Being in Melbourne, a city known for it’s ‘four seasons in one day’, our team navigated extreme heat, rain and storms with the constant being a friendly smile along with a ‘can I help you?’.
We spoke with Carole who has been supporting patrons at the AO since 2023 to see why she makes time to volunteer at this spectacular event.
What motivated you to volunteer with Travellers Aid?
When I saw the call for mobility support volunteers for AO23 in late 2022 on Instagram, my interest was piqued as I know how much it means to me as a tennis follower/fan to be able to attend a Grand Slam. Growing up in Auckland NZ, attending a Grand Slam was a childhood dream that I was not sure I would ever be able to achieve – in my case the barriers were distance and cost. As an adult, I have been able to realise my dream many times over. (I admit Wimbledon was and still is my #1 childhood dream, however the AO is super.)
This ad brought home to me that there were tennis followers/fans who were holding back from attending due to accessibility concerns, and Travellers Aid in partnership with Yarra Trams and Tennis Australia had a simple solution that they had successfully piloted at AO22.
I wanted to be part of that expanded solution for AO23 and beyond, as I wanted those tennis fans/followers with accessibility concerns to know that they could not only attend but completely relax and fully enjoy themselves.
I was concerned that due to my age and (non) fitness level I might not be physically strong enough. Travellers Aid Project Officer Lee laughed when I expressed these concerns about myself. Lee was right. I can do it. Aside from my physical concern, I thought it would be interesting and fun. It is.
Whilst the AO remains my #1 Travellers Aid event volunteering love, I have also done mobility support volunteering at some other iconic Melbourne events. The most memorable of the other ones I have done is two of the three Taylor Swift concerts in Melbourne in February 2024. Magical. From every perspective.
Can you describe a memorable experience you’ve had while volunteering here?
So many it is hard to pick just one.
- I supported so many women in their 90s this year. All with at least one family member or companion. All had been coming to the AO for years/decades, and they or their families said the only reason they can keep coming is because of the support they receive from Travellers Aid.
- A very jolly group of women on a cruise who were celebrating the 80th birthday of the patron I was supporting. They said they could only do the AO25 excursion because of the Travellers Aid support. And another who did the cruise for AO24 as an experiment – their expectations were low but it was so successful and enjoyable because of Travellers Aid that they were back for AO25.
I also have a couple of fun and memorable experiences unrelated to mobility support, however they only happened because of my volunteering with Travellers Aid.
- AO25 Women’s Final Day: I accidentally met the descendants of Daphne Akhurst in Garden Square, by Daphne’s bust. The family have been here celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Daphne’s first singles title in 1925. They told me all about their visit to ABC Bullion to see how the replica trophy is made. How lucky was that! In my opinion, the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup is the most elegant tennis trophy globally.
- AO23 Jelena Dokic fangirl moment: I almost physically bumped into Jelena Dokic coming around the corner of Centrepiece a bit too fast. Jelena was gracious. I asked if I could speak with her briefly, she said yes. We talked about her first book, and she told me about her then upcoming second book. And we talked a little about her tennis commentating. Another Carole opinion: Jelena is one of the most insightful tennis commentators globally – for women’s and men’s matches. And she is wickedly funny.
How do you balance your volunteer responsibilities with your personal/professional life?
I am very lucky in that I am retired and able to pick and choose what I do. I always block out the AO (even before I was volunteering with Travellers Aid) and minimise what else I agree to during that time. I have a 7-year relationship with another charity – Girls from Oz – whom I volunteer with all year. They provide me with a great deal of trust and flexibility to accommodate my personal life, including my love of tennis and travel. I also do casual paid work from time to time, primarily to fund my love of travel.
This letter of thanks from a well travelled patron of the Australian Open and many worldwide events and tennis tournaments, highlights our uniqueness in Victoria and Melbourne based events.
“We have travelled widely, attended many events and requested wheelchair assistance services over the years. I take great pride in affirming that the service received at the AO “with a smile “ and very promptly is non-parallel, even as compared to other Aussie events. The service provided by Travellers Aid was way better than similar services at the other Tennis tournaments at Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and New York. It is definitely also better than with Airlines where a financial consideration is involved not only with the carriers but also the outstretched palms of the assistants have to be covered with ‘tips’.
So thank you all again. May God bless you all. Keep up the great good work.“
– Abraham Joshua, Rosalinda and Michael
