Rose Jenkins in action power washing an aviary.
This National Volunteer Week (15-21 May), the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania is celebrating its dedicated and skilled volunteers, like Rose Jenkins who works at the Orange-bellied Parrot breeding facility at Five Mile Beach.
Rose has a passion for animals, their environments, and their futures. She has volunteered in wildlife and conservation projects throughout Australia and Africa, and these experiences led to the pursuit of tertiary studies in this field. Rose recently graduated with a Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience from La Trobe University.
Her work at the Orange-bellied Parrot captive breeding program involves assisting with food preparation, aviary maintenance, and observing, monitoring, and recording health data.
Observing some Orange Bellied Parrots through binoculars.
“I love being part of a team of like-minded people who have the same or similar values and aspirations as I do, like working towards helping in assuring our planets diverse species and environments are cared for," Rose said.
“At first, I began volunteering to build up my CV and hopefully have a better chance at employment, but very quickly I realised that volunteering is in itself a great thing to do.
“You get so many different opportunities and experiences than in many paid jobs and also get to be involved in special programmes and projects where you can contribute to ensuring vulnerable species like the Orange-bellied Parrots have as much help to survive in this changing world."
While volunteering experiences are specific to the field of work, Rose points to transferable skills such as communication, organisation, personal responsibility, and social confidence as key benefits of participation.
She plans to continue volunteering in the future, as well as gaining paid work in her chosen field and exploring postgraduate studies.
Find out more about volunteering opportunities at NRE Tas: https://nre.tas.gov.au/about-the-department/volunteering/get-involved
Rose preparing and plating up feed for the Orange Bellied Parrots.