By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
Accountancy is the same everywhere but life in Geelong is different to Iran, Elham Irvan said candidly.
Elham and her two children migrated to Australia in 2013 for a better life.
And despite the hardships, she’s thankful for the opportunity to give back to her new community as a UnitingCare volunteer.
Elham spoke about her story to mark National Volunteer Week, acknowledging the generous contribution of volunteers.
A recruitment firm referred the qualified accountant to UnitingCare Geelong’s Grovedale agency to develop her skills and social network.
From writing cheques to processing payments and managing accounts, Elham said she enjoyed her varied role.
“I enjoy working with numbers and getting a taste of what it would be like to work as an accountant in Australia.
“The team is very friendly and have welcomed me with open arms.
“In Iran I worked as an accountant for a couple of different businesses. I find the role is much the same here in Australia.”
UnitingCare Geelong’s Des Younghusband called Elham a “great addition”.
With more than 400 volunteers across a variety of roles, Mr Younghusband said volunteers were “the lifeblood of our organisation”.
“Without them we wouldn’t be able to provide practical assistance to 5500 locals a year in financial or personal hardship.”
