Meet our volunteer, Tamar

Meet our volunteer, Tamar

What was your motivation to become a Volunteer?
As an artist, I do a lot of things by myself, which is quite isolating.  And I love being in the water and swimming, I find it really calming.  When I was in Israel, I tried hydrotherapy with a friend and really enjoyed it.  When I came back, I was looking for an opportunity that suited me and wasn’t too far from home, so helping out in the hydrotherapy pool seemed perfect.

What did you when you aren’t volunteering?
I am an artist with a clothing brand ‘PawPaw Designs’.  I design t-shirts and clothing for children and babies. I have an art studio space in St Kilda and I’ve been preparing for an exhibition of my photography work.  I am also writing a children’s book.

How long have you been volunteering at Connect Health & Community, and in what roles?
I’ve been volunteering at Connect for 12 months in the hydrotherapy pool. I really enjoy the atmosphere, the music and the group that I support. The instructor Terry is really calm and she has a good routine with lots of variety. The other bonus? It helps me to keep fit!

What has been your best volunteer experience while at Connect Health?
I have really enjoyed getting to know some of the people in the group, and I love the music from the 50s and 60s – I grew up with my folks playing that music. It’s a connection and a reminder of the past and being with my family. There’s a lot of laughter in the pool and it’s fun.

What do you enjoy doing outside of your volunteering?
Outside of volunteering I’m likely to be creating artwork or working on the administration side of running my clothing brand. I trained as an art therapist but mostly I love the process of creating artwork from recycled and found materials. I like colour, fun and playfulness in my artwork. There’s a lot of doom and gloom in the world so if I can make people smile or laugh with my silliness, that makes me happy. I’m a regular at the Art Market at Studio 106, at 106 Barkly Street, St Kilda and sometimes I do the Rose Street Artist Market at Fitzroy on weekends.

To help us celebrate National Volunteer Week, Tamar created an amazing artwork that reflects our community, our differences and the wonderful things we all have to offer.  The framed painting is on proud display in the foyer of our Gardeners Rd, East Bentleigh office.

If you would like to know more about Tamar's art, you can find her online through Instagram @pawpawdesigns Facebook: PawPawDesignsAustralia Website: www.106art.com/tamar-dolev

Thanks, Tamar.  And thanks to all our volunteers.