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Volunteering



Station Volunteers



Research Volunteers

Station Volunteer Program

Eligibility

Anyone who is older than 18 years and is capable of and willing to perform outdoor manual work is eligible to become a Station Volunteer. A maximum of two people will be accepted as Station Volunteers at any one time.

The arrangement

Volunteers give four hours work per day to the Station. They must pay their own travel expenses ($450 return from Cairns) and arrange for their own food supplies. To enable volunteers to donate their services, shared accommodation is provided free of charge at the Station. Volunteers do not have use of boats although they may go out with visiting researchers by mutual agreement.

The work

This usually involves manual work under the supervision of maintenance staff and includes activities such as painting, cleaning, digging, unloading supplies and filling scuba tanks. Work involving assistance with research is usually not available.

Duration and timing of visit

The minimum duration for a volunteer visit is ten days and the maximum that will be allocated initially is two weeks. If a longer visit is desired, extension beyond two weeks will depend upon work performance and availability of space. Because researchers have priority, space for volunteers cannot be confirmed until about six weeks before the beginning of the proposed visit. From October to February, the Station is always very busy with visiting researchers. The Station is also heavily booked during winter by student groups. For this reason, opportunities for volunteer work are most likely to occur between March and September outside of school holiday periods.

Diving

Scuba diving is not an option for Station Volunteers because most recreational divers are not qualified under Queensland law to do occupational diving within the state.

How to apply

Send a brief email to the Research Station that provides the following information. Please do not send your full CV or any attachments.

• Your name and mailing address.
• The exact month(s)/year that you would be able to volunteer. You will not be put on the register if you are not specific about this. For example, 'January to June 2010' is acceptable but an open ended answer such as 'Anytime from February' will be rejected.
• How long you would like to volunteer for initially (10 to 14 nights) and whether you are interested in staying for longer than 14 nights.
• Indicate the circumstances that allow you to volunteer at that time (e.g. university holidays, backpacking in Australia between particular dates, would take leave from work, retired etc).
• Any qualifications or experience you have that may be useful for assisting with maintenance work (e.g. licenced electrician, have painted my own house, keen gardener etc).
• Any other relevant information.

Email the Research Station now

Relevant links

• Scuba diving regulations
• Travel costs
• Checklist for a Station Volunteer's visit

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