Where would our community be without its wonderful volunteers?
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Why do many people become volunteers with 2MCE-FM?
For some, it's simply their love of radio. Others wish to share their favourite music with listeners.
For Maree Curtis, being a senior citizen made her acutely aware that older members of the community can feel isolated and not well-informed, and so she devotes her time to serving them.
Every Friday morning at a 10.45am Maree presents a 15-minute program, Senior Citizens' Update.
It provides seniors in the communities of Bathurst and Orange, along with others across the Central West, with information about services that are available to them and how they are able to access them.
This program is primarily for seniors but the information could also be valuable for adults who may be looking for support services for their parents.
Maree interviews people who are knowledgeable about services that benefit seniors.
Recent interviews have dealt with a variety of topics, such as community transport, road safety for seniors, the Central West Women's Health Centre, helping the homeless, and keeping your driving licence from 85 years onwards.
Although the interviews haven't been controversial, there've been discussions on financial abuse, the importance of treating anxiety, taking care of parents' prescriptions through a pharmacy app, and general warnings about iPhone, iPad and computer scams.
Maree's friendly voice makes her listeners feel comfortable knowing that she's a mature-age person with lots of experience because, as she told me, she also needs those services.
All of her interviews become available to listen to on demand through the 2MCE website so that, over time, seniors can still access them after they have been broadcast.
Because some people may not be able to listen to 2MCE or access 2mce.org on their phone, Maree made a brochure of about sixteen of the services featured on her program and distributed the brochures throughout Bathurst including to one of the city's major pharmacies.
The brochures have also been made available to the Orange community through Orange City Council.
It's five years since Maree Curtis became a volunteer at 2MCE.
She read the Talking Newspaper program with me each Friday at noon for almost three years.
She would then record interviews for Thursday's Community Drive, which led to her first Senior Citizens' Update almost a year ago.
"My volunteering jobs at 2MCE are the two most satisfying jobs I have ever done, whether it's been paid work or volunteering," Maree said.
