As part of their two-week student leadership training before residents returned to College, Dunmore Lang College’s Resident Advisers (RAs) and Association of DLC Students (ADS) teams stepped outside the College grounds to give back to the local community through a morning of volunteering with Easy Care Gardening.
Easy Care Gardening supports older members of the community who may no longer be able to maintain their gardens independently. We provide volunteers with the tools required to take action and make a difference. This year, the team visited the home of a resident in Lindfield, working across both their front and back gardens. Their tasks included weeding garden beds, clearing pathways and generally tidying areas that had become overgrown.
“It felt very rewarding to see the impact our assistance had on the life of an elderly member in our community.”
— Abbey Hall, 2026 ADS Secretary
While gardening involved hands-on work, the experience offered much more than simply getting the job done. The homeowner was incredibly sincere and grateful for the assistance. The team spent time talking with her making the experience particularly personal and rewarding for the volunteers. For the students, the day also provided an opportunity to strengthen their relationships and work together outside of College. By combining their efforts, the group was able to make a significant difference in a relatively short period of time. For 2026’s Senior RA, Issy Spice, who has volunteered with Easy Care Gardening for the past two years, the experience represents something that makes Dunmore Lang particularly special.
“One of the things I love about DLC is that our sense of community extends beyond the College walls. Volunteering with Easy Care Gardening gives us the opportunity to give back to the local community while also caring for the environment and the green spaces around us. Living in Sydney, we’re incredibly lucky to be surrounded by such beautiful outdoor spaces, and it’s rewarding to play even a small part in looking after them while supporting members of our community.”
— Issy Spice, 2026 Senior RA
The volunteering day demonstrated that student leadership at DLC is not only about supporting life within the College. It is also about looking outward and contributing to the wider community.
From weeding garden beds to clearing pathways, the team’s work may have seemed simple, but the impact was anything but. Through Easy Care Gardening, DLC’s student leaders were able to lend a helping hand, build stronger connections with one another and leave a local community member with a garden that was a little brighter and more manageable.
