Ballarat Hospice Care Inc.

28/12/2025

🌱 Calling all gardeners!

Help create and maintain the peaceful spaces our staff, visitors and families enjoy.
Perfect for garden enthusiasts or anyone who loves being outdoors.

Find out more at our upcoming Volunteer Information Sessions in February.

🔗 Register: https://BHCI-2026-Volunteer-Info-Sessions.eventbrite.com.au

22/12/2025

🎄 Merry Christmas from Ballarat Hospice Care 🎄

During the holiday season, we recognise that this time of year can be particularly challenging for many.

We extend our warmest wishes to all patients, families, volunteers, staff, and supporters of Ballarat Hospice Care, and hope this season brings you peace and love.

Ballarat Hospice Care office hours:
Our office will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.

For all other dates, we will continue to operate during our usual hours:
🕒 9am – 4:30pm, Monday to Friday.

21/12/2025

🌼 Love retail or organising? Join our Op Shop team!

We’re seeking volunteers for our busy Op Shop, particularly for Saturday mornings and warehouse support.

Your contribution directly supports compassionate in-home palliative care.

📅 Info Sessions: 4 Feb & 10 Feb
🔗 Register: https://BHCI-2026-Volunteer-Info-Sessions.eventbrite.com.au

19/12/2025

Make a difference in your community!

Ballarat Hospice Care is looking for a Stores and Equipment Assistant to ensure medical equipment is maintained, organised, and delivered to patients receiving palliative and end-of-life care.

📅 Applications close 16 January
🔗 Apply: https://ballarathospicecare.org.au/careers/

18/12/2025

If you’re feeling a bit MEH-ry Christmas this year, we get it. Not everyone jingles all the way and that’s okay. For some of us, Christmas hits different: quieter, heavier, or just… complicated.

The holidays can be joyful, but they can also be tough. New diagnoses. Empty chairs. Big changes. Quiet houses.

Whether you’re adjusting to a new diagnosis, missing someone you love, or spending the season solo, you’re not alone. Whatever you’re carrying, your feelings matter.

Having friends, family, or even small connections can be powerful for your health and wellbeing. But remember: being alone doesn’t automatically mean you’re lonely, and feeling lonely doesn’t mean you’re truly alone.

Share this to remind someone they’re seen, or tag a friend who makes your holidays brighter just with their presents (see what we did there).

If you are struggling these holidays, help isn't too far away, and Victoria has a range of mental health support services, some are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These services can provide treatment, information, tools and advice on how to deal with a range of mental health issues.

📲 Lifeline: 13 11 14

📲 MensLine Australia (24 hours, 7 days) Tel. 1300 789 978

📲 Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636

📲 Su***deLine Victoria (24 hours, 7 days) Tel. 1300 651 251 - for counselling, crisis intervention, information and referral

📲 Su***de Call Back Service (24 hours, 7 days) Tel. 1300 659 467
13YARN (13 92 76) 24/7 for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Peoples

📍 Mental Health & Wellbeing Locals: https://go.vic.gov.au/48GJT3U

And, if you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, support and information are available at: Eating Disorders Foundation of Victoria

11/12/2025

We are looking for volunteers to join us in 2026!

Become part of a supportive, community-focused team at Ballarat Hospice Care.
We’re looking for volunteers ready to make a meaningful difference.

📅 Join one of our upcoming Volunteer Information Sessions:
Wed 4 Feb | 10am–11am
Tue 10 Feb | 5:30pm–6:30pm
📍 1836 Sturt St, Alfredton

🔗 Register: https://BHCI-2026-Volunteer-Info-Sessions.eventbrite.com.au

10/12/2025

Thanks to many generous donations to our Op Shop recently, we are temporarily unable to accept more items.

We’ll share an update when donations can be welcomed again.

Every donation and purchase helps us provide specialist in-home palliative care to our community 💛

📢 Donation Update

We’ve received an incredible amount of donations to our Op Shop and are unable to accept any more at this time.

Our team is working hard to sort through the generous items we’ve received, and we’ll share an update as soon as we’re ready to accept donations again.

Thank you for your understanding, kindness, and ongoing support of our Op Shop and the care we provide in the community 💛

📍 723 Sturt Street, Ballarat
⏰ Mon–Fri: 9:30am – 4:00pm | Sat: 10:00am – 1:30pm

09/12/2025

We’re hiring!

Join Ballarat Hospice Care as a Stores and Equipment Assistant. In this hands-on role, you’ll coordinate, maintain, and safely deliver medical equipment to patients’ homes, supporting those receiving palliative and end-of-life care. Physical capability, safe manual handling, and a compassionate approach are essential.

📅 Applications close 16 January
🔗 Apply: https://ballarathospicecare.org.au/careers/

04/12/2025

🌍💙 Today is International Volunteer Day, and we’re celebrating the incredible contributions of our 95 wonderful volunteers, including our dedicated Board members!

At Ballarat Hospice Care, volunteers are truly the heart of our team. They connect us with the community, support our patients, carers, and families, and help bridge the gap between healthcare and community care.

Your kindness, dedication, and compassion make a world of difference - every single day.

To all our volunteers: thank you for everything you do. Together, we’re building a community of care 💛

25/11/2025

At our recent AGM, we celebrated the remarkable service of Geoff Russell, who retired from the Ballarat Hospice Care Board after an incredible 27 years. Geoff first joined the Board in 1998 and served as Chair from 2003 to 2022, guiding the organisation through years of growth, change, and milestones.

Geoff’s leadership has been defined by his calm, thoughtful approach, always prioritising collaboration and the values of Ballarat Hospice Care. His dedication has helped shape the organisation into the trusted, compassionate service it is today. Geoff was warmly acknowledged in recognition of his commitment, vision, and the countless ways he has supported patients, families, staff, volunteers, and the wider community over nearly three decades.

Geoff was also featured in our Celebrating 40 Years Stories - watch Geoff’s story here - https://ballarathospicecare.org.au/anniversary-stories/geoff/

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Geoff for his exceptional contribution - your legacy will continue to inspire us all.

16/11/2025

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Friday for the Death Café with Ballarat Cemeteries. We appreciated the meaningful conversations and thoughtful feedback!

A big thanks to Annie DeJong and the team for facilitating the session.

Their final FREE Death Café is coming up:

☕🍰 DEATH CAFÉ #3
📅 Saturday 29 November
🕜 1.30pm–2.30pm
📍 Ballarat Library – Meeting Room 2

ℹ️ Bookings essential: Call 5332 1469 or email enquiries@ballaratcemeteries.com.au

Curious about what a Death Café is? Read more here:
https://www.sbs.com.au/food/article/the-unexpected-comfort-of-taking-a-seat-at-a-death-cafes/q52kq6pp2

A big thank you to those who attended yesterday's Death Cafe in partnership with Ballarat Hospice Care Inc.. There were some great conversations and interesting feedback shared.

Thanks to Gemma for coordinating things at Hospice to ensure we had a beautiful space and a seamless experience on the day, and to Joanne from the Supportive Care team for her participation.

If you haven't been able to attend the prior sessions, we have one final, FREE Death Cafe happening in a fortnight's time:

☕ 🍰 𝐃𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐀𝐅𝐄 #𝟑
📅 Saturday 29th November, 1.30pm-2.30pm
📍Ballarat Library, Meeting Room 2, 178 Doveton St N, Ballarat Central

ℹ️ Reservations are essential for space and catering: to book your place, please call Ballarat Cemeteries on 5332 1469 or email us at enquiries@ballaratcemeteries.com.au. If you have specific dietary requirements, please mention this at the point of booking.

⚠️ Please note: Death Cafes are generally not suitable for the recently bereaved, or participants under the age of 18.

Not sure what a FREE Death Cafe is, or whether it will be worth attending? Have a read of this SBS article to get a feel for how it all works ▶ www.sbs.com.au/food/article/the-unexpected-comfort-of-taking-a-seat-at-a-death-cafes/q52kq6pp2

We hope to see you there!

13/11/2025

Don't forget to join us and our friends at Ballarat Cemeteries tomorrow for a relaxed chat about life, death and everything in between — over tea, coffee and snacks. 💬

📅 Friday 14 November, 11–12pm
📍 Ballarat Hospice Care, 1836 Sturt St, Alfredton

No agenda, no lectures — just open, honest conversation.

Bookings essential: 5332 1469 or enquiries@ballaratcemeteries.com.au

Can't attend tomorrow? Ballarat Cemeteries are holding another Death Café on Saturday 29th November at the Ballarat Library.