Rest assured, councils and community groups have a lot of those tasks on their to-do lists as well.

This is where CityServe, a remarkable Hunter-based volunteer organisation, is having a positive impact on our communities.

CityServe comprises an army of volunteers who put up their hands to undertake projects which, as their name suggests, provide much – needed service to their cities. The main beneficiaries are local sports and community groups who need help with maintenance and renovation work on their facilities.

CityServe has completed 28 community projects in Lake Macquarie this year, involving more than 650 volunteers, from painting, deck building and bricklaying to ‘backyard blitzing’ overgrown gardens.

The volunteer teams have undertaken work for schools, childcare centres, surf clubs and other sports organisations.  They have performed clean-ups and maintenance in public spaces such as Naru Point, at Pelican, Morisset Lions Park and the Belmont Wetlands State Park.  

I had the pleasure of joining volunteers on one of these projects, at the Cardiff Early Education Centre last month, and was impressed by their infectious camaraderie and the range of volunteers, particularly the number of young people involved.