South West Volunteer Expo returns to large crowds following three-year hiatus

It's the first time the South West Volunteer Expo has been held in three years, an occasion marked by the attendance of all sorts from storybook dogs to 19th century archetypes and jazz performers.

Warrnambool mayor Vicki Jellie said she welcomed the event's return after a COVID-19 hiatus which had devastated volunteer capacity.

"It's a significant event for the city and for south-west Victoria ," Cr Jellie said

"Warrnambool City has great volunteers - 24.8 per cent of the community volunteer in some way or another. That's a quarter of our community, which is a lot.

"It's really good and I thank all those stallholders. Volunteers are truly the backbone of our community."

Flagstaff Hill volunteer Lorraine de Kok said the iconic venue was crying out for helpers.

"If you're interested in history or even if you want to come and work at the tea rooms, there's something for everyone," she said.

"At the moment we're struggling with staff especially at the tea rooms because people are retiring and because of COVID we had to shut down.

"At the moment we're very keen to get back there. The tea rooms are only open on the weekends when there's a lot of people around."

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She said the museum had extended its holiday offering but needed an ample workforce to continue operations.

"In a few weeks we're extending our school holiday program to take in other states' holidays to attract more tourists," she said.

"It's a trial program and we'll need all hands on deck."

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