Volunteers in thick of the action

Among the many volunteers who pitched in at the open were (back row, from left) Ester Cowper, of Auckland, Helen Paterson, of Rangiora and George Brown, of Ashburton. (Front, from left) Lindsey Guy, of Richmond, Lucille Brown, of Ashburton and Robyn Wills, of Waitemata.Below: Nadine and Bill Byrnes, of Auckland.

From shuttling players and public to and from the car parks, helping spectators park their cars with military precision, manning radios and collating statistics, to being walking scorers and Girl Fridays and performing thankless tasks like emptying sand-filled cans from cigarette boxes, the volunteers work tirelessly, with a smile and a polite word for everyone they encounter.

For some, it's about supporting local events in any way they can.

For others, volunteering at The Hills is a once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Fitting into the second category are Nadine and Bill Byrnes, of Auckland.

Mrs Byrnes (66) said she had been playing golf badly for the past 25 years and after seeing the first New Zealand Open at The Hills in 2007, immediately put visiting the course on her bucket list.

"It's just awesome - the course, the sculptures, the surroundings. It's fantastic. I thought I would just love to go down there and see the clubhouse and get amongst it.

"I had this dream and suggested it to Bill [68], my husband."

The couple had friends in Queenstown, so in July last year they emailed and said they would be down in March for the 2010 Open.

Before she'd had time to reply, the dates had been changed to January.

"I called her and she said, `It's OK.

Why don't you become a volunteer?"'Mrs Byrnes did not think there would be any volunteer positions available, expecting the volunteers from the first Open at The Hills to have first option.

However, within 24 hours of being emailed the particulars of volunteering, it was a fait accompli.

It's been a hectic month so far for the couple, having travelled to Australia for their son's wedding in early January, before arriving back in Auckland and having 24 hours with their Canada-based daughter, her husband and their grandchild, before beginning the drive down the country.

Mrs Byrnes said the couple had volunteered for seven days at The Hills, and the experience had been wonderful.

"Just to be here - we were pinching ourselves on Sunday.

"I'd certainly recommend for anyone to have the experience."