National Volunteer Week Lunch 2022

There’s a little gold chain in a ruby box
A giant lemon squeezer and two pairs of orange socks;
There’s an interesting nude in shades of blue and red
And over by the window are the makings of a bed.

There’s a doll that goes “mama” when you turn her upside down
And some hot pants that will make you the talk of the town.
A dozen white elephants in all different shades
Made of silvery satins and gaudy brocades.

This is the world of the opportunity shop
Where recycling begins and bargains never stop
And the most priceless treasures you find inside
Are the volunteers who serve with love and pride.

They’re fearless and bold, intrepid and daring,
They are smart and they’re strong, yet still soft and caring
And they don’t stand around cursing their luck
When they’re up to their elbows in second hand muck

You won’t believe some of the weirdo donations
Macramé and fur in a single creation;
Bangles and boots and bizarre party hats
But they’ve drawn the line so I hear, at dead cats!

They get the occasional urn with an old uncle’s ashes
They have a whip left over from Madame Lash’s
Some bondage gear and a baby grand;
And a jar with a spider as big as your hand.

Some customers chat and some come to holler
And some want to haggle you down to a dollar;
But most perplexing of all the bargain pickers
Are the men that try on the ladies knickers.

Would you be able to face all this?
Year after year and never miss?
In the cultural graveyard for fads and trends
You can make your best ever life-long friends.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”
Is a concept I’ve adopted with zeal and pleasure
I’ve bought up big and my drawers are stuffed
And my wardrobe is saying it’s had enough!

In fact this recycling idea is simply swell
And I’d like to extend it to people as well.
And I wonder if I can make donations
Of some of my second-hand friends and relations

They are past their use by date with me,
But with someone else they might not be.
Or perhaps you can’t put people on the shelf
After all, I’m second hand myself!

Without these shops there’d be far more tears
Because there’s far more need than at first appears,
And books that enquiring minds still need
Would be thrown away after just one read.

And babies wouldn’t get enough toys
To make them into clever little girls and boys;
And quite a few people would be much thinner
Because their families would go without their dinner.

So thank you to all the op shop staff
Your stories always make me laugh,
And thank you to all of our volunteers
Who have kept us going for fifty years!

Carmel O’Brien OAM