot of time around the club.\u201d<\/p>\n
So you could say, Ella employed the \u2018if you can\u2019t beat them join them, mentality, helping with the medical training side of things and started to help out with setting up and packing up on match days.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce I\u2019d learnt all I could about that I completed my First Aid Course and my level one training course and started full time training,\u201d Ella said. \u201cI do Tuesday and Thursday nights and all-day Saturdays 8am \u2013 5pm, home and away games plus pre-season.\u201d<\/p>\n
This includes prepping and packing up all the medical supplies and taping, ordering, stock, cleaning, strapping and pre and post-game assistance to the football players across all grades from junior colts to A Grade.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m also supervising the games on the line and dealing with medical situations as they arise and working with our medical team to make sure everyone is OK,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She still caters to her love of netball, not just taping up some of the girls but also playing her game before heading back to the football oval to complete her training role.<\/p>\n
\u201cI also enjoy sorting the Thursday night meat raffles in the club and this year I have also taken on the ordering and management of the merchandise for the football club,\u201d Ella said. \u201cIf mum is under the pump I\u2019ll also give her a hand with the club cleaning or stock or whatever else needs to be done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Clearly she has learnt from her hard working parents and that, combined with her love of her hometown, has seen her eagerly take up her raft of volunteering roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really love Robe,\u201d she said. \u201cMy parents both do a lot of work around the club and in other community areas. Mum was an ambulance volunteer and on the tourism association and dad plays music and was on the Robe Mountain Bike Association.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a busy time during summer but in winter you really need other things to do and if you can find something you enjoy then that\u2019s even better.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to chat to people quietly when they might be really nervous before a big game and just let them talk, make them laugh or just take some time to check that they are OK,\u201d she said. \u201cI like it when people treat me that way so I try to be that for others.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you live in a small country town there is not always big opportunities to get out and meet people.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m pretty shy so I\u2019m not going to be the person who introduces themselves to strangers at parties but once I\u2019m comfortable I really enjoy meeting new people and getting to know them.<\/p>\n
\u201cSport has always been something that I\u2019ve enjoyed so volunteering at the local sporting club seems to be the right fit for me but there is lots of other ways you can volunteer in your town.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you have a look around there will always be an organisation that really needs help and if you\u2019ve got some spare time it can end of being a good thing for everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get to be around some great people, I learn heaps of things all the time, I get to enjoy funny conversations and I get to build relationships with people of all ages.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not a big, bold, loud person so sometimes if you are not the most social in the group its difficult to meet new people but the Robe Football and Netball Club has let me become friends with some people who I would never have spoken to otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ella Mackey represents the fifth generation of her family to be born in Robe and like the generations that have gone before, she has rolled up her sleeves and worked side by side with her parents to make a difference in the seaside town. \u201cMostly my community involvement centres around the Robe Football and Netball […]<\/p>\n