Pre event
Volunteer Information Pack
After you have been registered and assigned your volunteer shift, you will be sent a Volunteer Information Pack in the mail.
Included in your pack should be:
- a Position Description,
- a shift confirmation sheet,
- a Volunteer Handbook,
- a map of your working location/s,
- as well as additional information about your awesome new role.
Training Session
A number of training sessions will be held in the weeks prior to the Oxfam TRAILWALKER Melbourne 2010 event.
PLEASE NOTE: Past Volunteers - these sessions are particularly important to attend this year as there has been changes to the positioning of certain checkpoints that may affect your role. Please consider making it to a training session before the Event.
At the training you will be provided with an overall view of the event and specific details of the requirements of your role. The sessions are designed to be informative and will make your assigned tasks during the event easier to perform.
If you have questions, please ask them here to ensure you understand your role, where you need to be and how you will be of assistance to participants, staff or other volunteers.
Attending the briefing will ensure that you also receive your volunteer t-shirt, which is yours to keep, and is the mandatory uniform for the Trailwalker weekend.
All training will take place at the Oxfam Australia Office, Level 1, 132-138 Leicester Street, Carlton VIC (Melways Ref: 2B D9 – see map below), and should last no longer than an hour.
During the event
Cheer on participants and lend encouragement. Your support will get them through the toughest of times. Enjoy the community atmosphere, meet your fellow volunteers and have fun!
Photo: Tim Heraud/OxfamAUS
What to Bring
1. Mobile Phone
Please make sure you bring a mobile phone so we can contact you in case of emergencies. Make sure you charge it before you leave home!
2. Volunteer Shirt
Bring your volunteer t-shirt – it’s the mandatory uniform for the weekend. You’ll either receive one at the training nights in March, or when you arrive for your shift.
3. Wear Layers
Please be aware of Melbourne’s unpredictable weather; play it safe and bring a raincoat, umbrella, sunhat, sunscreen, beanie etc – rail, hail or shine, the show must go on! Autumn nights are particularly chilly on the course, so please rug up and bring layers – you might want to select items that you can layer underneath your vollie shirt, but are easy to strip off should it warm up.
4. Parking Permit
Bring your parking permit which should have come in your Volunteer Information Pack (if you require one to access your shift location) and clearly display it on your dashboard.
5. Volunteer Information Pack
Also remember to bring your Volunteer Information Pack with your Trail Marshalling position map.
6. Get Comfortable!
Think about things that will make you more comfortable in your role. For example, trail marshals should bring a fold out chair, snacks, torch, book etc for quieter periods.
Remember to rock up!
No shows are not cool, especially when our walkers are counting on you to guide their way in the dark, massage their aching limbs, or present their certificates and cheer for them as they pass the finish line.
Every one of the 1100+ volunteer shifts over the weekend are ESSENTIAL to the success of the event overall, so the more we can mitigate the number of no-shows or cancellations, the easier it will be on the Event weekend to manage any incidents or issues that crop up as a result of a cancellation.
However, we do understand things happen! Let us know ASAP if you can not attend your shift. The more notice in days/weeks you give us, the easier it will be to get someone in to replace your shift.
Contact the Volunteer Coordinator at the Oxfam Office anytime in the days leading up to, or worst case scenario, on the day of the event (refer to the Control Centre contact number on the back of your Handbook) – we will appreciate your honesty much more than an 'invisible Trail Marshal'!
Photo: Veronica Lew/OxfamAUS
Getting there
You will need to arrange your own transport to and from your shifts.
Check out www.whereis.com.au to map your route to your shift location.
Public transport is near impossible for the locations along the trail, but try your luck with car-pooling by networking at the briefing sessions in March, or post a message on our Facebook or Twitter pages.
On the job
- When you arrive for your shift make sure you check in. If you are working at or from a checkpoint please notify the Checkpoint Coordinator. If your shift starts at the Control Centre let the Volunteer Coordinator know you are there.
- Make sure you arrive for the handover shifts at least half an hour early. Remember to bring the map from your Volunteer Information Pack to help you find the way.
- An ID tag will be given to you when you arrive and check in with the Checkpoint Coordinator or Control Centre staff for your shift – please wear your tag, along with your volunteer t-shirt, at all times. For each new shift, you will require a new tag. Please return your Oxfam lanyards at the end of your shift to help us keep our costs down.
- If you have any problems during your shift please see the Checkpoint Coordinator at your checkpoint or the Volunteer Coordinator at the Control Centre. Contact details for on the day are provided in your Handbook.
Photo: Tim Heraud/OxfamAUS
Eating
We couldn’t do this event without you – and you deserve to be looked after during your shift! Please help yourself to the basic provisions at the checkpoints. In 2009 these included tea, coffee, muesli, cup-a-soup, noodles, chocolate and fruit.
Every volunteer will also receive one meal during their shift - this will either be a breakfast, lunch, dinner or 'night snack', depending on the time of your shift.
Please plan for your shifts with any other volunteers in your area - and take note if you are in a remote area and may not be able to have a break/visit the toilet easily.
Photo: Veronica Lew/OxfamAUS
Sleeping
There are sleeping facilities at some checkpoints if you would like to have a nap before driving home after a late or overnight shift. These spaces will need to be reserved in the weeks leading up to the event through the Volunteer Coordinator. Please bring a sleeping bag, mat and pillow.
There is also dorm-style accommodation available near the Finish if you are keen to bunk up for a proper sleep before the long drive home, or between shifts. If you would like to book a bed please contact the Volunteer Coordinator on 1800 088 110. You will need to bring your own sleeping bag, pillow and towel.
Photo: Veronica Lew/OxfamAUS
