Music is said to be a common language transcending generations – and Lynton Francis has the joy of experiencing this first-hand most days.
The Department for Child Protection (DCP) volunteer, 62, drives children in care to school, appointments and contact with family members.
“It’s great when I go to pick up the kids from school and I walk into the office and they go, ‘Yes!’” he says.
“They crank up the radio and we have a sing-along.”
The Yorke Peninsula man took up the volunteering role with DCP in October, after learning about the opportunity through friends working at the agency.
Often his work involves spending 2.5 hours in the morning – and again in the afternoon – taking children and teenagers to school and dropping them home.
Sometimes, he also supports their carers by driving the children to health-related appointments in Adelaide or in the Upper Spencer Gulf.
“I’ve got different playlists for each one,” Lynton says of the children. “That’s the good thing most of the kids share (in common), is music.”
There’s no need for the young ones to educate Lynton about what’s topping the charts in 2025, saying he loves “all sorts of music”, including live events.
Volunteering with young people was nothing new to Lynton, who has a long history of community service, having also coached basketball.
He says the volunteer work he does across the peninsula keeps him busy after his retirement from previous paid roles in hardware, plant sales and maintenance.
“I love it – it gives me motivation as well as something to do,” Lynton says.
“The kids are great and very entertaining once you get to know them. Most of the older ones are A-grade students.
“There’s one child I took to Adelaide and we were in Adelaide before we knew it because we just chatted non-stop.”
Lynton is among about 180 people assisting children in care through a range of tasks, from transport, to supporting them with homework and attendance at community events.
To find out more about volunteering with DCP, visit childprotection.sa.gov.au/volunteers.