The Tweed is quietly becoming home to one of the most experienced, skilled communities in New South Wales. Retired professionals, tree changers, people beginning new chapters after long careers - they are arriving with decades of expertise and a genuine desire to put it somewhere meaningful. At Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre, some of them have found exactly that, and now the gallery is looking for more people to join them.
Recently, 3 of the gallery's volunteers sat down to talk about how they got here, what they brought with them, and what keeps them coming back.
Tony spent his career as a GP, years of complex, high-stakes work that demanded a lot of responsibility. When he retired to the Tweed, he was ready for something different. Today he volunteers at the gallery, sings in a choir, and tends to 3 Landcare groups caring for local reserves and wildlife corridors. His science background, his communication skills, his instinct to explain and engage - all of it finds a place on the gallery floor.
"It's really different to being a GP," Tony said. "That was intense, high responsibility. This is balance. This is feeding different passions."
Vivienne brought a career in education and industrial relations to the Tweed. She spent years as a union secretary and later representing university staff in negotiations. When a friend mentioned the gallery was looking for volunteers, she didn't hesitate. She talks about volunteering not as giving time, but as giving what she's built - the skills that defined her working life finding a new and meaningful place.
"It's not about who or what you used to be," Vivienne said.
"Your interaction is about life now. There's something special about saying: this is me, and this is what I can give."
Lynne grew up in Sydney with a love of culture that began early - she spent her pocket money on art magazines as a child. She came to the gallery first as a visitor, drawn back again and again until she realised she wanted to be part of it.
"When you leave at the end of the day, you actually feel you've done something worthwhile," Lynne said. "You feel enlivened. It's made your day."
The volunteers do far more than welcome visitors. Kree Harrison, Operations and Business Officer at Tweed Regional Gallery, says the impact extends well beyond the gallery walls.
"They are ambassadors," Kree said.
"They're here for the gallery, but visitors ask them where to get a good coffee, where to go for lunch. It spills out into the town, into the community."
Kree has watched volunteers build real friendships through the program - a group of 8 recently organised their own trip to Brisbane together. It started at the gallery. One volunteer, a regular on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, recently stopped to chat with a couple heading toward the gallery as it was about to close telling them what was on, what to look for, why it was worth coming back. That instinct, to share something good, is exactly what the program draws out in people.
Kree says the gallery also plays a quieter role in community wellbeing. After the 2022 floods, people came in simply to find stillness.
"It creates a space to contemplate. A space for respite. A space to breathe," Kree said.
"Volunteers help hold that space open."
Gallery Director Ingrid Hedgcock says the volunteer program is central to what makes the gallery what it is.
"The volunteers who give their time to this gallery bring with them extraordinary life experience. They enrich every visit - for our community, and for themselves," she said.
Becoming a volunteer is straightforward. Applications are online, and once submitted, a staff member will be in touch for a friendly conversation. No particular background is needed. Just curiosity, warmth and a desire to be part of something.
