SOME THOUGHTS ON BEING A VOLUNTEER…!

Posted by Frank Donnelly, Volunteer, 11 May 2010

Since taking early retirement from Aberdeen City Council in 2001, I have been a volunteer in what was until recently the City's Archaeology Unit, now Museums and Galleries Local History Team, and have found the work to be, on the whole stimulating and varied, complementing my long-standing interest in Local History. I find it quite fascinating to be on the "inside" for once, being able to keep up-to-date with archaeological progress in the City and to talk to Archaeologists at first hand "as things happen". I have been involved in many different projects over the years, and have been given a large variety of tasks to keep me busy, but for the moment I'd like to talk about just one of them - perhaps my favourite (so far)!

It's what we call the "Talk-Walk" - basically a tour of a pre-selected area of the City with members of the public, talking about what we see as we progress around the route. Leading these walks we have an Archaeologist, an Historian, a Countryside Ranger, and finally a volunteer or two! As being perhaps the resident volunteer, I usually have an interesting variety of subjects to research and eventually talk about - ranging from buildings (and sometimes the people who lived or worked in them), wells (ornamental or plain), boundary stones, and sometimes the more dramatic items like shipwrecks (a favourite of mine), and relics of two World Wars - a surprising amount of which, WWII anyway, still exists if you know where to look!

Another task I am frequently involved in on our walks is what we call a "yellow jacket job", a reference to the high-visibility jacket worn by the "safety person" when the route crosses or runs adjacent to a very busy road, or has similar hazards (a safety assessment is always prepared at the planning stage) - people do tend to forget about cars and buses, cliffs and pot-holes while they are listening to the current speaker, and have to be reminded of possible problems.

Usually we all get together in January or February to discuss a programme of 2 - 4 walks for that year, including a walk we may have done before, perhaps a new variation of an old walk, a themed walk, and finally a longish new walk - all discussed over a nice lunch somewhere - that is, if there is room on the table already filled with maps, notebooks and diaries, the latter very important indeed, especially when trying to get 5 people to agree on dates!

We have chosen a walk from Hazlehead Park to Maidencraig Local Nature Reserve for our main walk this year, and the first thing we have to do is to go on a "Recce" to see if it's feasible or not. We then walk the route and make copious notes on items we feel will be of interest to the people who join us on our walk. Also to allocate subjects to those of us who are not professional Archaeologists, Historians, or Countryside Rangers! For example, and without giving too much away in advance, I am going to be describing a well-known monument in Hazlehead Park, along with some other items that I am researching at the moment - how many of you have heard of "Hazlehenge"? - come along and find out more! Stewart, our other volunteer, has a similar list, Judith will talk about the archaeology of the area, Chris will discuss the history, and Rob will tell us about the plants, trees and animals we will see along the way. He is also our "Master of Ceremonies" and holds it all together…most of the time!

The first photograph below shows from left to right, me (standing at rear), Chris, Stewart and Judith at Peterculter War Memorial, whilst the second photograph shows Judith, Stewart, me and Rob "somewhere near Maidencraig".

We will have another quick visit to the area just before the actual walk (on the 28 August) to make sure that there are no surprises waiting for us on the day, eg fallen trees blocking the path, flooding, or further safety issues, although Rob usually visits the area in his capacity of Countryside Ranger quite often. Then all we need is a nice sunny day, with perhaps a cooling breeze - but this is optional and not guaranteed! Of course, we need members of the public to join us, we don't want to end up talking to ourselves again. We go in all weathers, so suitable clothes and boots should be worn, and the walk should last around 2 and a half hours, but we have been known to over-run slightly. And you never know, you may want to stroll around the Park after the walk - but we will not join you as we have the traditional after the walk meal to attend in the nearest Restaurant or Hotel, to rest our weary feet, lubricate our parched throats and to tell tall tales of our afternoon!

For those who don't manage to come along on the 28 August, I intend to write another Blog (what a strange word) after the Event, telling you all about it! Full details of our Talk/Walks, Talks (without the exercise), and associated activities, can be seen in the latest issue of the Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums Diary, available almost everywhere…especially in Aberdeen Art Gallery! Aberdeen Art Gallery & Museums' web-site is also a useful source of information regarding our activities. If you're thinking of coming to Hazlehead on 28 August, it is essential that you book your place, by phoning 01224 897400.

Frank Donnelly