National Volunteers Week | Jonathan Mandl following in father’s footsteps

When Hans Mandl (pictured at the bottom of this article) emigrated from Austria to Australia, he made Wollongong his home.

An avid skier, he helped found the Illawarra Alpine Club in 1961 and was a volunteer ski patroller at Smiggin Holes in the 1960s and 1970s. He also lent his time to the local Apex Club and later in life joined Rotary.

It is no surprise then that son Jonathan Mandl has spent many years now combining a passion for volunteering with his love of snowsport.

Living in Canberra, Jonathan’s children enjoyed coming through Interschools competitions and it was at this time he volunteered with Radford College’s snowsports program. 

“At the time the entire program was run by the parent group, which I thought was fantastic and I got on board,” said Jonathan. “That got me involved with Interschools participation and activities, volunteering as an official. That was nearly 20 years ago.

“I find it really fulfilling being involved with Interschools and seeing children enjoying that experience. I love seeing young athletes enjoy themselves and have fun.”

When the school took over responsibility of the snowsports program in 2012, Jonathan kept volunteering.

His first son finished school in 2013, and Jonathan kept volunteering.

When his youngest son finished school in 2016, Jonathan kept volunteering and he has kept giving his time for almost a decade since.

“I still had relationships with the families and I enjoyed seeing the athletes progress and come through,” said Jonathan. “There’s a real sense of community, we’re all there for the same reason which is a real joy.

“I’ve got a good relationship with the principal and the head of sport, and I’ve said ‘when you’re sick of me, let me know and I’ll slip away’ but I keep getting asked back.”

As we celebrate National Volunteers Week from 15-21 May, Jonathan said that he would encourage others to lend their own time to causes they’re passionate about.

“For me, that axiom of ‘volunteering gives me more than I’ve put into it’ is very much true,” he said. “I’m very grateful for all the experiences I’ve had. I’ve been able to almost live vicariously through other people’s children as well as mine, seeing them progress from stage to stage, and build their skills - it’s a wonderful thing to watch and be a part of.”

Jonathan’s volunteering doesn’t end at Radford. He has also been club captain and coaching coordinator at the Illawarra Alpine Club - co-founded by his father over 60 years ago - and even last weekend helped out at the Canberra Snow Sale, an important annual fundraising event for local snowsports programs and events.

“That’s always a lot of fun,” said Jonathan. “It’s great to be mixing with people from around the community, some people buying ski gear for the first time - it’s great to help them out and be a friendly advocate.

“There’s a bunch of us that get along every year and enjoy sharing knowledge and you can help others by sharing information.”