Olive Way Volunteer profile

Each week at Olive Way, we are joined by a wonderful group of volunteers who come from many different places. Some belong to other churches, while others do not come from a Christian background but share our commitment to hospitality, compassion, and community. Because many of them are not part of our Sunday congregation, we do not always have the chance to meet them at church. So, over the coming months, I’ll gradually introduce you to some of the volunteers who serve alongside us. This month, I’m delighted to introduce Anne Junor and let her share a little of her story.

Anne Junor

Tell us a little bit about your background.

I worked in the corporate world for 25 years and worked in the church for 21 years. Over those 21 years I worked with 7 ministers at Collins St Baptist church, meeting lots of interesting people along the way. As a church Collins Street Baptist was really active in assisting people struggling on the poverty line, as well as refugees, asylum seekers, homeless, and people from the LGBTI community. It was a caring and welcoming church. Initially I started by attending an evening service way back in 1998. I was looking for a church that was relevant and active, and I really enjoyed the service. Not long after this I began working in the church office. I’m currently attending Heidelberg Presbyterian, which has its challenges, but I have some great friendships there. Now I’m retired and spend most of my time catching up with friends, including old work colleagues and family, such as nieces and nephews. I’m also involved in a choir.

How long have you been volunteering with us? How did you get involved?

I’ve had a long history of volunteering; I was at the beginning of Open House when it started in Ivanhoe way back in 1971. Originally it was a place for young people to hang out, people who were living in boarding houses, people being exploited, and so on. People came from all over the place, especially Heidelberg West, it was really rough, we had to call the police many times. I’ve been volunteering at Olive Way for nearly two years now. I’ve known Ruth for many years through Baptist circles. We met the first time in Amsterdam in a Christian hostel and bumped into each other more recently, where she invited me to volunteer with Olive Way.

Our key commitments at Olive Way are hospitality, compassion, and community. Have you had any experiences that have changed or challenged your previous assumptions you’ve held towards these in the past?

No, I feel that these are integral to our faith and it makes sense to be in a place where they are lived out.

Is there a moment from volunteering with us that has stayed with you?

No one moment, but I really look forward to it each week. I enjoy being part of a team and working with others. I often get together regularly with some of the other volunteers for lunch. I’m planning to meet up with them later this week.

What do you think makes OW welcoming?

The way its run, the physical set up, the facilitates, the opportunity to chat with people and so on. It’s easy just to sit down and chat with people and talk about what’s going on in their life. We get to chat with people as we make their food and sometimes sit down and have a conversation. It’s a nice atmosphere of welcome and hospitality.

How would you describe Olive Way to someone who has never been there

It’s a place that is non-judgmental, a place of welcome and support that people can come to. I think it’s a lovely place to come to, and it’s nice for us volunteers to feel useful and appreciated and welcome.

Peter Blair, Olive Way Pastor
First printed in the August 2026 Olive Branch