The volunteers of Karapiro

Ruth Tuiraviravi is a volunteer and the volunteer manager.  She has been running the volunteer recruitment for 18 months now. This is on top on her normal job and family commitments. 

 “I received about 850 applications of which we picked over 600 from 11 different countries,” says Tuiraviravi.  “Managers were first chosen by their resume and experience.  They would then send me the profiles they needed for each job and I would find the suitable volunteers in the database.  It was a huge job because I really made a point of answering each email I received as I think this is essential. If I was in their position, I would also expect to be taken seriously.  I really enjoyed seeing the excitement of all people wanting to be part of these World Championships and their flexibility once on the job: even when they have a contract for a job, they very easily jump in for others whenever needed.”  

Gill and Murray Mcdonald from Auckland are two of the 2010 volunteers.  They are not new to the job. Murray, a former rower, was on the hospitality team in 1978, meeting people at the airport and keeping in touch with them during the championships. He qualified himself as a “goodwill ambassador”.  Gill was selling souvenirs in 1978.

In 2010 they both work at the accreditation office. This was quite challenging as on Sunday 31 October, by lunchtime already 2730 people were accredited.  Planning for these championships started in February this year when they started looking for a system and developing it. Both Gill and Murray have been permanently at the venue since early October.  They both reflect how times have changed.

“I remember the accreditations in 1978; they were typed on a typewriter, put in a plastic holder and became wet and soggy when it rained.  But it was a fool proof system,” says Murray. “Today we have to rely on informatics and on Saturday we could not print any accreditations for a while just because some dust got in the printer.”

They volunteered in 1978 and in 2010 because, just like a lot of the volunteers , they are very much involved in rowing. “We regularly organise big events at Lake Karapiro, like the Maadi Cup which is a one week regatta where about 2500 competitors from secondary schools compete.”   

When thinking of 1978, the first thing that comes to Murray’s mind is that everybody helped everybody. “We had lots of fun and fun is essential!  Today there are more rules, more organisation.  Not that there was no organisation, but it was different.  We did not take it as seriously and in the end we all really wanted to do this again.  I remember everybody was impressed but I must say that the secret to the success was Don Rowlands (the chairman in 1978).” 

Volunteers also came from countries around the world.  Jenthe van Caesbroeck from Belgium didn’t know anything about rowing before coming to New Zealand in 2004-2005 for a study exchange.   But then he met Graham Oberlin-Brown (New Zealand rower) in high school and van Caesbroek got interested in the sport although he had never sat in a boat.  Van Caesbroek thought of coming back to New Zealand ever since he was back home. 

“It’s too good here, the landscapes, the nature, the people are so friendly,” says van Caesbroek. “After graduating from university I did not know exactly when to come back but knowing that Graham would compete in Karapiro I found the perfect opportunity and applied as a volunteer.”