Bringing volunteers into focus

19Feb 2026 by Macleay Valley Chamber

Written by Tara Howard – MVBC Treasurer

“Clubs always need volunteers” – Ben Bailey, Masons Eyecare

An anecdote often shared between volunteers is ‘if you want something done, give it to a busy person.’ When you take a look around our business community, you’ll find people juggling multiple ‘hats’ in addition to work, family and life in general. One such juggler is Ben Bailey.

Ben joined Masons Eyecare in 1999 and, in 2006, purchased the business alongside optical dispenser Eddie Moore. 20 years later, Ben still enjoys building those customer relationships unique to small town, privately owned and operated businesses, while also bringing leading optical care and top-of-the-line lenses and frames to Kempsey.

In January, Ben was nominated for not one, but two Australia Day Awards. For someone who has been volunteering in our community for over two decades, the nominations came as a surprise.

Ben was nominated for Citizen of the Year for his 20+ years of commitment to the Kempsey Tennis Club, while the Macleay Valley Mountain Bikers Club, another organisation he has helped shape, was nominated for Community Group of the Year.

Fellow juggler, Tara Howard, sat down to chat to Ben about balancing business and volunteering.

Tara: You joined Masons Eyecare in 1999 and, along with Eddie, you purchased the business in 2006. 20 years later, what gets you to work each day?

Ben: Being a country practice, you see things that are more health related than just people needing glasses. It keeps the job interesting. Plus being my own practice, with Eddie and Naomi, it’s a lot more satisfying. The industry is always changing, with new research driving improvements for customers. For example, at the moment, the lens company we use are researching the use of custom tints that allow more contrast.

Tara: You hear of people who accidentally end up in volunteer roles. How did you become involved with clubs in Kempsey?

Ben: Before moving to Kempsey, I was involved with a tennis club in Victoria. When I started playing here, the Kempsey Tennis Club asked me to get involved. Clubs always need volunteers. Later, when the Macleay Valley Mountain Bikers Club was going through a restructure, I got involved and was able to use my Tennis Club experience to help organise things like a constitution and organisational structure.

Tara: What made you gravitate to these clubs in particular?

Ben: I’ve played tennis since I was 10. I found tennis is great when you move to a new town. It’s a great social event to meet people, and you can play at many levels. It’s the same with mountain biking. I started mountain biking as a young adult in Queensland. Mountain biking is growing a lot in Australia and if you’ve got a local club that does social rides, you can meet people with similar interests. It’s not just young kids and teenagers. We’ve got nine-year-olds through to seventy-year-olds that race with us or come to our social rides.

Tara: What would you like our Chamber members and readers to know about the clubs you’re involved with? Are you looking for volunteers at the moment?

Ben: Always looking for volunteers! Every club in Kempsey would want volunteers. The Tennis Club needs people involved, and getting on the committee. The Macleay Valley Mountain Bikers Club has a maintenance day once a month to keep the tracks clear. We find the number of people volunteering is quite low. Especially with younger people. They don’t seem to volunteer much. I’ve got two young boys, teenagers, and I drag them along to help with race days and track maintenance. Hopefully they’ll continue on with that sort of stuff. Businesses can help to. If you get an email, read it. Look the club up and see if they’re active and help with sponsorships, donations or volunteering.

In the Macleay Valley, it’s often local business owners and operators quietly keeping community organisations moving. They don’t volunteer for recognition, but when it comes, it reminds us just how much our community relies on people willing to wear more than one hat.

Ben’s story shows us that community organisations are only as strong as the people willing to show up. Whether it’s joining a committee, sponsoring a local event or lending a hand for a few hours, every contribution counts.

So next time someone asks you to help, be that busy person who says ‘YES!’