In the driver’s seat

Getting people to where they need to be is at the heart of David Deeben’s volunteering work.

The 76-year-old is a volunteer driver for IRT Dalmeny and Eurobodalla Shire Council.

“IRT had an ad in the paper in around 2008 and I’ve been there ever since,” he says.

David is needed a couple of times a month at IRT Dalmeny and he takes the residents out for shopping trips and lunches. “I love it,” David says of his volunteering. “It keeps me busy and I get plenty of days off.”

And his volunteer work with the local council keeps him busy a couple of days a week.

David spent seven years driving buses in Sydney before he and his late wife Anthea retired to the South Coast of NSW. “We bought a house in Narooma on a few acres and I had plenty of time on my hands.”

David says he’s met a lot of people through his volunteer work. “People are so grateful,” he says. “You don’t have to sit at home. In 2017 I lost my wife of 51 years after a long illness, so it [volunteering] keeps me busy. I hope I can continue doing it [into the future].”

Outside of volunteering, David enjoys working on the farm where he runs a few sheep and chickens. The farm also keeps him busy with fencing, chopping firewood and cutting grass.