Child protection volunteer Bob Neil says if he can help young people see life won’t always be so difficult, he’s done his job.

The Murraylands man has been volunteering with the Department for Child Protection since 2009, driving children in care to school, appointments and visits with family members.

It’s a role that’s taken him across the state, from Murray Bridge to towns close to the Victorian border, such as Bordertown and Pinnaroo, over to the Yorke Peninsula, Riverland, Flinders Ranges and even New South Wales.

Children in care have families struggling with a range of issues such as mental illness, substance misuse, domestic and family violence, intergenerational trauma and poverty.

Growing up, Bob had a “quiet life” living with his mother and stepfather, and the role has given him a fresh appreciation for the safety he’d felt at home.

“These kids have shown me another side to life. I try to show them that there’s better things… than what they’re going through at the moment, but it will take time,” he says.

“I try to be a calming influence in their lives for the short time I’m transporting them around.”

In the lead up to National Volunteer Week (18-24 May), the Department for Child Protection is celebrating the vital role more than 200 volunteers, including Bob, play in creating safe, supportive environments for children and young people in care.

Bob develops a rapport with the children, including many he transports more than once, chatting about football, animals, or whatever else interests them and providing a listening ear if they’re going through a tough time.

“I joke around like I would with my own grandchildren,” he says.

“You get some that are reluctant (to talk) and then something you say, or they say, breaks the ice and you can’t stop them. Sometimes they just want someone to listen.

“I can’t solve all their problems, but I can listen and maybe give them a slightly better way to look at things.”

After retiring, the former truck driver took up volunteering to give back to his community, and the 74-year-old plans to stick with it for as long as he can.

“I’ve known blokes to retire at 65 and be dead by 67 because…all they had was their job.

“I’m not going down like that, I’m going down kicking and screaming. While I’m alive and breathing, I can be a helping hand to the kids.”

The Department for Child Protection will host a lunch for volunteers across South Australia at Sunnybrae Estate in Regency Park, in northern Adelaide, on Wednesday, 20 May.

For more information about volunteering, visit childprotection.sa.gov.au/volunteers or call 0492 000 743.