Parish volunteers come from all walks of life and work in many different roles; some faith-based and some not. One such volunteer is Sandra Hartas.

When Sandra found she had a bit more time on her hands through retirement, she used the opportunity to volunteer for the Parish and found her niche in faith-based ministries at St Agnes’ Church. She regularly volunteers as a sacristan, reader, commentator, gift bearer, Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist (at Mass and taking communion to people not mobile enough to get to Mass), Sacristy cleaner and leading Worship services at Mingaletta Aged Care facility.

To be a volunteer Sandra says you don’t need a lot of great skills, you just need an open heart to do what God asks of you.

“Everyone is different so you just have to find things you’d like to help with and be willing to have a go,” she says.

Born in Maidestone, Kent in England, Sandra moved to Australia in 1978 as a 22 year old. One of five children from an interfaith marriage (her Dad was Catholic, her Mum Church of England), she was responsible for taking her siblings to church each Sunday from a young age.  Growing up, she desperately wanted to be an altar server at Mass but girls could not do so in those days.

Sandra’s desire to serve was ignited as a girl guide in her youth. She loved the citizenship aspect of being a guide so much that for 18 years, from around 1980, she volunteered as a Brownie and Gumnut leader with Sutherland Guides.  Later, she held the position of District Commissioner for two years, but missed working directly with the guides as most of the work in the role was with the adult troupe leaders.  Her boys were also involved in Scouts and she often volunteered to help out on camps etc.

Sandra says she gained a lot of enjoyment from teaching the little ones; helping them mature and learn to become vital people to the community. She says ‘it is a privilege to help kids stay on the right path and become good citizens’.

For 15 years, Sandra also volunteered with the 213 Army Cadets as an Army Cadet Officer based in Sutherland for young people (aged 12 ½ -19 ½) where her sons were also cadets and upon retiring received the Army Service Medal.  Sandra did regular army training at places like Holsworthy, Bardia Barracks and Singleton where she learnt skills never thought she had and was First Aider in the field for cadet bivouacs.

Connection to faith has kept Sandra going through some tough times – raising two boys, Tristan and Glenn, on her own.

“Everything I do in life is motivated by my faith, in troubled times God is there to help,” says Sandra.

Sandra worked in the Plastics Manufacturing industry in Quality Assurance for nearly 40 years at Kirrawee and Kurnell and developed a wide variety of skills through this work. A company takeover in 2016 meant she accepted a redundancy and retired.

Her sons suggested that she should move to live nearer one of them.  Sandra’s decision was made easy when Glenn, who lives in Tasmania, rang one winter’s morning to say he was scraping ice off his windscreen.

Not one for cold weather, she moved to Port Macquarie just over 2 years ago where Tristan lives with his wife Kiraleigh and their son Riley (8) and daughter Liliana (8 months).

Sandra now enjoys living at Taskers Village, an over 50s resort, near Flynns Beach and volunteers on the residents’ committee.  Her home, christened ‘The Hobbit Hole’ by family, is small but comfortable and only a short walk from the beach.

This lifestyle was very new to Sandra, who had always lived in high-rise apartments in Sydney. She admits she found it a bit challenging to live at ground level with a small garden patch to tend. Sandra loves driving in Port Macquarie compared to the slow moving bumper-to-bumper traffic of the city.

At Mingaletta Aged Care facility, Sandra prepares and plans the worship services she delivers on the 4^th Wednesday of each month, based on the Sunday Gospels for the month.  She also takes communion around to residents at Mingaletta and Regis Aged care.

“Basically, I am a very shy person so I ask God for help in lots of situations, especially things like when I read at church,” says Sandra.

“I talk to God all the time.”

“When I read I say to God as I sit in the pews before Mass ‘Lord, be my courage, let me read well, don’t let me shake or quiver. I am your voice today’.”

In retirement, Sandra is living her life’s dream, to serve her faith, and is finding fulfilment through the ministries in which she is involved.