Volunteers help make schoolies safe

Communities Minister Lindy Nelson-Carr has praised the efforts of volunteers on the Gold Coast who are helping to make Schoolies as safe as possible for thousands of school leavers.

Ms Nelson-Carr visited the Gold Coast today to help Red Frogs cook pancakes for school leavers and see first hand the wonderful work hundreds of volunteers, community groups and emergency staff are doing.

“Volunteers are amazing Queenslanders – from an octogenarian to some who are not much older than schoolies themselves,” she said.

“While there are plenty of first-time volunteers on board this year, we also have more than 150 volunteers who are working at Schoolies for at least their third time round.

“At least half this year’s volunteers have been regulars since 2005, and among them are parents, siblings and other relatives of current schoolies.”

Ms Nelson-Carr said over the first weekend of Gold Coast Schoolies alone, an average of 750 volunteers contributed nearly 15,000 hours of their time – an average of 10 hours a day per person.

“The bulk of these are made up by the army of Red Frogs volunteers, about 550 of them, who are working day and night to support young people,” she said.

“Without the incredible efforts of the volunteers who give their time, year in, year out, we could not provide the extensive level of planning, support and services as part of the statewide safety response.”

Media Contact: Minister Nelson-Carr’s office 3235 4280