AIIA is more than just a paid workforce representing the ICT industry in Australia. AIIA is made up of countless volunteers who work on committees, taskforces and projects to improve the industry for all of us.

Volunteer energy is an indispensable resource at AIIA. Not-for-profit organisations like AIIA juggle the fiscal, operational, personnel, and service demands only with the help of volunteers.

Of course, volunteering is a two way street, and volunteers often say they get just as much from the transaction as the Association does. AIIA’s volunteers gain access to a valuable network of peers, which can help them to build their business or career, and volunteering for such a high-profile organisation offers recognition and stature, not to mention a satisfying sense of having made a difference. However most colleagues who are AIIA volunteers either on boards, task forces or special interest groups, tell me that AIIA provides an opportunity to give something back to an industry they believe in.

One of those volunteers who has truly made a difference is Roy Hill, who leaves the NSW Committee after more than 18 years of service to AIIA. Since 1987, Roy has been involved with a number of AIIA bodies, most particularly with AIIA’s education and training activities.

As Chair of the AIIA's Education and Training Forum for ten years, until elected Chairman of AIIA’s Board of Directors in 1992, I relied on support from key volunteers who really understood the education and skills space.

Roy Hill was one of those people. Roy entered the ICT industry in 1975 as an industrial chemist in private industry. In 1978 he joined NSW TAFE as a teacher of Chemistry and Computing; by 1986 he was a foundation member of the TAFE School of Computing and Information Systems. Today, he is the Faculty Director, Information Technology for TAFE NSW (Hunter Institute), with courses being delivered at 13 campuses for 3,200 students.

Roy’s experience and expertise in the educational arena has been an invaluable resource for many AIIA working groups. During his time with AIIA, Roy has been passionate about developing ICT capability in the NSW Hunter region, and in the education and training opportunities provided to young people in ICT occupations and companies.

Roy was always a person on whom I could rely without question. He proved to be innovative and resourceful, carefully blending TAFE and ICT industry needs. In the mid ‘90s, when the IT Skills Taskforce (as it was called then) was growing in its function and scope, the demand for skills was rising dramatically. Roy worked with me to build the Taskforce and integrated higher and vocational education with industry interests. When success had created the problem of managing the expectations of forum members, we decided to create a strategy group, which I led, and Roy was appointed to lead the National Skills Forum and also provide strategy input.

Roy’s enthusiasm and perseverance made the difference in the difficult world of leading volunteers who are rich in ideas and poor in time. On behalf of everyone at AIIA, I wish to thank Roy for his eighteen years of dedication and service to the Association.

Martin Dare, Chairman of the NSW Committee also says that Roy will be missed. “Each of us who joins AIIA seeks to make a contribution,” Martin told me. “Thanks to Roy's energy and efforts to connect people and issues in the education marketplace, he has left us with a lasting legacy that will support meaningful dialogues and focused progress. He has indeed been a powerful asset for AIIA in NSW.”

Although recognition may not be the primary motivation for volunteering, AIIA is currently developing a volunteers recognition program, which will acknowledge the valuable contributions of the hundreds of people from AIIA member companies who have assisted the Association for more than twenty-five years.

AIIA has engaged with a wide variety of important industry leaders over time, and would like to validate the service, contribution, time and commitment of these volunteers.

In a recent workplace survey, psychologists asked employees, “What makes it worth coming to work every day?” The most frequent answers were: achievement, recognition, and pay (Huseman & Hatfield, 2002). When the findings are applied to volunteers, there are similarities with employees for ‘achievement’ and ‘recognition.’ For volunteers, ‘pay’ may be the benefits of achievement, affiliation, and recognition. However, mostly it’s about giving something back to an industry that empowers all industries.

John Price
Chairman
Australian Information Industry Association

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