Connections Archive

Children in Coonabarabran "recognise Avondale College students make a difference and stand out from the world," says Eddie Mackie, the minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the town.

Eddie organised accommodation in the church for a team of 17 led by first-year nursing student Angie Butcher. The students volunteered to serve during their midyear holidays as part of an initiative called STORM Co, which sees teams of trained young adults working for, learning from and encouraging communities; sharing God's love by building bridges to all peoples through an adventure in service to others. "We've been going to Coonabarabran for years, so the kids remember you and tell you they want to be in STORM Co when they grow up," says Angie.

Angie's team fixed houses, cleaned up the town and ran a children's club-more than 100 children arrived on the first day. "It was overwhelming to start with," says Eddie, but indicative of the warmth of the response from the community. "The theme of giving and not expecting anything in return is refreshing," he says. "To offer service with no hooks attached breaks down barriers. By God's grace, some of those kids will come into the Kingdom because of the work of these students."

Jessica Blake, a second-year arts and teaching student, had a similar experience in Gwabegar, where she led a team of 16. "The kids got really involved and would often organise the afternoon program themselves," she says. "They wanted to show us around the town, and they enjoyed the sport and getting dressed up as their role models." STORM Co teams have visited Gwabegar for 10 years. "The people there know we have a religious background, but they really appreciate it and what we do," says Jessica.

Four other STORM Co teams, led by Jeanine Bougaardt, Katie Brown, Bridgette Judge and Ashley Penz, served in Wallaga Lake, Goodooga, Macquarie Fields and Moree respectively.

Katie found that although not everything went to plan, her team members were still able to mix with a range of community members. "Our bus driver dropped out, some of our team couldn't come and the school [we were to use for accommodation] didn't want us-we eventually stayed at the bowling club," she says. Yet she and her team members were able to meet the town's Aboriginal elders. "It was our third year in Goodooga, and it felt like our relationship with the town got a lot better," she says.

Director of student services Kevin Judge, who coordinates STORM Co with chaplain Dr Wayne French, says it is good for the children the students serve to see Christian values in practice. "Most of the children are used to bad language and abuse," he says. However, the students also benefit. "They bond, develop new friends and gel spiritually," says Kevin.

Caption: Avondale College students who volunteered in their holidays to join STORM Co teams were again a hit with children in remote and rural communities.