Allison Lane was recently awarded an Honorary Life Membership with RSPCA NSW in recognition of her incredible volunteering efforts over the past three decades.
In October 2026, some 34 years after first becoming a volunteer with RSPCA NSW, Allison was surprised with the honour at our 2026 Member and Volunteer Conference.
“It was very unexpected. To start off the conference with that just blew me away,” Allison said.
“After being involved with the RSPCA for so long, it’s a real honour, and I’m very proud of it.”
Allison’s three decades of service started after an ad in the local newspaper caught her eye.
“It was about 34 years ago. There was an ad on the front of the local Inverell Times with the then President reaching out for volunteers. There was a photo of him with this beautiful big dog with its paws up on his shoulder, and I thought maybe that’s something I could get involved in,” she said.
“At the first meeting I went to, they said the treasurer was resigning, and by the next meeting I’d become the treasurer. I’ve been treasurer ever since.
“I’m told I’m the longest-serving treasurer in the history of the RSPCA – that’s a bit scary!
“No one has come along and said, ‘I’d like to do that, I’ll do it now.’ So, every year I fill in the form to say I want to continue for another year.”
Allison receiving her Honorary Life Membership.
With a background in finance, the role of treasurer at the Inverell Branch was perfect for Allison as she ensures every cent raised is maximised for animals and people in the local community.
Allison prides herself on leading the way when it comes to fundraising events and relishes the chance to bring people and their pets together for a meaningful cause.
“I’m a bit of an instigator when it comes to fundraising. You always need someone to be the organiser and get the ball rolling. I have lots of people helping, but they don’t want to be the one to organise it all,” Allison said.
“I used to say to them all, if we’re going to do all this fundraising, we’ve got to have fun doing it.
“We had a clothing collective a few years ago, a pop-up shop with donated clothing, just down the street for a couple of weeks. That was so much fun.
“We’re mainly focusing on the desexing programs now. But you name it, we’ve had it: lamington drives, garage sales, and we still do the Cadbury chocolate fundraiser, Cupcake Days and Doggy Day Outs.
“I was born and raised in Inverell, so everybody knows me pretty well. When we say we’re going to have something, people from the community come and support us.
“They’re amazing. You just need a leader to start it off and organise it, and then people come from everywhere to help.”
Allison with her Inverell Branch team.
Now an RSPCA NSW life member, Allison is hoping a new generation of volunteers will soon consider coming on board and help out in Inverell and beyond.
“I’d like to see more members and volunteers carry on. All the charities are screaming out for volunteers,” she said.
“The RSPCA has been going for over 150 years, and I’d like to think it continues, especially here in Inverell. It’s such a rewarding charity to be involved in, and everybody loves animals.
“I’ll certainly keep going as long as I can.”
Allison helping out at a People & Pets Day
