Daffodil Day
Chinese volunteers joining forces with the local community to help a good cause
People of Chinese background have a special love of daffodils. These golden flowers are often part of annual Lunar New Year celebrations. During that special time, people tie a red ribbon around a pot of daffodils and add a red hui chun note with the message: Good fortune arrives as flowers bloom. Daffodils, flowering early in the season, are believed to bring luck and peace, new life and hope.
Bright yellow “Western” daffodils are different from those grown in China. In Australia in August, as spring begins and the flowers bloom, the Cancer Council organises its fundraising Daffodil Day. Flowers and souvenirs are sold to raise funds for this worthy cause. This is an activity widely supported by the Australian community. Volunteers can be seen all over the country selling fresh daffodils in public places, and businesses such as supermarkets and petrol stations join in.
CASS has been supporting Daffodil Day for many years. Souvenirs are displayed and sold at our Head Office and among our different Activity Groups. In 2012, eight of our volunteers joined forces with others to sell flowers at Hurstville Station, contributing their time and energy to this good cause.
By seven in the morning, four CASS volunteers had already arrived at the station to join other dedicated volunteers. Stationery and teddy bears were also on offer, but the star was of course the bunches of fresh daffodils.
Most of our volunteers were seniors, but their work was just as productive as that of younger volunteers. Many Chinese Australians use the station and our volunteers could communicate easily with them in fluent Cantonese or Mandarin. When greeting travellers, they charmed them with lovely smiles and Good Morning in their first language. They were able to explain to potential customers the meaning and benefits of what they were doing. And their hard work paid off.
The meaning of volunteers’ involvement cannot simply be measured by sales. There was a palpable sense of pride among our volunteers. One volunteer spoke of how thankful she was for the opportunity to give back to the community. She had come to Australia from Hong Kong only three years ago. When she first arrived, she had felt lonely and isolated because of not being fluent in English, so unable to understand what was happening around her. Every day when family members went to work or school, she was left alone.
By chance, she attended one of CASS Activity Group meetings, and her life began to change. She met new friends and her social network expanded. Talks organised by the Group gave her information on health, and revealed how she could become involved in community activities. Her life has now become much more fulfilling. On Daffodil Day, she was so excited she got up at six in the morning and was the first volunteer to arrive at the station. After a hard morning’s work, she was exhausted, but also flushed with pride, elated because she at last felt genuinely part of the Australian community.
Now she is no longer isolated. She is a true Australian citizen, working hand in hand with others to make a valuable contribution to health in her new country.
Next August, when the daffodils bloom again, we hope many other members of the Chinese Australian community will come out and help support this vital cause.
Originally published in September 2012
CASS volunteers selling daffodils at Hurstville Station