For more than 80 years, volunteers have been the heart and soul of Novita, dedicating their valuable time to support kids, young people and adults living with disability in South Australia and beyond.

The hard work and commitment of Novita’s volunteers and Auxiliary members continues to underpin our ability to provide the best possible services and supports to our clients and their families, so that they have every opportunity to develop their potential.

Among our valued volunteers is Kaye Trembath, who supports Novita’s Fundraising and Enterprise team, based at the Hindmarsh Central Therapy hub.

“I started volunteering at Novita around 18 months ago. I had joined the Stonyfell-Wattle Park Auxiliary and got to know Novita’s Community Engagement Coordinator Margot Coxon during that time, so I approached her about volunteering, and since July last year I have been coming in once a week or whenever they need me,” says Kaye.

“I retired in 2019, and at the time a friend of mine was the President of the Auxiliary, so I joined. I had always wanted to do volunteer work but working full time in a high pressure job and being a carer for my elderly mother did not leave me a lot of time to volunteer.

“It took me about 12 months to wind down after retiring, and then I started to feel as though I needed to do something, so I joined the Auxiliary and then started coming into Novita.

“Children and people living with disability deserve every opportunity in life just as everyone else does, and I’m happy to be supporting them through my volunteering.”

Kaye says she had a varied career, spending 45 years working in the South Australian public service.

“I started off in survey, then moved into being a business support officer for an IT area, then I moved into the corporate area. At one stage I helped to establish a Ministerial office, then I ended up for the last 10 or 12 years of my public sector career in Human Resources,” she says.

“For the past few years, I worked as a career transition manager when there was massive restructuring going on within government – I was working with the employees trying to help them transition into new roles. It was a full-on job.”

As well as committing some of her valuable time each week to Novita, Kaye is also the secretary of the Prospect VIEW Club.

“The VIEW Club – Voice, Interests and Education of Women – supports and raises funds for the Smith Family. Through our Prospect group we support four Learning for Life students, and we raise funds to help put them through school.”

(The Smith Family’s Learning for Life program supports disadvantaged children and young people to get the most from their education, with more than 1,500 kids sponsored across Australia.)

Kaye says that when she is not working or volunteering, she enjoys getting into a good book with a glass of wine.

“I love travelling, and I love being outside. I am also a member of a walking club, so I walk two mornings every week. I just enjoy being with friends and making the most of each day because I had some major health issues a few years ago and it changed my outlook on life. I live for today, not for tomorrow,” says Kaye.

Kaye says she has a simple message for anyone thinking about volunteering with Novita – it is very rewarding.

“It is nice after all my years in the workforce to be able to give something back. I like to work with charities and organisations where I can see that the money we raise is being used wisely and does not get chewed up by administration,” she says.

“I have also started helping with some of Novita’s corporate events, which has given me the opportunity to meet some interesting people as well as building some new relationships and networking.

“As much as volunteering supports organisations, it is also very rewarding for you as a person. You get a lot out of it and make new friends, and sometimes you get your eyes opened to things that perhaps you would never have come across otherwise.”