The Department of Communities helps to acknowledge the significant efforts of Western Australia's volunteers through the WA Volunteer Service Award program.
The program recognises Western Australian volunteers who have provided 25 years or more of voluntary service to one organisation. Nominees receive a 25 or 50 years of service commemorative badge and a personalised certificate in recognition of their service.
Nominees can choose to receive their award by the nominating organisation or during an official ceremony held by the Department of Communities.
Nominations for the program can be submitted at any time throughout the year, however, awards are available during National Volunteer Week in May only.
Nominations have now closed for volunteers wishing to receive an Award during National Volunteer Week 2019.
Eligibility
The following criteria must be met in order for a nomination to be successful:
- Voluntary service must meet Volunteering Australia's definition of volunteering, in that 'Volunteering is time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain'. This applies to donations of time and does not include periods of donating money or materials including blood donation.
- The voluntary service period must be for a minimum of 25 years to the same organisation in Western Australia providing services within the state. Years of service do not have to be consecutive.
- The nominee must be volunteering with the organisation submitting the nomination.
Please contact the Volunteering team if you are unsure about these eligibility criteria.
Nominee consent
Nominee consent is required from the nominating organisation prior to the application being submitted. A nomination without the nominee's consent cannot be accepted.
WA Volunteer Service Award Recipients
A full list of those who have received Volunteer Service Awards since the program began is available
online.
How to submit a nomination
Online
Complete and submit the
online nomination form. If you have multiple nominees from your organisation, please contact
volunteering@communities.wa.gov.au for further information on how to submit.
By post
Complete the
nomination form and send it to:
WA Volunteer Service Awards
Department of Communities
Locked Bag 5000
Fremantle WA 6959
Contact
For further information, please contact the Department of Communities on
Volunteering@communities.wa.gov.au or 6217 6888.
Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility
Can I nominate myself?
No, only an organisation can nominate you.
I have provided the qualifying years of service to an organisation but they are unable to confirm this and will not nominate me for an award. What can I do?The Department of Local Government and Communities is unable to mediate in disputes between potential nominees and an organisation. You will need to liaise with the organisation on this matter.
How do we prove the person has sufficient years of volunteer service with our organisation?In order to assure that the nomination is valid, the organisation may confirm membership lists, minute books, or more simply through collective memory. It is appreciated that many organisations have informal foundation years and records may not be available. Proof of length of service with your organisation is not required by the Department of Local Government and Communities.
Our group has changed names several times over the years. Is it still considered the same organisation in order to meet the criteria of volunteer service to one organisation?Yes, providing there is an authorised person to attest to the nominee’s length of volunteer service.
As a branch of a national organisation are we able to make a nomination?Yes, provided the nomination is for volunteer service provided to a Western Australian branch and the national organisation supports the nomination.
Can we nominate someone who no longer lives in Western Australia?Yes, if the volunteer service occurred in Western Australia for the qualifying periods.
Can we nominate someone who had a break of several years or so, but still gave the required number of years of volunteer service?Yes, the program recognises the total number of years of service to one organisation, it doesn’t require consecutive years of service.
Can we nominate someone who has not yet completed the qualifying years of service?No. Nominations must be for recognition of a volunteer’s service of either 25 years or more; or 50 years or more.
Can we nominate someone who is no longer a member of the organisation, but meets the qualifying years of service? Can we nominate a previous volunteer who has now passed away? Can we nominate someone as a surprise and without their consent?No, for privacy considerations the volunteer must provide consent and indicate their preferred method of receiving the award.
How do nominees receive their award?The Department of Local Government and Communities hosts award ceremonies during National Volunteer Week each May and on International Volunteer Day on 5 December. Alternatively the nominating organisation can arrange for the award to be presented to the nominee.
Can a representative accept the award on behalf of a nominee?It is preferred that the nominee is the recipient of the award where possible.
Why do we need the nominee to consent to media and promotion of their award?In recognition of the nominees’ service to Western Australia, the department may include information of the award in media announcements and promotional material.
Presentations
If our nominee lives in a nursing home or is frail and lives with support in the community. What is the best way to present the badge to him/her?You will need to gain approval from the administration of the nursing home or from the people providing care for the person, seeking permission for your organisation to hold a small presentation event in the venue, if it is not advisable to transport the nominee to an outside venue.
Our nominee would like to come to Perth for the presentation. Can you assist with his/her transportation costs?No, sorry. The organisation may wish to consider assisting with the costs or it may be preferable to hold the presentation ceremony in the nominee’s home town. Alternatively, the organisation may try contacting local service groups to assist.
