At just 10-years-old Alex Charlesworth is the youngest volunteer at Douglas Vale Historic Homestead and Vineyard.
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He started volunteering after his grandmother Kay Burns became a member seven months ago.
Built in 1862, the historic homestead and vineyard is completely run by volunteers. The members work together gardening, composting and looking after the vines to maintain the grounds and history.
Alex believes this is the perfect place to spend his school holidays while his parents are at work.
Kay was unaware that the homestead was still there as it is hidden between the bush and schools until a friend mentioned she volunteered at the vineyard.
"Everything was serene and the same quiet, except for a lawn mower and someone maybe calling out," Kay said.
She became a volunteer and was reminded of Saturday afternoons spent as a young girl when she would ride all around town on the horses rented from the homestead.
"Have you ever been to a place where you feel like you've come home? That's what it was like," she said.
The proudest volunteer
On school holidays, Alex was intrigued by what his grandmother was doing at Douglas Vale and wanted to volunteer as well.
Loving the people, jobs and scenery he would repeatedly call her asking, "Can you take me to Douglas Vale this weekend?"
Finally, a phone call ended with success as Kay scored him a junior membership. Alex joyfully recalled his grandmothers reply, "how about forever?"
"It was quite a proud day for Alex when I said I had managed to wrangle him a junior membership," Kay said.
Alex is now the youngest member and calls more children to come and volunteer, "as long as they are nice".
"When we started out, Alex kept close to us and I kept him close," Kay said.
However over the past six months he has become a popular and hardworking volunteer learning skills like directing the tractor, working tools under supervision, gardening and learning history.
"I admire the older people here that treat Alex with respect and he treats them with respect. He finds it very, very calming," Kay said.
Finding friends through fruit
Currently, with up to 85 volunteers and an endless list of diverse jobs Douglas Vale reaches out for more volunteers to join their community.
"Everybody finds their own little niche as to what they like to do. The people who work in the cellar don't come and pull weeds, people who work in the kitchen garden don't go and weed grapes," Kay said.
"We have a real diversification of people here, everybody has a story. And I think everybody is respectful of everybody else with what they are doing."
If a child wants to volunteer they will need to become a member with someone who is willing to supervise them and work with the child.
