Like so many of you, I spent last Sunday at our famous King’s Carnival. 

Alongside the nervous members of the King David School Parents’ Association, I experienced a sleepless Saturday night with repeated checks of various weather apps looking for a second, third and fourth opinion in the hope that the expected rain would stay away.

Well the rain did not stay away. But nor did the school community!

Moving around the Magid Campus I was overwhelmed by the positivity, joy and togetherness that was on clear display.

We clearly have something very special at our school. We have a parent, grandparent, student and staff body who recognise the value of community – we are so grateful for the way that you show your support quite literally in rain, hail and shine.

The King’s Carnival is also an opportunity to display the wonderful talent and courage of so many young and older performers. We enjoyed a tremendous extended show full of singing, dancing, magic and instrumental performers. This showcased students from the youngest years of the School through to graduates.

Not to be outdone, the highlights of the day included a teacher band and a rocking dads’ band who performed with such verve that they managed to get the crowd of parents and onlookers dancing. “How embarrassing!” squealed their secretly delighted children.   

Along with the performers, there were various fundraisers, carnival rides and our food court – which was staffed by parents, grandparents, students and volunteers from partner community groups. We enjoyed book and clothes sales, art and craft activities and we even roped in some of our parent medical practitioners to put colourful plaster casts on our students – a wonderful Carnival tradition!

Of course an enormous event like this cannot happen without the commitment of our volunteers and the support of our incredible Community Relations team. The KDSPA and the PSG (Parent Safety Group) show up so often that it is easy to take this for granted.

The truth is that in Australia there has been a decline in volunteering rates. Volunteering Australia has estimated that the numbers have reduced from about two-thirds of adults volunteering in 2002 to around a quarter in 2022. 

There are many reasons for this including pressures on cost of living and the increasing pace of daily life. But this is such a shame as we know that volunteering is beneficial in so many ways. Not just that it builds a sense of community and that it allows us to put on great events but also in its personal benefits for volunteers. 

In an editorial blog post, the University of Sydney noted in 2021 that these benefits include provision of a sense of belonging, improvements in physical health, that acts of generosity increases one’s happiness, that you bring joy to others and that it increases one’s level of life satisfaction.

So along with a resounding thank you to our brilliant volunteers this is a call to action. Please get involved in the myriad of ways that you can contribute to our community. Not only will this allow us to put on stellar events like the King’s Carnival, to keep our community secure and safe and to help maintain our sense of unity, but it will offer many benefits to you.