Father and daughter volunteering duo Peter Berry and Sherilyn Page
Story and photos by Julie Nance
Small business owner Sherilyn Page and her dad, retired public servant Peter Berry, have always been close. Volunteering together at the Blaxland Community Restaurant has deepened their relationship and brought joy to their guests and each other.
Key Points:
Volunteering Australia defines volunteering as “time willingly given for the common good and without financial gain”. The organisation’s 2021 study Evidence Insights: Volunteering and mental health reveals volunteering improves self-assessed psychological wellbeing, self-esteem, happiness, and satisfaction with life. The more hours you volunteer, the bigger the benefits.
Sherilyn and Peter have been volunteering together at the Community Restaurant since 2017. They say they gain far more than they contribute.
Restaurant guests cite the generosity of the volunteers, the great lunch, the positive and supportive atmosphere and the social interaction as some of the reasons they keep coming back.
Sherilyn and Peter were interviewed separately to gain their individual perspectives. Here’s what they had to say:
SHERILYN:
“Dad and I have always done lots of stuff together since I was little, including going to agricultural shows and fishing. Mum and I are just as close, but we enjoy different things: shopping together, having a cuppa and going to musicals, with our shared love of dance. With Dad, it has been the more outdoorsy stuff. We’ve always been close, so I think volunteering together has cemented that.
I started at the Restaurant before Dad who was a volunteer driver with Meals on Wheels for many years. When that role ended and a spot came up here for him, I knew it was going to be great fun. I volunteer every week and Dad is here once a fortnight, as is the case with most of the volunteers. He calls bingo, does the quiz questions and has great jokes. We always have a blast working together.
Everyone loves Dad, all the volunteers and clients. He’s very popular because he’s such a likable bloke. I see Mum and Dad a fair bit but it’s great finding out the family news each time we’re working together. It’s lovely to have a shared interest.
Community connections
The lunches are so valuable for people, particularly if they are living alone. Our clients can meet friends and we hear them organising their next week’s outing. Someone has heard about a bus trip, then they’ll tell their friends on the table and they might all end up going.
For some people, coming to the Restaurant is their only outing in the week. They have a nutritious meal, good company and laughter.
Lunch comrades Peter Stapleton, Jim Pope, John Marcusson and John Brown.
“I’ve been coming here with my wife for 15 years and we’ve volunteered for some of that time. We don’t have to think about what to eat, we don’t have to prepare a meal or wash up. We have good company.” – Jim Pope
The value of giving back
Sherilyn: “Volunteering is honestly the best thing I’ve ever done. You feel very appreciated because you’re giving something back. It has also opened networks for me, for getting work. I’ve met so many people and I’ve gained a lot of my cleaning jobs through volunteering because people know people, who know people. It has been invaluable.
And it’s good for you mentally. It gives you a sense of value. I don’t think I’d ever not volunteer now. It’s great for people’s minds and their longevity. A lot of volunteers, including at Gateway Family Services where I help with Christmas hampers, are well into their 80s and there are people in their 90s who are still volunteering. It’s good for the soul.”
The generous folk who make the Blaxland Community Restaurant a success celebrate a year of collaboration and fun. They transform an empty hall every time into a lovely dining experience.
PETER:
“Volunteering with Sherilyn is a father-daughter, building relationship type of thing because you see your daughter in a different light to normal family life. You gain new insights by working together in a collaborative way.
Sherilyn has an amazing gift of relating well to older people which is something my wife Helen and I have noticed for some time. It’s a gift, I think. She seems to easily slot into conversation with someone who might be 50 years older than her. And she’s patient and genuinely interested in how people are going with their health, their interests in life and what they might have done that week.
Fond memories
One of my earliest memories of doing things together with Sherilyn is fishing. She was a four-year-old with her little straw hat on. She had a real instant knack for it. I also remember making a fence once when she was really young, and I was drilling holes to put in the screws. It was her job to blow the sawdust out of the holes.
Colourful characters
You hear some of the most amazing stories about our guests’ lives; you could write a book. We’ve got a couple who have turned 100. There’s a lot more women than men, probably because women live longer.
I save all the newspaper trivia questions from the week and it’s amazing the breadth of knowledge some of our guests have. They struggle a bit, like I do, with modern movies and music but they are great with any of the historical stuff.
Sometimes the little kids from the preschool across the road come over and do some drawings and sing a song. It’s a bit like a mini version of the TV show Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds.
Barbara Ellston and Margaret Pope enjoy the friendly and social atmosphere.
“When you live on your own it’s nice to have somewhere to enjoy community chatter and lunch. When you listen to other people and their challenges, it puts your own into perspective.” – Barbara Ellston
Donating time
Peter: “Volunteering is a two-way process. It adds to the quality of life of our guests who come to the Restaurant and you’re contributing to that. But there’s a level of satisfaction that you’re giving to the community as well. We’re not out rescuing people from floods or in a fire truck in danger, but it’s a small contribution to the community.”
Peter hands cook Yung Yung Mitchell a thank you gift at the Christmas luncheon.
Take Action:
Blue Mountains Food Services has five community restaurants across the Blue Mountains, from Blaxland to Blackheath. At Blaxland you can enjoy a freshly prepared two-course meal from $10 in a friendly, social setting. Location: Sharon Burridge Hall, Lower Mountains Community Centre, Hope Street, Blaxland. Check out the details here. Phone 4759 2811 to book or for more information. Once you have booked, you can turn up as early as 10.30am to socialise. Bingo starts at 11.00am and lunch is at 11.45am. There’s lucky door prizes and a table of books to choose from. Transport can be arranged via Active Care Network (previously GREAT Community Transport) on 4722 3083.
If you are interested in volunteering with Blue Mountains Food Services in a community restaurant, Meals on Wheels or providing social support, phone 4759 2811 or visit here. Free training and support is offered.
Belong Blue Mountains also offers a range of opportunities for community members to volunteer to help others or be involved in community activities. Volunteers receive free training and are well supported. Find out more.
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
You can now read the latest Planetary Health newsletter here (link in profile): https://bit.ly/41u8ftQ
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This year, the Australian Bushfire Building and Asbestos & Hazardous Materials Management conferences are joining forces with the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative for Full Cycle 2025, to increase collaboration across sectors, from design to disposal. This vital conference and community expo will explore approaches to reducing risks in a changing climate: from multi-hazards like fire, flood, heatwave and extreme humidity, to hazardous materials like mould, microplastics, PFAS, asbestos and engineered stone. Registration will be live in the coming weeks. In the meantime, visit the Full Cycle 2025 website for more information and to sign up to the mailing list (link in profile) https://www.fullcycleconference.com.au/
Yesterday the community gathered to celebrate Sister Jacinta Shailer`s 98th Birthday! Earlier this year at the Planetary Health Centre she urged us all to join a revolution centred in the transformative power of love, by joining heroic communities that foster compassion, justice, care of the needy, creative imagining, ways of life-giving thinking, ways of contemplating the wonders of our world in the small and the large, the weird and the wonderful. Watch an excerpt of her speech here or read our full story published earlier this year in Katoomba Area Local News (link in profile): https://www.katoombalocalnews.com/create-heroic-communities/
Council is calling on the community to contribute to the development of a Community Climate Risk Assessment and Adaptation Plan (CCRAA). There will be a Community Climate Risk and Adaptation Workshop on Saturday 30 August, from 10am to 1pm at Springwood Sports Club, followed by lunch.
You can also contribute by completing the online survey before 29 August.
Your knowledge and experience are critical in helping identify local risks, priorities and practical solutions. Many in our community are already taking action, and these stories, along with diverse perspectives, will help shape a more resilient future for the Blue Mountains.
We encourage you to attend and share the event with your networks to help ensure every voice is heard.
Places are limited for the workshop, so register early here (link in profile): https://climateriskworkshop.eventbrite.com.au Complete the survey here (link in profile): https://yoursay.bmcc.nsw.gov.au/community-climate-risk-and-adaptation-plan-community-survey
The development of this plan is being funded by the NSW Government’s Western Sydney Infrastructure Grant Program.
This video captures the most moving speech at the Peace Symposium: that by journalist and teacher Harumi Hayakawa, who described the true horror and tragedy of nuclear weapons. She went on to describe how, after the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the people of both cities dedicated themselves to peace building from the grassroots. Small yet courageous actions by these individuals have reached and changed countless lives in the world. After her presentation, Harumi taught families at the Community Peace Picnic how to fold paper cranes.
At the Peace Symposium, Rotarian Jennifer Scott AM outlined how Rotarians around the world are taking action for peace: from providing mental health first aid in our local community to working for social and environmental justice on a global scale. You can watch an excerpt from her presentation in this video.
In his opening speech for the Peace Symposium Dharug man Chris Tobin shared a Dreamtime story about the Waratah, which emerged from a bloody conflict as a symbol of reconciliation.
@mark_greenhill_oam, Mayor of the City of Blue Mountains, welcomed participants to the Forum: Ban the Bomb, Sign the Treaty at the Blue Mountains Peace Symposium. As a signatory of Mayors for Peace he spoke of the urgency to act to prevent nuclear war and to end the genocide in Gaza.
The Peace Symposium was organised to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
You can watch our full playlist of videos for Making Peace on our YouTube channel (link in profile): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kODwpPinQx4&list=PLBu_QF9Pp5hPoaLWW0ZLHhwS6hPd-x-Rl
View Ecopella`s rousing anthem `You`re Needed Now!` They performed it at the Blue Mountains Peace Symposium on the eve of the March for Humanity and the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Contact them if you`re interested in joining the choir which has branches around Eastern NSW.
If you`d like to hear the other presentations at the Symposium visit the Planetary Health YouTube channel (link in profile)
Renowned Permaculture teacher and Katoomba resident Rowe Morrow has been a Quaker for 40 years. She spoke at the Blue Mountains Peace Symposium about the extraordinary work Quakers have done, and are doing, for Peace, and the strategies they`ve developed: from working to abolish slavery, to being instrumental in starting Oxfam and Amnesty International, to training communities in non-violent communication and conflict resolution, conscientious objection, direct action, divestment strategies and more. You can listen to her discuss these in her presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kODwpPinQx4&t=5s
This week President Trump gave an order for two nuclear submarines to proceed towards Russia. This act was the starting point of Robert Tickner`s talk at the Forum: Ban the Bomb, Sign the Treaty in the Blue Mountains Peace Symposium yesterday.
This week marks the 80th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima and, as ICAN Ambassador, Robert Tickner helped launch ICAN`s Week of Action for Abolition at the Symposium. You can listen to his full talk in the video below or view it on YouTube via link in profile:
Julie Nance is a community storyteller with the Blue Mountains Planetary Health Initiative. In her coverage of the Lower Mountains area, she brings 30 years’ experience in communications, publishing and journalism.
After specialising in health and social issues as a journalist, Julie led creative teams in the government and not-for-profit sectors including the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, YMCA NSW, Cancer Council NSW and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
Julie is passionate about empowering people with quality information to help them make informed choices.
Julie Nance invited her 82-year-old mum to join her on outings in Lower Mountains parks, after months of being confined to home due to sickness. With fond memories of family picnics growing up, their quality time together in nature gave them both a much-needed lift.
