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Explore our current volunteer roles below and |
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Supporting our Rehoming Centres and Community Vet Clinics means being part of the team that cares for animals when they need us most. Whether providing daily enrichment, assisting with cleaning and feeding, supporting clinic teams behind the scenes, or helping animals feel safe and loved, volunteers are essential to every step of an animal’s journey toward a brighter future. These roles are perfect for people who want to make a hands-on difference. From caring for cats, dogs, and small animals to supporting our clinic teams with vital preparation, hygiene, and equipment tasks, every shift helps improve wellbeing, reduce stress, and give animals the best chance of finding their forever home. When you volunteer with us, you become part of a compassionate, committed community working together to transform the lives of thousands of animals every year. |
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Do you love cats and want to make a real difference? As an Animal Attendant, you will play a vital role in the daily care, enrichment and wellbeing of cats waiting for their forever homes. Working alongside our dedicated staff, you will help with feeding, cleaning, laundry, enrichment, and giving our cats the love and attention they deserve. This is a hands-on role and best suited to volunteers who are:
By joining our Cat Team, you’ll not only learn valuable animal care skills but also experience the reward of helping cats feel safe, healthy, and loved while they wait for adoption. 📍 Available Locations: Gold Coast, Ipswich, Warra (Bracken Ridge), Willawong
Your time and care will directly improve the lives of cats in need and support AWLQ’s mission to create a brighter future for every companion animal. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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Are you passionate about dogs and ready to roll up your sleeves to help them find their forever homes? As a Volunteer in the Dog Team, you will support AWLQ with feeding, cleaning, enrichment, and exercise; ensuring every dog receives the care, comfort, and love they deserve. This is a physical, hands-on role that includes cleaning kennels, walking and interacting with dogs, preparing food and bedding, handling laundry, and maintaining the cleanliness of the rehoming areas. Hygiene and safety are critical, and all volunteers follow strict protocols to keep our animals healthy and happy. We are looking for volunteers who are:
📍 Available Locations: Gold Coast, Beenleigh, Ipswich, Warra (Bracken Ridge), Willawong
Please note: Volunteers at Beenleigh must be particularly confident with large, boisterous dogs and follow staff direction at all times. 🐕 Your time, energy, and compassion will make a direct impact on the lives of dogs waiting for their second chance. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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Are you gentle, patient, and passionate about caring for our tiniest furry friends? As a Small Animal Team Attendant, you will play an important role in ensuring our guinea pigs and rats receive the highest standard of daily care, comfort, and enrichment while waiting for their forever homes. You will help clean and refresh enclosures, prepare nutritious meals, provide enrichment, and handle animals with care during feeding, cleaning, or the occasional medicated bath. You will also help maintain a tidy and hygienic environment, keeping our small animal areas clean, organised, and welcoming. We are looking for people who are:
📍 Location: Gold Coast Rehoming Centre This role is ideal for animal lovers who enjoy hands-on work and want to make a positive impact in the lives of our smaller residents. Every clean enclosure, every meal prepared, and every gentle interaction helps them feel safe and loved until they find their new homes. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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Do you enjoy being on the road and want to make a real difference for animals in need? As a Driver, you will help AWLQ by transporting animals, supplies, and donations between our Rehoming Centres, Community Vet Clinics, and other locations across South East Queensland. You will ensure animals and essential items get where they need to be, safely and on time. Tasks may include picking up and dropping off animals, moving donated goods or clinic supplies, and assisting with other transport needs as requested. We are looking for volunteers who are:
📍 Available Locations: Gold Coast, Beenleigh, Ipswich, Warra (Bracken Ridge), Willawong Whether you’re driving animals to safety or delivering much-needed supplies, every trip you take helps create brighter futures for animals in our care. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
Do you enjoy connecting with people and being part of something meaningful? As an Event Team Member Volunteer, you will help support AWLQ’s lifesaving work by representing the organisation at community events across the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Ipswich regions.
This role is social, active and varied, involving supporting AWLQ staff at community events such as markets, expos and activations. Tasks may include setting up and packing down event equipment, assisting with displays and merchandise, engaging with members of the public, sharing information about AWLQ programs, and helping create a positive and welcoming presence at events.
We are looking for volunteers who are:
📍 Locations: Gold Coast, Brisbane and Ipswich regions
💛 Commitment: Flexible, on-call availability
🕒 Shifts: Events may occur any day or time, with shifts typically ranging from 2–6 hours
By volunteering at events, you’ll help raise awareness of AWLQ’s programs, connect with the community, and support fundraising efforts that directly benefit animals in need.
Please ensure you read the full volunteer guidelines to confirm the role aligns with your availability, physical capacity and interests.
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Do you enjoy working outdoors and keeping things neat and tidy? As a Grounds and Garden Maintenance Attendant, you will help maintain the gardens and outdoor spaces at AWLQ’s Rehoming Centres, creating a welcoming environment for visitors, staff, and the animals in our care. Your day might include tasks such as mowing, weeding, planting, sweeping, raking, watering, and general yard maintenance. Depending on the centre’s needs, you may also assist with basic handyman tasks, bin management, or helping the team with other small maintenance duties. We are looking for volunteers who are:
📍 Available Locations: Gold Coast, Beenleigh, Ipswich, Warra (Bracken Ridge) 🌱 Your work keeps our centres running smoothly and ensures every animal and visitor is welcomed into a clean, safe, and caring environment. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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Are you organised, hands-on, and passionate about helping animals behind the scenes? As a member of our Vehicle Care Team, you will support AWLQ by keeping our fleet of vehicles clean, presentable, and road-ready. Your efforts ensure our vans, utes, and cars are ready to safely transport animals, staff, and essential supplies, directly supporting our lifesaving work. This practical role involves washing and vacuuming vehicles, sanitising transport crates, performing basic checks, and reporting any maintenance concerns. You will be part of a supportive team and a wider community of animal lovers, helping AWLQ maintain a professional and safe environment for the animals in our care. We are looking for people who are:
📍 Location: Gold Coast Rehoming Centre This role is ideal for someone who enjoys active, practical work, takes pride in keeping things clean and organised, and wants to contribute directly to AWLQ’s mission of creating brighter futures for companion animals in need. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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Our laundry team plays a vital role in keeping our animals comfortable, healthy, and happy! As a Linen and Laundry Attendant, you will help ensure our Rehoming Centres are always stocked with fresh, clean bedding and linen. You will assist with washing, drying, sorting, and distributing linen throughout the centre, as well as helping to prepare and package supplies for other AWLQ locations. Tasks include hanging washing, folding and cutting bedding to size, and sorting donated items for reuse. You will be a great fit if you:
📍 Available Locations: Gold Coast, Ipswich
Please note: that while this role does not require direct animal handling, it does involve contact with animal bedding and environments. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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Do you enjoy practical, hands-on work and staying organised behind the scenes? In this role, you will support AWLQ’s Rehoming Centre by helping process, sort and distribute donated goods that directly support the care of animals on site. This role involves working in the donation shed to sort and organise items donated by the community. Tasks may include distributing clean linen to different areas of the Rehoming Centre, cutting bedding into appropriate sizes, sorting food, toys and equipment, organising items for transport to other centres, and assisting with rubbish management and disposal. Your work helps ensure teams have the supplies they need to care for animals every day. We are looking for volunteers who are:
📍 Location: Warra Rehoming Centre (Bracken Ridge) Every donation sorted and distributed helps improve the comfort and wellbeing of animals in our care and supports the smooth operation of the Rehoming Centre. Please ensure you read the full volunteer guidelines to confirm the role aligns with your experience, physical capacity and availability. |
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Are you passionate about animal care and keen to gain hands-on experience in a fast-paced veterinary clinic environment? This role is perfect for dedicated animal lovers, including those interested in pursuing a future career as a Vet Nurse or Animal Attendant, who want to make a direct impact in the daily care of animals in need. As a Kennel Hand Assistant, you will work alongside our experienced Vets, Nurses, and Kennel Hands, helping with the daily care and cleaning of patients, maintaining hygiene standards, preparing food, and ensuring each animal receives the care and comfort they deserve. Your day might include:
This is a physically active role requiring attention to detail, teamwork, and adherence to strict hygiene and safety protocols. 📍 Available Locations: Gold Coast (Coombabah), Ipswich (West Ipswich), Warra (Bracken Ridge)
Please note that this is a volunteer role only and is not available for study credits. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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Are you passionate about animal care and want to make a hands-on difference in a veterinary clinic environment? As a Kennel Hand Assistant, you will support our Community Vet Clinic team by helping care for animals during their stay and keeping the clinic clean, organised, and safe. Working alongside experienced vets and nurses, you will assist with feeding, cleaning pens, refreshing bedding and water, laundry, waste management, and general clinic maintenance. Hygiene and safety are essential, and you will follow strict protocols to ensure every animal receives high-quality care in a clean, calm environment. We are looking for volunteers who are:
📍 Available Locations: Gold Coast (Coombabah) & Brisbane (Daisy Hill)
This role is perfect for volunteers who enjoy hands-on work, thrive in a team environment, and want to help ensure every patient receives the care and comfort they deserve. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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Are you organised, focused, and passionate about supporting animal healthcare behind the scenes? As a Sterilisation Assistant, you will work alongside our veterinary team to ensure our surgical areas are fully equipped, clean, and ready for lifesaving procedures. This hands-on role involves restocking supplies, cleaning consultation rooms, preparing surgical kits, and sterilising instruments used in theatre. You will play an essential part in maintaining the smooth operation of our clinic, supporting our team to provide safe, high-quality care for every patient. We’re looking for people who are:
📍 Location: Gold Coast Community Vet Clinic (Coombabah) This role is ideal for someone who enjoys structured, process-driven tasks and wants to gain valuable experience in a veterinary clinic setting. Your attention to detail and care will directly support our veterinary team in providing the best outcomes for animals in need. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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Do you enjoy helping people and creating a welcoming first impression? As a Reception Assistant at our Community Vet Clinic, you will support clients, animals and veterinary staff by providing friendly, organised and compassionate front-of-house support. This role is customer-facing and involves greeting clients, checking in appointments, assisting with basic enquiries, helping maintain the waiting area, restocking shelves, and supporting the reception team during busy clinic periods. You will play an important role in helping clients and their pets feel supported and cared for. We are looking for volunteers who are:
📍 Location: Gold Coast Community Vet Clinic – Coombabah Your support helps our clinic deliver accessible veterinary care to the community while creating a positive experience for clients and their animals. Please ensure you read the full volunteer guidelines to confirm the role aligns with your skills, availability and interests. |
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Are you tech-savvy, organised, and eager to support lifesaving work behind the scenes? As a Technology and Computer IT Support Assistant, you will work alongside our Technical Development Manager to ensure our IT systems and equipment are maintained, reliable, and ready to support AWLQ’s operations. This hands-on role involves maintaining and repairing PCs, building and configuring desktop computers, performing basic troubleshooting and hardware replacements, and assisting staff with IT-related issues. You will play an essential part in keeping our technology running smoothly, helping our team focus on providing care and support for animals in need. We are looking for people who are:
📍 Location: AWLQ Gold Coast Head Office / Rehoming Centres This role is ideal for someone who enjoys hands-on technical work, problem-solving, and making a tangible difference in the daily operations of a busy, animal-focused organisation. Please ensure you read the full position description to confirm you meet all requirements and feel confident the role aligns with your interests. |
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AWLQ is a leading not-for-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of companion animals and the people who love them. Since 1959, we have worked to reunite lost pets, rehome animals in need, and provide affordable veterinary care through our community vet clinics. Guided by our values of integrity, innovation, optimism and compassion, we proudly operate with an “open admission” philosophy, never turning away a healthy, sociable or treatable animal. Our nationally recognised Getting to Zero model has helped reduce euthanasia rates and continues to set the benchmark for ethical, humane rehoming practices in Australia. With the dedication of our staff, volunteers and supporters, we strive every day toward a future where every companion animal is safe, valued and given the chance to thrive. |
