Special delivery
29 Feb 2024Carol Dearlove’s thoughts on the service she receives from Barossa Library are clearly summed up in her surname.
The Nuriootpa resident is one of a number of local community members unable to attend their local library, so she looks forward to Barossa Council Library volunteer Kathy Evans knocking on her door as part of the library’s home delivery service.
“I can’t get to the library now and it’s lovely to see Kathy, we have a social chat – we talk about our pets, our children, it’s just a lovely visit,” says Carol.
“She’s a person who has become dear to me.”
Carol enjoys the vast selection of books, DVDs and magazines she receives each month.
“You should see the assortment we get, it’s wonderful!” she says, praising the library team for the thoughtful choices they make.
It means so much and it gives us the option to be able to relax in our own home.
“And, we were given honey biscuits for Christmas! The ladies all volunteered to bake them in their own time and it took me two days to eat them - so yummy!”
Kathy has been a volunteer for the past five years and treasures the connections she makes through her role.
“I remember seeing an advert asking for volunteers when this service was quite new,” Kathy explains.
“I put myself in the position of someone like Carol. I love reading and couldn’t imagine not being able to get to the library to access books! I thought this is something I can do to hopefully give a little bit of something back to the community.”
Kathy admits to gaining “far more” from her volunteer role than she gives.
“I know a couple of people have said they were beginning to feel frustrated and felt a real loss of purpose because their vision was going. They were isolated and started feeling like they couldn’t be independent,” Kathy says.
“They now have audio books and it gives them a sense of wellbeing because it allows them to still do what they’ve always done, just in a different format.
It’s the tiniest thing that can make a big difference to other people, and it gives them that sense of still being connected with the community.
For more information about the Home library service, call the team on 8563 8440. If you would like to become a volunteer, call the Volunteering Barossa & Light Resource Centre on 8563 8495 or email volunteer@barossa.sa.gov.au to discover how.