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After seven years with HammondCare, we farewell Leanne Broadhead, Volunteer Manager, who has taken on an exciting new role at RSL NSW. Leanne’s time at HammondCare has been marked by her passion for volunteers, her dedication to palliative care, and her willingness to roll up her sleeves and learn. She has also been an active member of the NSW Network of Managers of Palliative Care Volunteers, including serving on the organising committees for the 2023 and 2025 Volunteer Conferences.

Leanne and I chatted about her role as a leader of palliative care volunteers and the impact she has had.

Leanne, can you tell us a bit about your background before stepping into palliative care?
I came into this role with a background in training and fundraising. My only experience in leading volunteers was actually in volunteer roles myself. I had never worked as a Volunteer Coordinator and I had very little understanding of palliative care. At the time, I was supporting a close friend and her family, as she was cared for by HammondCare on the Northern Beaches. I saw first-hand the difference the staff and volunteers made at the end of her life. That was my entry point into this work.

When did you start at HammondCare, and what did your role involve?
I started in 2018 as a Volunteer Coordinator at Greenwich Hospital and Community Palliative Care. During COVID I was covering the hospital and three community areas, which was a huge learning curve. I moved into the Volunteer Manager role in 2021. Since then I have managed the volunteer coordinators across three hospitals and three community teams, with around 150 volunteers in total. They support people in palliative care, older persons’ mental health and rehabilitation. I also manage the Life Stories program, which has grown from seven biographies in 2016 to 130 in FY25, and has expanded into Home Care and Residential Aged Care.

What inspired you to work in palliative care?
It really comes back to my friend. She was just 45 when she died, leaving behind her husband and two children. I saw the power of community around her in those final days, and I saw how HammondCare staff and volunteers wrapped around her family with such compassion. It has been an incredible privilege to learn from the clinicians, staff, and volunteers here. My life is richer for the time I have spent in palliative care.

What’s next for you?
I am heading to RSL NSW to work as a Volunteer Manager supporting veterans’ services. It is another community of people who deserve care, respect and connection, and I am really looking forward to this new chapter.

Do you have a standout memory from your time as a volunteer manager?
Honestly, meeting and working with my team of volunteer coordinators. They are the “Dream Team”, full of compassion and integrity. I feel so lucky to have led them, and I know the service is in very good hands.

What would you say have been the highlights of your career so far?
The volunteers themselves are the highlight. It is an honour to support and train people who give so generously to others at the end of life. I am also especially proud of expanding the Life Stories program into Residential Aged Care and Home Care. Seeing how much joy and meaning it brings to both clients and volunteers has been incredibly rewarding.

Have you any parting advice for other volunteer managers?
Be curious. You can learn so much from your volunteers and from staff. Get involved with the Volunteer Services Support Program too, as the other managers have been such a lifeline for me. I have loved being part of the last two volunteer conferences. And always make sure your volunteers have access to training that enriches them, as it helps them connect more deeply with patients and families.

And finally, what do you love most about working with volunteers?
They bring such a mix of skills, stories and life experiences. The magic happens when you match a volunteer and a patient who discover all they have in common. Watching those connections grow is pure joy.

On behalf of the NSW Network of Managers of Palliative Care Volunteers, we wish Leanne all the very best for the next stage of her career, and thank her for everything she has given to palliative care.