Gonna help in times of need
A group of volunteers in the Mid North are rolling up their sleeves to help those in need. With a simple motto of “gonna get the job done”, they are making a huge difference to others in the community needing a leg up.
The temperature is nudging the high 30s in the state’s Mid North, and while most have retreated to the comforts of their home air-conditioning, a group of local blokes has pulled up to a young family’s yard towing an unmissable yellow caravan.
One by one, they jump out of their vehicles, grab some gardening tools, roll up their sleeves and get to work.
The family is facing some big medical and financial challenges and needs a little help around the house so their young kids have somewhere comfortable to play.
Quietly at the ready, the Gonna Group – a small army of local volunteers – steps up and gets the job done.
The group is a sub-branch of Clare Lions, and since 2019 its mission has been to provide assistance to people in need.
Among the recipients are the elderly or sick, or those struggling and in need of help with jobs around their homes, but are unable to pay for assistance due to illness, disability or financial hardship.
There are about 15-20 local “youngish” men from around the Clare area in the Gonna Group volunteer pool – none of them yet retired, all working and juggling family and community commitments.
They all share a common desire to help others.
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Gonna Group members at work installing a fence.
Like many great ideas, one of the founders, Ronald van Diessen, says the Gonna Group initiative was brewed by himself and mates Glenn Hayes and Ryan Wood “while having a few reds on a cold winter day at one of the local wineries”.
“We wanted to help people in need, but we weren’t sure if there really was a demand for it,” Ronald said.
“After getting in touch with the amazing volunteers of Clare Lions, it was clear that there was a need, as they were getting such requests for help frequently.
“As far as we know, it is a unique setup in Australia to operate as we do – a group of youngish men, assisting those in need with a mobile tool shop and shelter.
“If we get an eligible ask for help, we organise a date for a working bee, call out to our volunteers, and if we get the minimum volunteers required, which we usually do, we go there and do the job.”
Ronald says the idea for the trademark yellow caravan was based on a volunteer program he used to run near Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
“That was a very different type of volunteer work, but the concept of the caravan as a mobile shelter and tool shop came from there,” he said.
“The yellow colour was chosen to really make it stand out.”
Flowing on from the Gonna Group initiative, the group has strived to improve community engagement for its volunteers and be a social outlet while “doing good” in the community.
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Mental health awareness has also been a high priority, and Ronald said the Gonna Group aimed to create a supportive environment for volunteers.
“The satisfaction of helping others is a great tool for improving your head space and feeling good about self-worth and what you can do for others within the community,” he said.
“It is extremely rewarding to be able to help others in genuine need.
“We usually have a few drinks and a barbecue or something afterwards as a social connector, but also to quickly debrief on what we have done for the individual we just helped, or what it meant for their family.
“You feel very lucky to be healthy enough to give back to those who are less fortunate.
“But in a way, each working bee is also a reality check that life can sometimes just turn around like that. You should not take it for granted.”
Establishment of the Gonna Group was supported by grants and donations from Beyond Bank Australia, Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council and the Lions Australia Foundation, but the group needed annual sponsors onboard to keep them afloat.
Local business owners stepped up to make it happen.
They support the ongoing costs for tools, supplies, consumables, insurance premiums, maintenance, materials and volunteer refreshments.
Any surplus funds go back to the community to support those in emergency need.
Meanwhile, all the group’s assets remain the property of the Clare Lions Club and are available for community use.
“We would be nowhere without our amazing sponsors, local businesses giving back to the community,” Ronald said.
“Our ongoing sponsors include our major sponsor Skillogalee Estate, gold sponsors Beyond Bank Australia, Clare Valley Toyota, Techgrow, Sunshine AG Services, Kirribilly Viticulture, Calaby/Elders Real Estate, Sevenhill Hotel, and Eldredge Wines.
“We have been able to get items and foods donated via other organisations, such as the Clare Lions Furniture store, to help people in need out.
“It’s because of them we do not have to invest volunteer time in fundraising, but are able to just get stuck into ‘gonna get the job done’.”
