Volunteering is essential to the delivery of sport across Australia, without volunteers there would be no sport and from 15-21 May 2023 our incredible volunteers are being recognised as part of National Volunteer Week (NVW).

NVW is the country’s largest annual celebration of volunteers where we celebrate, thank, and recognise the significant contribution of the three million sports volunteers.

Josie Smernik joined the Adelaide University Mountain Club (AUMC) in 2018 in her first year of the Bachelor of Science (Advanced). In 2019 she volunteered as a trip leader and joined the committee, and last year she was the President of the Club.

Josie was a board member for Adelaide University Sport and Fitness for 2 years and just finished up the last AGM a couple of weeks ago. The board is voluntary so she dedicated her time to this as well, which is a credit to her.

AUMC is Adelaide’s outdoor recreation and adventure club with over 200 members and 70 trips undertaken in 2022 which included skiing at Mount Hotham and bushwalking at Mount Bogong and Wilson’s Prom.

The club welcomes beginners to highly experienced members and includes activities such as:

• Bushwalking
• Rock climbing and Mountaineering
• Canoeing and Kayaking
• Mountain Biking
• Cross-Country Skiing
• Rogaining
• Endurance and multi-sport events
• Surfing, windsurfing, and kite boarding

The friendships made and the variety of activities were what Josie enjoyed most about being a volunteer at the club. “I really enjoy the club as it has such a variety of things and I came into the club as a bushwalker and got so much out of rock climbing, kayaking and other activities,” Josie said.

“It’s also a great bunch of like-minded people who are keen for outdoor activities, and a great way to make friends. It’s really an outdoor everything club and we inherited the kayaking club when they finished up so it’s great to have that as part of the club too.”

Josie recently completed a Masters of Philosophy in Chemistry and has an interest in education and teaching. Josie really enjoys developing her leadership skills and mentoring the newer trip leaders and showing them how to run trips and set up climbing ropes etc. The club provides good flexibility with study commitments and having recently completed her Masters course Josie understood the importance of balancing her studies and time spent at the club.

AUMC is always looking for new members and more volunteers. If you'd like to get involved visit their website.

And if you'd like to join one of the many Adelaide University Sports Clubs or become a volunteer, please see a full list of clubs here.