Roy Bartlett’s colleagues say you could be forgiven for thinking the 62-year-old is on the payroll at the Auckland charity StarJam.
‘‘Roy’s typical working week involves a minimum of 40 hours at the office, countless hours behind the scenes with trustee work and still more hours ferrying kids to and fro for StarJam workshops and monthly get-togethers,’’ said Liane Clarke, who works with the unpaid volunteer.
Liane said Roy had Multiple Sclerosis but doesn’t let that slow him down at StarJam, an organisation that creates performance and limelight opportunities for young people with disabilities.
As well as managing the charity’s head office, Roy is a regular gig manager and secretary on StarJam’s board of trustees.
‘‘Roy is not just a much-loved member of the StarJam team, he is a well respected member of the not-for-profit community having previously worked for Presbyterian Support, the Alzheimer’s Foundation, Home&Family and the Multiple Sclerosis Society, all in a variety of roles,’’ said Liane.
‘‘Because of Roy’s quiet and unassuming ‘working-in-the-background’
approach, because much of his work is behind the scenes and never seen by our stakeholders, and because StarJam would struggle without his input and support, he truly is an unsung hero.’’
Roy, who is one of the founders of StarJam, said he did what he did for the sheer joy of it and was happy to live on one income — his wife’s.
‘‘The magic of StarJam, how it transforms the lives of young people with disabilities is just mind blowing,” he said.
“I think when you get to my stage in life, if you think you are putting something back into the community that’s making a real difference then that’s a real joy. It gives me pleasure to do it and satisfaction, I’ve just met so many amazing people within the families . . . it’s just an amazing place to be really.’’
Roy said StarJam was recognised in the community section of the 2010 New Zealander of the Year awards. He would never seek recognition for what he did, but if being nominated as an unsung hero generated more publicity for the organisation that would be a bonus.