Mrs Halsall said it was a privilege to help people dealing with the sickness and uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis, who were "thrown into a different world" at the ward.
She delighted in being able to brighten their day, even for a brief moment.
“The smile comes and the lights are on and someone's home and then you know that you're relaxing them,” she said.
Mrs Halsall was looking for a hands-on volunteering role when she heard about the opportunity in the oncology ward, and she said it had added value to her life since the day she started.
“It's very, very rewarding,” she said.
A retired nurse, Mrs Hall said she was glad to perform tasks like fetching newspapers and refreshments, so that the nurses had more time to focus on patient care.
“I think the nurses do a fantastic job, and the clients who come have got so many varied medical issues,” she said.
“The nurses have to be on top of all of that, so we make sure they've got the opportunity to do their work and do it as well as they do.”
The dedication, discretion and diligence of long-serving volunteers like Mrs Hall and Mrs Halsall is invaluable to GV Health volunteer co-ordinator Karen Saccuzzo, who looks forward to the day it’s safe for all volunteers to return to their roles.
All of GV Health’s volunteer workforce — 130 people — were temporarily stood down in March 2020 in response to the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Apart from a few brief stints between lockdowns in 2021, Mrs Hall and Mrs Halsall haven't been permitted in the oncology ward, where many patients are immunocompromised during treatment.
Ms Saccuzzo said the absence of all the volunteers had been felt sorely in the hospital ever since, predominantly by the visitors to whom they showed kindness — many of whom weren't permitted a companion during treatment.
But the extended disruption also brought the importance of volunteer work to the attention of hospital employees.
“I think they really realised the value of the volunteer when they weren’t there for 11 months,” Ms Saccuzzo said.
Gradually, tentatively, GV Health volunteers in Shepparton, Rushworth and Tatura are returning to their roles, in-between lockdowns.
But Ms Saccuzzo said she had lost 30 volunteers in the meantime — some retired, some became unwell, some left and found other volunteer work — and she hoped to find replacements for those kind, helping hands.
Before COVID-19 hit, volunteers contributed 596.2 million hours to the Australian community in 2019, according to Volunteering Australia.
Meanwhile, rates of volunteering in Australia have fallen by 20 per cent since 2014.
La Trobe University senior research fellow Rachel Winterton said it was a challenging time to keep volunteers engaged.
According to a 2020 a study co-authored by Dr Winterton, people were more likely to continue volunteering when they were satisfied with their managers, and they felt the organisation was committed to its volunteers.
Given falling rates of volunteering across all community sectors, Dr Winterton said understanding what motivated volunteers was vital.
Mrs Hall said Ms Saccuzzo did "a wonderful job" keeping in touch with GV Health volunteers, and she found creative ways to keep the community connected during isolation.
As they waited for the green light to return to the oncology ward, both volunteers said they often thought of the people they met there.
“There are a few people that I have engaged with over the years, and you do wonder how they're going,” Mrs Hall said.
“You can't help it,” Mrs Halsall said.
● If you are interested in volunteering with GV Health please inquire with Karen Saccuzzo on 0428 898 231.
