Wow! We certainly felt the love last Thursday - thank you to everyone who partied with us as we celebrated our 7th birthday.
Over 150 buddies joined us at the Shark Bar for our birthday bash - making it our biggest ever event.
We packed out the top floor of the venue, rocking to the sounds of Life After Football, followed by a 70s and 80s dance take-over.
For those of you who want to relive the evening again, a recording of both DJ sets is available here. Additionally, to see more photos from our birthday celebrations at the Shark Bar, click here.
Get your merch
Many of those who partied with us at the Shark Bar took the opportunity to snap up some of our newly released branded t-shirts and tea towels.
For those of you who missed out, we bring good news: limited stock of our new merchandise is now available to buy via our website.
To purchase your Gig Buddies branded t-shirt, tea towel or socks click here. And if you miss out or if your size is not available, let us know via email. We can be contacted on: info@gigbuddiessydney.org
Rugby under lights
Our Gig Buddies social catch ups have continued. Last Saturday we headed to Leichhardt Oval for the Super Rugby clash between NSW Waratahs and Auckland Blues.
Carol, who was also in attendance, shared the following write up:
“A small group of buddies joined me on Saturday night to watch the NSW Waratahs take on the Super Rugby title favourites, the Auckland Blues at Leichhardt Oval.
The first half was pretty ordinary with lots of errors from both sides. The second half was more exciting with the game ending in a drop goal and a win to the Blues!
This game was a first time the project has attended a union game; we plan to attend more so stay tuned rugby fans
Thanks to Nina, Karen, Jack and Harry for coming along."
- Carol
SMACS Fest
Looking a little further ahead, tickets are still available for our June socials.
Firstly, on Friday 10 June we’ll be front and centre at Sydney’s Oxford Art Factory, experiencing the best of FBi Radio’s annual SMACS Fest.
On the night buddies will hear from Rainbow Chan, Tasman Keith, Shady Nasty - plus a number of other local and international artists.
A Gig Buddies staff member will also be in attendance, should your buddy be unable to make it. Attendees can snap up tickets for the bargain price of $25 (plus $1 booking fee).
For more information about our appearance at FBi Radio’s SMACS Fest, including how to purchase your discounted ticket, load up the link below:
Other June dates
And a little later in the month we head to The Juniors Kingsford for Harry Potter trivia (Wednesday 15 June), followed shortly after with our first ever visit to Supanova Comic Con & Gaming (Sunday 19 June).
To reserve your place (and to find out more information about each event), load up the links below:
If you have any questions about any of our forthcoming events, get in touch: we can be reached via Facebook Messenger, email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org or via text or phone call on 0411 252 228.
Who we are, what we do
Thank you to everyone who stopped by our display at last Wednesday’s Central Coast Volunteer Expo.
Chelsea and I fielded questions from potential buddies and volunteers, informing attendees all about who we are and what we do.
During the event Gig Buddies Central Coast also picked up a ‘highly commended’ volunteer team of the year award.
The reward is in recognition of all our wonderful volunteers who reside on the Coast and have given their time in helping us tackle social isolation.
In line with this year’s Expo, we’re always looking for more buddies and volunteers. If you live on the Coast and would like to attend events with someone who’s not a support worker or family member, click here. Additionally, if you’re interested in volunteering and helping someone make new friends, load up this link.
Four more
This past week saw us confirm another four matches.
It’s wonderful to welcome Nick and James (top, L - R), Ranya and Sophie (left, L - R), James and Alex (right, L - R) and Gillian and Becky (bottom, L - R) to the Gig Buddies family.
Let there be light!
Vivid Sydney is back! After a two year enforced break, the sounds and light festival made a welcome return last Friday (27/5).
And in more good news, thanks to the generosity of event organisers and the Sydney Opera House, buddies can purchase discounted tickets to the following gigs:
- RVG: Monday 30 May @ Sydney Opera House, Studio. 8pm start (duration of show yet to be confirmed). General admission, standing only. Standard ticket price: $34. Gig Buddies price: $20 (plus $8.50 booking fee per transaction).
Event information: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/vivid-live/2022/rvg.html
- Skeleten: Wednesday 1 June @ Sydney Opera House, Studio. 8 - 10pm. General admission, standing only. Standard ticket: $34. Gig Buddies price: $20 (plus $8.50 booking fee per transaction).
Event information: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/vivid-live/2022/skeleten-utopian-sound.html
- Astral People: Friday 3 June @ Sydney Opera House, Northern Broadwalk (outdoors). 5 - 10pm. General admission, standing only. Standard ticket: $89. Gig Buddies price: $30 (plus $8.50 booking fee per transaction).
Event information: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/vivid-live/2022/astral-people-10-1-birthday.html
- Miiesha: Friday 3 June @ Sydney Opera House, Utzon Room. 7 - 8pm. Unreserved seating. Standard ticket price: $34. Gig Buddies price: $20 (plus $8.50 booking fee per transaction).
- TEEKS: Monday 13 June @ Sydney Opera House, Joan Sutherland Theatre. 8 - 9:30pm. Reserve seating. Standard ticket price: $39. Gig Buddies price: $20 (plus $8.50 booking fee per transaction).
Event information: https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/events/whats-on/vivid-live/2022/teeks.html
To take advantage of the discounted prices, email the team with the name of the event you’d like to attend. We can be reached at: info@gigbuddiessydney.org. We’ll then forward a unique ticket link.
Please note, the reduced rate only applies for Gig Buddies’ participants. Whether you’re based in Sydney or on the Central Coast, all fully signed up buddies and volunteers are welcome to purchase discounted tickets.
Once again, we are indebted to the generosity of Vivid Sydney organisers and the Sydney Opera House. Thank you for your ongoing support and for providing participants with the opportunity to sample some of the best live music at this year’s event.
COVID-19 Vaccinations
Thanks to all of our fantastic volunteers who have sent through an updated version of their vaccination certificate. We really appreciate you doing this so quickly.
If you haven’t done this yet, it’s important that you send the latest copy of your vaccination certificate to Chelsea ASAP. The certificate must show the dates on which you have received all THREE doses of the COVID vaccine.
You can access your vaccination certificate through your Medicare or MyGov account. Please send this certificate to chelsea@assistcom.org or via text/Whatsapp it to 0412 145 819.
The Public Health Order (PHO), mandated by NSW Health, was recently updated to mandate that all workers/volunteers within the disability sector must receive their third COVID-19 booster shot if they are to continue working/volunteering.
The deadline for all volunteers to have their 3rd COVID Booster vaccination is 1st June 2022.
Please get in touch with us if you have any questions or concerns about this. Alternatively, for more information from NSW Health load up the following link.
IMPORTANT COVID-19 Isolation Update
As you may have recently heard, NSW Health announced changes to the isolation requirements for individuals who are deemed household or close contacts of people confirmed to have COVID-19. However, please be advised that the updated self isolation advice for household and close contacts does not apply to people visiting or working/volunteering in the disability sector.
Gig Buddies and our parent organisation, ACL Disability Services, adhere to the guidelines applicable to the disability service sector. You can find more detail about these guidelines here.
In short, if you are a household or close contact of a person with a confirmed COVID-19 positive test, as per NSW Health we strongly recommend you to exercise caution.
We advise that you do not meet up with your buddy in a face-to-face setting for at least seven days. We also recommend the use of masks and hand sanitiser following this period, and potentially looking to facilitate catch-ups in outdoor, minimally-crowded areas to avoid potential transmission.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: we can be reached on 02 9419 6951 or via email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org
Matthew, Carol, Tony, Bec, Chelsea, Xena and Aylin
Would you like more information about Gig BuddiesSydney? You’re only a click away. Connect with us via the links below.
Fancy revelling in legendary status? If so, please support us in our cause to get more people out to live events in Sydney.
Donations over $2 are tax deductible and all are gratefully received.
The Gig Buddies Sydney project is an initiative of ACL Disability Services.
