VOLUNTEERING

Old House earns attention

Historic Ormiston House was built in the 1860s by Captain Louis Hope who would go on to become known as the Father of the Australian Sugar Industry.

The house is surrounded by 14 acres of equally historic grounds and gardens overlooking Moreton Bay and is one of the finest examples of colonial architecture in Queensland.

The house and it’s grounds have been carefully restored during the past 50 years through the fundraising activities of the volunteer committee and the dedicated volunteer team.

Throughout the year, Ormiston House has busy and varied calendar of open and special events- attracting visitors and tourists.

The events include several Concours d’Elegance, Mother’s Day High Tea and elegant High Tea Parties on the verandah.

For those interested in volunteering at Ormiston House, they can email on administrator@ormistonhouse.org. au, read about the house on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/historicormistonhouse, or check out their website ormistonhouse.org.au/.

The volunteering roles available include:

·Guiding (training provided) · Serving of Devonshire Teas · Weeding and raking in the garden · Dusting in the house · Directing parking on event day The beautiful grounds.

Volunteer makes new friends in historic house

A move to Ormiston prompted Brenda Maynard to become a volunteer at Ormiston House – something she has embraced fully ever since.

“I’ve been there ten years – probably a little bit longer but I’ve lost count after 10 years,” she laughed.

“Every five or 10 years you get a badge of recognition and I was very surprised when I was called out for my fifth year badge – I though oh – I’ve been here five years already? The 10th year’s just sort of slipped by with all of the drama we’ve had in the past few years so I think it’s a little bit longer.”

Originally living at Mt Tamborine when she moved Brenda looked for somewhere new to help out.

“We used to go to the church, the monastery, and I looked over and saw Ormiston House and I thought that would be nice. I volunteered up at Tamborine doing the botanic gardens up there and a I thought – what’s my job here. I thought – Ormiston House.

“I just went along and that’s how I became involved, it was there and we lived close by and that’s my job.”

It also became a nice way of getting into the community and meeting people.

“At this stage of life when you move to a new community it isn’t easy to get to know people,” Brenda explained.

“If you live in a neighbourhood all the people go to work and you only see them at the week so Ormiston House was the right thing for me at the right time.”

Brenda is now a guide at the house.

“Actually I’m a bit of a jack of all trades – I went there and I was a guide,” she said.

“When we have visitors to the house, after they’ve had their morning tea we take the guests around the house, room by room and describe the history of the house and the period furniture. We just have general discussions and enjoy the days. That’s what we do on the week day tours but then on the weekend my Sunday is the third Sunday of the month. I go up there and open up the house and make sure it’s ready for visitors and allocate the guides to the different areas and see that it’s running smoothly and enjoy the Sunday afternoons.

“When we have high teas and special occasions like that we all help out in the kitchen and help with the teas, whatever is necessary, we do.”