Young Hawkesbury residents reach out to vulnerable older community members

The group , aged between 17 and 25-years-old, came together after Macquarie MP Susan Templeman sought their advice and input into a range of local issues.

"The group volunteered to call older people to ask if they have the essentials, if they need anything, and sometimes just to chat about the garden," Ms Templeman said.

"I don't think any of them had done something like this before, and it can be a bit daunting picking up the phone and calling someone you don't know.

"But in just two weeks they made more than 300 calls, with some conversations lasting about 15 minutes.

"Some people are busy or don't particularly want to chat, and that's fine, but those that do have commented how nice it was to receive a call - especially from these dedicated young people."

Hawkesbury group member Chloe Tyrrell, 17-years-old, said lockdown was hard and isolating for everyone.

"Making the calls meant that I could reach out to those that really need it, and connect with people in our community that I wouldn't have otherwise known," she said.

"It's also been a welcome break from HSC study."

Liam Holt, 22-years-old, said each member of the group brought something valuable to it.

"Young people are valuable members of the community, with a lot of ideas and a lot of passion to make a difference locally," he said. "The action group allows for young people to come together as a collective, with a shared vision to improve the community.

"Further, it allows each member to have their voice and their ability to affect change amplified - each member contributes something valuable to the group that allows for us to be involved in campaigns and in outreach that improves the lives of local people.

"We would love to encourage anyone interested in making a difference locally to join the group."

Ms Templeman said the group's activities came as some refreshing good news during such a challenging time.

"Lockdown has been extremely challenging for everyone in the Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains, and of course the Greater Sydney area," Ms Templeman said. "And for many the social isolation can affect their mental and physical health.

"These young people, and I, know we need to emerge from this lockdown with our community intact - regardless of your age, gender or postcode.

"I'm really proud of the outreach they are doing, and I'd like to congratulate each and every one of them for their personal commitment to ensure no one is left behind in our community."

Ms Templeman said that any local young person who'd like to be involved in this type of volunteer work can contact her at susan.templeman.mp@aph.gov.au, and anyone needing assistance with a Federal issue can contact her team.