You may have seen them feeding animals at Blackbutt Reserve or ushering guests at the museum – a group of volunteers dedicated to the City of Newcastle.
This week they are returning to the streets for the first time since COVID-19 to welcome visitors during the New Annual festival.
NEWCrew are a team of locals, forced to stop their duties for most of 2020. But now they’re back, trained to engage newcomers in a COVID safe way.
Retired disability worker, Sue Slade, has been volunteering with NEWCrew for three years and is passionate about giving back to the community she loves.
“COVID put everything on hold and it’s been a long 12 months since we’ve been able to volunteer with NEWCrew, but it’s great to be back”
“The festival’s program looks amazing, I’m really excited about being a part of it, telling people what is on offer and hopefully encouraging them to come back to Newcastle for other festivals, events or holidays” Ms Slade says.
The volunteer group often flies under the radar, but Mayor Nuatali Nelmes says it plays a vital role in the delivery of events in the city, “offering practical support to welcome visitors, answer their questions and direct them to various facilities while also sharing their knowledge about the event or the city itself.”
Locals can join the volunteering team too – just visit the council website.
