Meet some of the volunteers that kept our 2022 Schoolies safe

With every Schoolies comes great responsibility, and it takes an army to keep the class of 2022 safe. This is there these volunteers come in.

IT TAKES AN ARMY of volunteers working day and night to give the class of 2022 a Schoolies week to remember.

More than 1400 people from across 17 government and community agencies patrolled Surfers Paradise during the 2022 Safer Schoolies Response, which finished on Friday, November 25.

For some, it was their first year working in the party precinct while others have already dedicated years to supporting graduates’ rite of passage.

Like Safer Schoolies wellbeing co-ordinator Angela Driscoll, who has watched Schoolies “evolve” over 21 years.

“At Schoolies 20 years ago you’d find kids in trouble that their friends have left so they could go and party,” she said.

“Now complete stranger will pick them up and help them to safety.”

Angela Driscoll inside the Schoolies 2022 Wellbeing Space. Picture: Georgina Noack.

For the last five years, Ms Driscoll has split her time between the Wellbeing Space and Chill Out Zones on Orchid Ave – which marked 25 years at Schoolies – helping revellers who are “distressed” or needing to sober up.

“We’re really big on getting (schoolies) to make decisions and getting them to problem solve their way out of situations,” she said of the Wellbeing Space, whether it be a fight with friends, or needing a break from partying.

“(Schoolies) is quite a pressure cooker …. So every service that we‘ve got is about making sure nobody falls through the cracks, and that they’re comfortable to come for help.”

Inside the Wellbeing Space. Schoolies 2022. Picture: Georgina Noack.

The Wellbeing Space, a “natural evolution” from the Chill Out Zone, offered food, drinks and sensory activities to distressed schoolies and their friends to “regulate” their emotions.

Ms Driscoll designed the space and said the staff saw 20 to 30 groups during Schoolies.

“This can be the first time they’ve accessed services on their own,” she said.

“So for them to have an experience that involves fairy lights and glitter and people that really want to help them, it’s a wonderful introduction to make.”

Also celebrating a milestone Schoolies was Rosie’s Friends on the Street, marking 35 years at the graduation party.

But even in the last five years, Gold Coast volunteers Karen and Norm Buttigieg, are in awe of how much schoolies have changed over the years, thanks to targeted education.

Karen and Norm Buttigieg volunteer for Schoolies 2022. Picture: Ashleigh Jansen.

“They’ve never been better,” Mr Buttigieg said of the revellers.

The husband and wife duo believe this is due to Year 12’s being taught “what to expect and what services are on offer” at Schoolies.

Despite having a mostly positive experience, the semi-retired volunteers were concerned how “innovative” Toolies had become over the years.

Mrs Buttigieg said she believes drug dealing, particularly, has “got worse”.

“It’s always been there, but they’re more innovative this year,” she said.

“I’ve seen things I’ve never seen before.”

But they say the security technology used to track down troublemakers and to monitor volunteers makes them feel safe and assured in the precinct.

Even 90 year old volunteer Rita Bell is determined to keep coming back to Schoolies until “He calls me up there”.

“My son gets a bit worried but I say it’s so safe,” she said.

“I love meeting people, it keeps me active, and I enjoy every minute of it.”

Schoolies volunteer Rita Bell has been lending a helping hand to Safer Schoolies for the last five years. Picture: Ashleigh Jansen.

The great-grandmother sometimes walks the streets but can often be found making toasted sandwiches for volunteers.

Mrs Bell said her decade-long career in the Royal Air Force made Schoolies much easier, but “the kids are so good”.

“They seem to be a lot younger or they’re a bit sillier now,” she said, but they are all very “thankful”.

Gold Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon presented Mrs Bell and number of volunteers with certificated of appreciation on Tuesday night, November 22.

Gold Coast MP Meaghan Scanlon with a Safer Schoolies volunteer. Picture: Georgina Noack

She said the Safer Schoolies Response “is what it is because of the people that give up their time” to help.

“It’s been a rough couple of years with the pandemic and all the other things happening in the world, and I think they (schoolies) deserve a celebration,” she said.

“Thank you very much for trying to make sure they do that in a safe and responsible way.”

The Safer Schoolies Response began when 20,000 high school graduates descended on the Gold Coast on Saturday, November 19 and finished on Friday, November 25.

Originally published as Meet some of the volunteers that kept our 2022 Schoolies safe