Thanks for everything...for nothing
When it comes to volunteers in our communities, you certainly get what you pay for. The recent furore over the unfortunate exhibition of umpiring at a Wellington senior cricket match on Labour Weekend has certainly raised a bit of comment in the office.? ?I sympathise with the players who were understandably frustrated by the sometimes baffling calls made by an umpire who apparently scored 90 percent in her umpiring exam. But with slim pickings available for the matches that needed to be played that weekend, Elle Abel should be commended for taking on the daunting task of a senior game in her first appointment. Perhaps situations like this require us reverting back to player/umpires, or maybe we could organise Darrell Hair to come over? The incident does however bring up the input of volunteers in all facets of our daily life. Without them, many tasks would be neglected, and some organisations would simply not exist. Often they?re the jobs most would prefer not to go near, or are simply too busy to consider doing. But we?ve all enjoyed the positive impact of a volunteer at some point of our lives. ?Harking back to cold winter mornings at Nelson?s Tahuna Park, I recall with some mirth the various parents who donned a whistle to referee my junior games of rugby in the early 90s. Granted, forward passes were missed, and nepotism was rife in some dubious try scoring situations (thanks Dad!). But low-level match fixing aside, these games were everything to the nine-year-olds in their oversized jerseys, and these men stepped up to help - because no one else would have otherwise. For many, it?s a labour of love that keeps them coming back. For others, it?s a way to better themselves as people or to simply better others. But the passion that these people show shouldn?t be taken for granted, nor should their value. It?s most likely that there would be nothing without them.
