Community conduit: Peter Narducci reflects on inclusion and volunteering

Community volunteers are a big part of country life, and Peter Narducci is a big part of Pingelly. “I’ve been here all my life, born here, educated here,” Mr Narducci said. “My first attempt to get involved in the fire services was probably in 1962. I went to the fire station and got involved in doing a bit with them. “I didn’t join the service until 1975. I’ve been a volunteer since 1975.” A former Australia Post worker, real estate agent and business owner, Mr Narducci is still an active member of the Pingelly Volunteer Fire Brigade nearly 50 years on. “The volunteer fire service has been the biggest part of the volunteering, but also I’ve been an active justice of the peace since 1983,” he said. “I’m also involved in the Pingelly Museum Historical Group, probably 30 years I’ve been involved in that, and I’m an acolyte of the Catholic Church. “I don’t think there’s one thing I haven’t volunteered in. Volunteering is my life.” Volunteering and giving back to the community have always been an important part of life for the Narducci family. “We’ve always been very giving people,” Mr Narducci said. “I give back as much as I take, whether it’s inherited or whether it’s by some design, I don’t know.” An active volunteer in all regards, concern for the future of volunteering and the town’s children led Mr Narducci to form the Pingelly Youth and Emergency Service Cadets earlier this year. “Our country areas are volunteer-poor, everyone is facing huge problems with time. We’re time-poor, we’re volunteer-poor, and that led me to think about getting the cadets going,” he said. “We have 22 cadets, which is absolutely unbelievable for a town this size.” The success of the youth group has led to another 20 young children being put on a waiting list to join the group when they turn 11. “Already we can see them making that journey where they’re looking towards becoming future emergency services volunteers,” Mr Narducci said. “We’re developing this really amazing thing in the community. All these towns need this kind of thing.” Mr Narducci’s cadets are developing leadership skills, confidence, respect and the ability to function as a team — characteristics that underpin volunteer groups and the success of the broader community. The Pingelly Youth and Emergency Service Cadets also provides young people with a sense of community inclusion and identity. “In Australia, we always seem to think that you either play sport or you don’t — if you don’t play sport, who are you?” Mr Narducci said. “I looked around town and that’s what I saw, and there is a place for those kids here.” Central to Mr Narducci’s life of volunteering is caring for the town and the people of Pingelly. “It’s about trying to get the best out of people, and that’s what volunteers do. They give it their best.”