State and Local Governments now have requirements for input from the community to their planning processes. This is an excellent aspect of democracy but requires dedicated voluntary effort. I have been most impressed with the expertise of volunteers in reference working groups commenting on planning documents for the Quarantine Station. Being involved with these people has been a steep learning curve for me.

In our changing world, it may become important for organisations like NPA to record the time worked by its volunteers and use this in applications for funding for paid workers or for equipment. A dynamic democracy requires decision makers to foster community involvement and volunteer effort by providing timely support.

Voluntary work is rewarding because of the shared vision that motivates and unites people who may have a wide variety of reasons for being involved. In projects such as Wheeler Creek and Quarantine Station, volunteers each contribute their own expertise as there are so many tasks, big and small, to be tackled but the end result is greater than the sum of the individual parts.