By Max Davies
TRANSITION Village Wallan, TVW, is calling for volunteers and is taking applications for a new part-time retail manager for 2023.
The village, whose affiliated Recycled/Upcycled Op Shop Project, RUOSP, has now expanded to cover two commercial shop areas in Kilmore, is calling out for volunteers and a dedicated manager to help operate the larger premises.
TVW and RUOSP are dedicated to reducing the impact of climate change in the community by developing resilience and future-ready skills and are looking for like-minded people to help support operations.
TVW chief executive Judy Clarke said the part-time manager would need to develop the sustainability aspects of the organisation and support the volunteer workforce.
“Our strength is in our volunteers. We’ve always had a strong team and we’re now looking for someone who can help lead the op shop project,” she said.
“People applying will need to have some understanding of volunteer management, as well as some retail experience and knowledge of homelessness and people who are experiencing it.”
As part of the role, people will need to manage RUOSP’s large premises and a volunteer staff of 20 people and more than 55 Centrelink clients, as well as provide incidental community education on sustainability.
They will also overlook a system of reducing waste to landfill by continuing to develop the Makers and Menders group to reduce and recycle plastics in the op shop and encourage the use of recycling businesses before visiting the tip.
“The manager role would suit newly-retired people, parents who are at home with kids, and carers who might be looking for some different work to branch out into,” Ms Clarke said.
“It’s a contracted position and we value the work the manager will do, so we are also offering a very small wage as a token of appreciation.”
Applicants will need an Australian Business Number, ABN, and insurance, as well as a police check.
Managers will work three days per week with flexible hours, with some hours potentially available to work remotely.
For more information or to submit an expression of interest with references and past experience, people can contact Ms Clarke by emailing ceo@tvw.org.au or calling 0404 740 261.
Grant
TVW has received a $10,000 grant as part of the Strengthening Rural Communities program through Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal, FRRR.
Ms Clarke said the grant would be used to build a dedicated sustainability hub, allowing items to be repurposed and recycled without taking space from the RUOSP.
“At the moment there’s not enough room in the shop to do the sustainability work that we want to be doing, so the grant will help us build a hub where things can be repurposed and recycled,” she said.
“I’ve tried a few times to get a grant from the FRRR, and now that we’ve grown a bit more we’ve managed to make it happen and we’re very grateful.”
Ms Clarke said the sustainability hub would eventually work in conjunction with TVW’s planned village at Station Street in Wallan East, however plans for construction were currently on hold.
“The idea is if we can get the hub up and running we can start doing some of the sustainability stuff that we’ve been wanting to do since we started,” she said.
“Once the village is going, the people there will be able to slot in where they want and do the jobs that interest them – it will all be interconnected.”
The RUOSP op shop is located at 84-86 Sydney Street in Kilmore, next to Burson’s Auto Parts. For more information, people can visit www.tvw.org.au.
