Volunteer With Us
At the Wooden Boat Centre we rely on our volunteers. So how can you get involved and volunteer with us? Read on to see what you can do and how to become a Wooden Boat Centre volunteer.
A day in the life of a volunteer
Volunteers offer their time according to their own life schedules and we are happy to accept all offers of help. There are no set hours either daily, weekly or monthly but generally they may commit to a day or two a week with either a full or a half day and usually a regular day or days so we have a roster that we can work with. We make sure that volunteers have all the normal channels available to them with regard to any issues they may have and we welcome any ideas or suggestions for improvement. Volunteers have many skills and life experiences and we endeavour to use these and incorporate them into making the centre work better for our visitors, staff, students and volunteers.
Induction and training is provided for all new volunteers and reference material is available. A new volunteer will work with an experienced person until they are confident to work independently
What Kinds of Jobs Can You Volunteer For?
Shop: Including meet & greet all visitors – general welcome and chit chat about where they are from & how they heard about us. General tourist information and local knowledge information. Sales in the gift shop and more.
Guides: All guides familiarise themselves with current builds and restorations currently happening. New guides have access to training notes and generally have had experience with the Centre previously as a member, student or volunteer in another capacity. New guides will accompany an experienced guide for a number of tours until they are confident. All guides have their own perspective on the Centre and bring their own stories to share.
Workshop: Work with shipwrights on projects such as current builds and restorations. This might include sanding, painting , caulking and other skills, or assisting in running short courses.
Workshop: Using scrap wood to make wooden items for sale in the shop.
Gardener: Keeping the grounds presentable by mowing, trimming, pruning, planting, weeding and whipper snipping.
Outside Maintenance: Odd jobs such as cleaning windows, small repairs to the building/ walkways/jetties/wharf, painting, spreading road gravel.
If you are interested in volunteering with us please get in touch and one of the team can arrange to speak with you about the options.