By Tyler Lewis
With the responsibility of the registrar, in addition to the role of team manager, Kate Bailey’s job as a volunteer never quite stops during winter.
Not only does Kate do a mountain of work for the Officer Junior Football Club, she is also the team manager for her daughter’s rep basketball side with the Pakenham Warriors.
Her first introduction to the Kangaroos was back in 2017 and she has since been trusted with a variety of important roles.
“My first introduction would’ve been when our son first joined a team in under-8’s in 2017,” she said.
“He is now in under-13’s, so he’s been at the club for quite some time.
“I wasn’t in a volunteer role at that stage, but my first thoughts of the club were that it was a very family orientated club.
“That was one of the reasons we chose to go to Officer, that was the feedback we got from other families and it was certainly true.”
With most of the week taken up by her registrar role, the weekend is then used for managing her sons under-13’s side.
“I have footy stuff going on most days of the week… we still have enquiries coming through about joining teams,” she said.
“The lead up to Sunday is about getting my actual team ready, all the paperwork, making sure our team sheets are all right and the kits are ready to go.
“I guess I don’t do much in the registrar over the weekend, it’s more team focused.
“Oliver is normally playing 10-11 o’clock, so we’re up early and getting ready, and if I can help the club in any way get game ready that’s something we do on a Sunday as well.”
As for what gets Kate out of bed on those cold and gloomy Sundays? The answer is simple: her kids and their teammates.
“My favourite part is my kids, whether they’re playing basketball or football,” she said.
“My daughter plays basketball, I team manage for her rep team as well, for me, to get me out of bed it’s about seeing them on the ground or out on the court.
“Having fun with their mates…for Oliver in particular, being in that team for such a long time he has formed some amazing friendships.
“It’s about seeing them out there. Six of his mates in his team have been selected in Division 1 and 2 interleague, so as a team manager celebrating those wins with not only him, but his teammates, is enjoyable.
“Whether it is winning a game or extra achievements like interleague, for me that’s what it’s all about, being able to celebrate with them.”
While not all volunteer jobs are fun, there isn’t a job that comes to mind that Kate avidly avoids.
But there is one lesson she has learned in her time at Officer… don’t miss committee meetings!
“I don’t think there is a specific job, but we do have a running joke within our committee that if someone is not at a meeting on that night, we automatically put their hand up for whatever job it is,” she said.
“I don’t know if it’s a particular job, but often when someone is not there and a job comes up that none of us are a fan of, we go ‘such and such aren’t here, they can do it’.
“That’s a bit of a running joke we have within our committee.”
Well done to Kate Bailey for being this week’s Volunteer of the Week.
