Fewer volunteers means this country show won’t run next year, and it’s a nation-wide problem

In country towns around Australia, local shows and events — usually organised by volunteers — are pillars of the social calendar. 

For 38-year-old Nicky Poole, the Theodore Show was something she looked forward to every year in her hometown 560 kilometres north-west of Brisbane.

But a lack of volunteers means the show will not go ahead in 2025.

“We haven’t managed to get a committee together, it’s really, really disappointing,” said Ms Poole, who has been involved in the committee for the last 12 years.

 “Seeing the fireworks, having all those different rides come to town, being able to create something and have it shown to the community … it is a really sad thing that kids are going to miss out on that.”

Amber Betteridge is the secretary of the Scouts group in the Gemfields, in central Queensland, which started up last year.

A few weeks ago, the group ceased operations due to a lack of volunteers.

“Some of them [the original volunteers] have moved, others had thing come up or different work commitments, and we just haven’t been able to find anyone to replace those roles,” she said.

Ms Betteridge said it was disappointing for the kids.

“With Scouts not operating, there is no option for extracurricular activities [in the community],” she said.

“I would love to see anyone who has one hour a week free just put their hand up.”

Cancellations ‘heartbreaking’

In its 10-year strategic plan released in 2023, Scouts Australia acknowledged its high volunteer-driven model was its “greatest vulnerability”, due to volunteers being “less willing to make the intense and sustained time commitment required to be an adult in Scouting”.

CEO of Volunteering Australia Mark Pearce said volunteer numbers were down around the country.

“It really is heartbreaking for community-based organisations … they’ve always been at the heart of communities,” he said.

Mr Pearce said the cost of living was affecting people’s ability to volunteer.

“[People] are having to do extra work to make ends meet,” he said.

“For a lot of volunteering, there is an out-of-pocket expense associated with it.”

Mr Pearce said when a culture of volunteering was passed down through family members, it tended to stick.

“The earlier people get involved in volunteering, the more likely they are to have a lifetime of volunteering,” he said.

Volunteer fatigue

The small town of Longreach in central west Queensland, about 1,200 kilometres from the state’s capital, is feeling the pinch too.

In summer, the town of 3,000 is quieter than usual as businesses operate on limited hours and people escape the heat.

An annual street party run by the Lions Club brings much-needed Christmas cheer.

But treasurer Diane Harrison said the club had to make the heart-wrenching decision to cancel this year’s event.

“It comes down to volunteer fatigue,” she said.

“People just aren’t joining service clubs like they used to.

“[Young people] have got so much going on in their lives, cost of living, job problems, they don’t see time for service clubs.”

For the last five years, the Longreach Lions Club has relied on drought relief funding to finance a portion of the party, but that is no longer available.

“It’s been a hard year for the club, and we haven’t had a chance to do a lot of the fundraising we normally would do,” Ms Harrison said.

“We don’t have the energy.”

At Theodore, Ms Poole said myths about volunteering had left some residents reluctant to commit, for fear of signing up for a “life sentence”.

“You can do it for one or two years and then step away,” she said.

“If everybody … gave it a go, it would make it a lot easier.”