From helping schoolchildren learn trades to supporting men with mental health, Boronia Rotarian Ray Siegersma is always keeping busy.
October marks the Knox Seniors Festival and we're highlighting Ray's voluntary community service, which has seen him recognised with a recent award.
He received an award for Outstanding Volunteer Service in Council's annual Knox Community Awards.
Ray joined Boronia Rotary in 1994 before moving to work as a bushfire hub captain coordinating community recovery in Marysville after the Black Saturday bushfires.
"That was the most difficult job that I've ever had," he says. "Everything was a priority; there were urgencies with everything and it was quite a life-changing experience."
He rejoined Boronia Rotary upon his return in 2021. Other volunteer roles include helping with Knox Infolink's Boronia Community Breakfast and Knox Community Christmas Support programs, and cooking barbecues at the Different Journeys Autism Family Swim Night at Knox Leisureworks.
In 2023, Ray proposed a new Rotary project - a Youth Skills Shed to encourage primary schoolchildren to learn trades. It was set up in a building at Boronia Heights Primary School last year.
"Of course, we had to find some tradies and I had quite a few mates who owed me a few favours so I called them in," says Ray, who now chairs the Rotary Youth Committee and is president-elect at his club.
The program has already expanded to The Basin Primary School and Boronia K-12 College, who now have students involved.
"The most important thing about Rotary is you get out of it what you put in," Ray says. "I'm in the fortunate position now where I'm retired and I've got some time. I like to be active so there's a number of different things that I can do within the community."
Most recently, Ray has been working to establish a men's mental health hub led by Rotary in Boronia. It's set to open in November.
"We'll be able to have a weekly meeting for men around mental health and they can meet with a couple of professional counsellors on the day over a snack for lunch - it'll be called the Men's Hub Snack and Chat."
Find out more: rotaryboronia.org.au or email [email protected]
This October, the Knox Seniors Festival is your chance to stay curious, try something new and connect with others. It's part of the Victorian Seniors festival and this year's theme is: Create. Connect. Celebrate.
