“This is what I was put on earth to do”: Celebrating Hazel’s 20 years of volunteering

When you meet Hazel, you quickly realize she’s someone special. For two decades, Hazel has been an endearing part of our Wommin Bay Village community, volunteering her time and energy despite overwhelming health challenges.  

Her story is not just about what she’s overcome, but how she’s used her experiences to help others. 

The start of Hazel’s journey

“I started volunteering when I was 18 at a “lunatic asylum”. That’s what they were called back in those days,” says Hazel. “Aged Care didn’t exist then so elderly people were sent there too. I really wanted to help.” 

By the age 35 she was volunteering full time, supporting not-for-profits like the Salvation Army and Lifeline. And a few years after that, she started volunteering at Wommin Bay Village.  

Hazel’s dedication has seen her involved in everything from raffles to running the coffee shop. But she mentions her life isn’t about seeking the limelight – it’s about making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.  

“I don’t like attention.  I just do what I do to help others.” 

“It’s what keeps me going”

Hazel has faced it all. Rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, a broken hip and heel, a torn shoulder, comas, and even gangrene. She is an amputee. She even once received a stage four cancer diagnosis that gave her one day to live. 

But she still stands tall, walks, and continues to give, showing her resilience in the face of personal health issues that would have sidelined many.  

Beyond her physical resilience, Hazel is a spiritual healer, the first to bring her healing touch into aged care, training others across South East QLD and Northern NSW. Her spirituality and belief in helping others have been the foundation of her volunteer work, driven by a profound sense of purpose and the knowledge that this is where she is meant to be. 

“I do touch (laying hands), absent (through photos or writing their name in my book) and auric healing,” explains Hazel.   

“I heal anyone that needs it and have never charged money for it.  I do it simply.  I don’t wear a fancy outfit or wave my arms around.” 

Hazel’s story shows the difference one person can make in the lives of many by volunteering their time and energy. She embodies the bold spirit of Feros Care and teaches us that it’s not our challenges that define us, but how we choose to respond to them. 

Celebrating Hazel

 As we celebrate Hazel’s twenty-year milestone at Wommin Bay Village, may her story be an invitation to each of us. Volunteering in aged care is not just about giving your time.  It’s also about sharing your heart, bringing joy, and making a tangible difference in the lives of others.  

Hazel shows us that no matter what we face in our own lives, we have the capacity to contribute, to help, and to enrich the lives of those around us. 

“When I started volunteering in aged care, I was ready for a wheelchair, but I’m not in one now.  It’s what keeps me going,” she says. 

“When you help others, you get so much more back. I believe this is what I was put on Earth to do.” 

 Thank you Hazel for twenty years of extraordinary dedication, and may your story inspire countless others to join you in making a difference.  

We invite you to step out, give volunteering a try, and discover the rewarding journey that awaits. Like Hazel, you may find that in the act of giving, you receive so much more in return.