Honouring Granny Margaret During National Volunteer Week
There is something very special about a person who quietly gives their time, week after week, not for recognition or reward, but simply because they care.
This week, as we celebrate National Volunteer Week, we want to acknowledge the many incredible volunteers who so faithfully serve our Northshore community. From parents helping behind the scenes to students serving others through various initiatives, volunteers play a vital role in the life of our school.
But this year, we wanted to honour one very special volunteer in particular: “Granny Margaret”.
At Northshore Christian Grammar School, Wednesday mornings belong to Granny Margaret.
For the past four years, Granny Margaret has faithfully volunteered with our Year 4 students every single Wednesday, helping wherever she is needed most. Whether it is cutting and gluing, listening to children read, assisting teachers in the classroom or simply sitting beside a child who needs encouragement, she has become a treasured part of the Northshore family.
And while the students may know her as “Granny Margaret”, the truth is she has become exactly that to so many children across our school.
“Lots of families don’t have grandparents in Australia,” she explains warmly.
“So being able to be a granny figure to the children is very special.”
The name itself quickly became an icebreaker. Before long, children were greeting her with hugs, stories and excited conversations each Wednesday morning.
English has always been Granny Margaret’s forte, and one of her greatest joys is helping students with reading, spelling and writing.
“I love teaching them little tricks to remember words,” she says.
But for Granny Margaret, volunteering has never just been about academics. It is about connection.
She remembers the little things about the children she works with. She notices their growth, their personalities and the quiet victories that others may miss.
One student in particular left a lasting impression on her.
“She spoke so softly at the start of the year,” Granny Margaret recalls.
“But by the end of the year, she was talking louder and becoming more confident. She struggled in some areas, but she was incredibly creative and had the most wonderful ideas. She wrote this amazing poem, and I remember being so surprised by how thoughtful and gifted she was.”
It is these moments that have filled Granny Margaret’s Wednesdays with purpose and joy.
“Sundays are very special to me,” she says.
“But Wednesdays are the highlight of my week because I get to spend time with the kids.”
Her journey into volunteering began unexpectedly during a church conference several years ago. Earlier that year, her own grandchildren had moved away, and she suddenly found herself missing the sense of purpose and connection that caring for children had brought into her life.
“At our church conference, I realised I needed to be doing something,” she says.
Through a conversation with someone connected to Northshore, she learned that a student at the school needed additional reading support. What began as helping one child soon became a beautiful ministry of encouragement to many.
Today, Granny Margaret has 16 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and, as she laughingly says, “about 250 Northshore grandchildren too.”
Her love for the students extends far beyond the classroom walls.
Each year, Granny Margaret gives every student a special card containing a poem thanking them for being a part of their class. In return, the children shower her with handmade cards, drawings and messages that she treasures deeply.
At home, she keeps a special Northshore scrapbook filled with memories from the students over the years.
“They won’t go anywhere,” she says firmly.
“Each of those children is really like my own grandkids.”
One treasured card featured a hand-drawn magpie after students discovered she was a loyal Collingwood supporter, a team she has followed faithfully since she was ten years old, after deciding she liked their colours best. The card remained proudly displayed on her kitchen counter for a very long time.
When asked what she would say to someone considering volunteering, Granny Margaret’s answer is simple.
“The teachers and students benefit, but I think the person who truly benefits is me,” she says.
“It keeps you active, it gives you purpose and it helps you feel part of something. I don’t do it to get anything out of it, but I love how much I love it.”
And when school holidays arrive?
“The holidays feel very long when I don’t get to see the students,” she admits.
Outside of Northshore, Granny Margaret fills her days with family, Bible study, exercise classes, reading and what she lovingly calls her “old people’s playgroup”, a Monday card group called Super Mondays.
Her favourite Bible passage is Psalm 103, a chapter overflowing with reminders of God’s compassion, kindness and faithful love. It speaks of a God who is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love” and in many ways, those same qualities can be seen in the gentle way Granny Margaret serves the children around her each week.
And perhaps that is exactly why Granny Margaret has become such a beloved part of Northshore Christian Grammar School. Not simply because of what she does, but because of the love and warmth she brings wherever she goes.
Granny Margaret with the Year 4G class and Mrs Schokman, the students she faithfully encourages, supports and loves each Wednesday.
