About Us
GGC Volunteers Ltd. is an Australian registered Not For Profit social enterprise. It provides international volunteering brokerage services for: Non-Government Organisations (NGO), Not For Profit organisations (NFP), humanitarian organisations, education providers, medical care providers, travel agencies and the private business sector.
At GGC Volunteers Ltd. our international volunteering opportunities are unlike other volunteering agencies. We believe each volunteer has a particular set of skills and experiences they can offer and we aim to match our volunteers with the organisations that will most benefit from their specific abilities.
Sandra Downes - Co-Director and Clinical Educator
Sandra Downes is a qualified Australian physiotherapist who has spent most of her career working with children with disabilities. Throughout her life she has also shared a passion for volunteering, especially with organisations that assist poor, disadvantaged or disabled children.
Since Sandra’s first international volunteering experience to Vietnam she has developed a real desire to help the children of developing countries, and has introduced many people to volunteering.
Over the past 9 years Sandra has frequently returned to Vietnam, working with many different organisations and charities in orphanages, schools, homes and centres. Her main goal has been to work with local staff and carers, providing them with the knowledge and skills to improve the physical, social and health outcomes of the disabled children in their care.
Sandra is our expert in Vietnam, and specialises in assisting Universities with their Student Clinical Placements. She is determined and thorough in her support of volunteers and students and is forever working to better the lives of the disabled and vulnerable children in Vietnam.
“…Please volunteer. I want you to experience what I have experienced. Being a volunteer, wherever that may take me, and however I have to re-adjust, gives me the knowledge I DO have something to offer in this world. Volunteering is now my life’s work..”
John Quilty - Board of Directors
John Quilty is a retired Environmental Consultant from Perth, Western Australia. After working in industry and government for the first 20 years of his professional life, he ran his own environmental consultancy for a further 20 years before retiring in 2011. John and his wife Lyn, a former English teacher, divide their time between their large extended family in Perth and voluntary work in Vietnam and Cambodia. They have worked with orphans and disabled in Tam Ky, central Vietnam, with the Hmong ethnic minority in Sapa, north Vietnam, and with a Cambodian organisation providing education and assistance to impoverished rural communities in Kampot, southern Cambodia.
Lyn teaches English to the children and trains the local teachers, while John assists local sponsoring organisations with administration and management, and undertakes community projects such as water supply, house building, and school improvements. These projects are underwritten by funding they raise from family and friends back in Australia.
Both are keen to continue their voluntary work in South-East Asia so long as their health and physical abilities permit.
Tracey Mills - Marketing Manager
Tracey has a Bachelor degree in Commerce with a double major in Marketing and Management from the University of Wollongong.
Since graduating Tracey has worked at Yellow Brick Road Wealth Management and Suburbanite Buyers Agents. It was with these companies that she learned first hand the importance of brand awareness and formulating strategic plans to implement in order to grow and maintain a successful business model.
After working in these finance and property sectors, the allure of working for a volunteer organisation was a welcome change. A great opportunity to contribute to an organisation that is solely dedicated to helping and assisting those in need, specifically children in developing countries and step away from the corporate life.
Tracey has recently moved to Brisbane from Sydney and is now GGC Volunteers Ltd. Marketing Manager. She is excited about getting people involved in volunteering and spreading the word about GGC Volunteers Ltd. and what they are doing around the world. She believes that GGC Volunteers Ltd. will no doubt give you the most rewarding experience that you will never forget.