As a registered non-profit organisation, our budget is small and we rely on the generosity of our supporters to keep the Centre going.

Many people who feel they have benefited from attending courses at the Centre return to do volunteer work in some form, from a day or two to a spare week or two or even a month. There are many ways to help:

Community work-days. About three times a year, the Centre holds organised community work days where volunteers help out with a range of indoor and outdoor work. Visitors bring lunch to share, and enjoy a day that is usually more social than strenuous.

Helping in the kitchen. Throughout the year, on every course that we run, cooks or kitchen assistants are needed to help with preparing meals. Those experienced in cooking for large numbers are welcome to consult the manager about the menu and prepare the food without supervision.

Otherwise, kitchen assistants are always wanted to help the managers who will set the menu, provide the ingredients and supervise. All that is required is the ability to follow instructions in tasks such as peeling five kilos of potatoes and chopping ten onions.

To book in as a cook or kitchen assistant, check the retreat schedule and let us know which days you're available. It may suit to help with the first weekend or one day mid-week. In exchange for half a day's work in the morning, you will be provided with food and accommodation (if required), plus the chance to participate in the course during the afternoon and evenings.

In addition to this, we have a dana exchange system where each day of help in the kitchen entitles the assistant to a full day's sitting on a future course for free. Helping out on a weekend workshop generates a free place at a weekend course at a later date or a credit of two days on a longer course. The Centre keeps a record of all the cooks and kitchen assistants who have donated their time this way.

Some past volunteers have donated their cooking days to the Centre's scholarship fund to be used for people who otherwise couldn't afford to attend a course.

Working in the garden. Right throughout the year we require people on a regular basis to help with grounds maintenance - mowing the lawns, weeding, mulching, raking up leaves and generally tidying up. If you are a local who could spare perhaps half a day a fortnight, please let us know. We will provide the lawnmower, fuel and basic tools.

Being a temporary manager. From time to time we also require back-up staff to help with managing the Centre, either to give the permanent staff a break or to help out in extra-busy periods. This may involve living at the Centre for periods of between two weeks and two months, and is an opportunity to be more involved in a dhamma community. The work involved is generally house-keeping, grounds maintenance and retreat management. Managers must have completed a nine-day vipassana retreat, and preferably also to have helped out as a kitchen assistant or on a community workday, as you will need some familiarity with the Centre and how the courses are run. If you are interested in being on call for this kind of work, please contact the manager to discuss available times.

Serving on the committee.  For locals who are interested in how the Centre is managed, the House Committee meets usually once a month and is responsible for the general operation and upkeep of the Centre. In addition to the monthly committee meetings, committee members often help out with extra tasks such as fund-raising, building maintenance projects, grounds maintenance, organising visiting teachers, newsletter editing and mail-outs etc.

In exchange for their time, committee members are entitled to reduced rates on all of our courses. If you have skills and experience in any of the above areas, or just enthusiasm and a willingness to be involved, please contact us for more information at manager@meditation.asn.au