Local, Interstate and Overseas Volunteers are needed. We are organising a campus with all facilites, accommodation and training for up to four volunteers at a time. Booking required.

How and where to apply to volunteer?
Wish to volunteer? Positions offered by the Friends of Oolong are listed with "GoVolunteer". Please visit: http://www.govolunteer.com.au

The Friends of Oolong (FOO) is a not-for-profit association (Association Number A03594), which has adopted the model rules set out in the Schedule to the Regulations to the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 and has been incorporated in the ACT on 20 April 2001. ABN 78 495 835 331
FOO and its public fund the Fund of Friends of Oolong was entered into the Register of Environmental Organisations (REO) on 9 May 2003 and from that date has Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status and Income Tax Exempt Charity (ITEC) status and is entitled to receive tax deductible donations. However the ITEC form is no longer an adequate tax document for application purposes for many Trusts and Foundations and since we qualify for Charity Tax Concessions (TCC) we have requested our form from the ATO.

Voluntary Workers Insurance:
Voluntary workers, researchers and visitors are protected with insurance covers issued for not-for-profit associations by Aradley Insurance:
Public Liability Cover Policy Number CL15580/97
Personal Injury Policy Cover Number PI 15590/97

About The Management of the Oolong Sanctuary and all Activites, Projects and Initiatives Run Solely by Full time and Part time Volunteers:
The management of the Oolong sanctuary, 560 ha (1400a) of private land, and its wildlife corridors (on crown roads) and all activities, projects and initiatives, are carried out solely by volunteers. At present two full-time and five part-time volunteers and the Treasurer/Secretary of the Central committee are managing the day by day business of the organisation. Other volunteers in the Task Force operate from their own premises. No wage or salary is received by any volunteer.

Full-time Volunteers:

• The President asssisted by the Treasurer/Secretary attends to administrative duties,
• with a part-time IT specialist volunteer, constructs and maintains the Website, and
• with the Assistant Secretary prepares submissions and deals with all corresponsdence.
  
• The Caretaker/Manager of the sanctuary, instructs and supervises volunteers in the removal of woody weeds, attends to the greenhouse management and conducts birdwatch tours by appointment 24 days per week.
• The Manager of the Tasmanian Devil Program (position Vacant) to coordinate the FOO efforts to the success of the program.
  
  Part-time Volunteers:
  
• The Honorary Research Scientist, is completing a biological survey, keeping a bird inventory up to date and organising and conducting school visitations.
  
• A Senior Project Manager, an experienced botanist is collecting, classifying and preparing seeds to germinate in the Dalton Park large green house to supply the FOO bank of seeds collected from four ecosystems. Part of his duty is the training volunteers to participate in the Oolong Challenge and to cooperate in the Landcare CarbonSMART Project with the local communities and the LCMA in ther Upper Lachlan Region.
  
• The Coordinator of the school program.
  
• The Honorary Editors (2).
  
• The members of the committee(7)
• The members of the SE NSW subcommittee (6).
  
• The members of the ACT subcommittee(4).
  
  Other numerous Volunteers on a part-time basis are:
  
• On-going Project Leaders.
  
• Several Task Force Members, who mainly work from their premises.
  
• Research Assistants.

Value of In-kind Contribution of Volunteers:
The value of the in-kind contribution of two FOO full-time volunteers alone is equivalent to a total of over $72,960 per year. (Calculated at a rate of $20 per person per hour, 38 hours per week, 48 weeks per year).
The in-kind contribution of other part-time local, interstate and overseas volunteers is noted within each project.
As volunteer contributions to the Oolong programs increase with more community support so does the big saving to governments! This is particularly encouraging considering also the increasing popular and governments concern on the effective management of conservation funds.

A few words by our Patron on the activities of the Organisation:

DR DAVID T SUZUKI PhD, Chair of the David Suzuki Foundation, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster, acknowledges: "the need for research towards the understanding of habitat/remnants linked by corridors particulary within large tracts of land cleared for agriculture and supports the Oolong Sanctuary programs and the Friends of Oolong long-term committment to conservation."
The transcript of the latest interview of Dr Suzuki on October 18, 2006 is at http://news.sbs.com.au/dateline/index.php?page=archive&fyear=2006#

Also from our inaugural president on the running of the Friends of Oolong in community involvement:
"The successful running of a community association is determined by the effective implementation of any program, while keeping in mind the responsibility of accountability towards sponsors, State and Federal Governments for their grants and the community at large. It demands a complete commitment by the senior member of any association management committeee." This approach, followed by Dr D'Addario, our inaugural President in all his community involvements, has been adopted by the Friends of Oolong.

Research Team
The Research Team is composed of dedicated and selected volunteers trained to assist not only with the Oolong conservation program and the management of some of the projects, but also with other numerous tasks, including fund raising and the promotion of our program regionally and state wide.
Research Projects: To see the list of research projects please click here

Task Force One
This Task Force, which is composed of volunteers selected from the Research Team, makes apolitical submissions in the national interest on environmental related issues.
Members: Gianni D'Addario, Tony Saunders, Calvin Trinth, Oscar Violante, Tony Yan, Theo Moody, Frances Nguyen, Kath Kovac, Diwani Velasquez, Andrew Platt, Graeme Bradburn, Sonia Roberts.
Submissions: To see the list of submissions please click here

Task Force Two
The Friends of Oolong have reached a stage in which large funds are requested to fulfill the programs. Task force Two is composed of specially selected volunteers to undertake the major task of fund raising. They will select the organisations to targets and prepare the applications.
Members: Serene NG, Catherine Martin, Christopher Weaver, Sharon McDonell, Dylan Roberts.

Purpose of The Association:
To work cooperatively - with a strong focus on scientific research and education - with Government agencies, groups, and the private sector in the development of the Oolong Sanctuary with a long - term program of management of native wetlands and woodlands, to conserve ecological communities and genetic diversity and to link existing habitat/remnants with wildlife corridors to allow movement of species within them.

Objectives Of The Association:

Members Of Committees:

Testimonials:
To indicate the degree of support to our program, which is considered to be of national importance, we report the response we get from governments, universities, environmental organisations, agencies, groups and individuals. (Click to view)

Our association is also a member of: