Podcast: Keeping the volunteer flame burning in rural and regional Australia

Posted on 27 Sep 2024

By Greg Thom, journalist, Institute of Community Directors Australia

Community organisations and the volunteers who largely run them are the glue that holds many country towns together.

With Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics revealing that one in three in three Australians aged over 65 live in remote or rural Australia, the volunteer engine-room of small towns is shrinking, as communities face the very real impact of an ageing population.

Rural communities increasingly need younger people to step up, amid efforts to ensure the volunteer torch continues to burn brightly and create opportunities for those who want to make a difference in their communities to do so.

In our latest Community Advocate podcast, Deb Samuels, People Portfolio lead at the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR), discusses the impact an ageing population is having on community connection in remote, rural and regional Australia and why it’s important to embrace a new generation of volunteers.