Six months have been and gone - it’s time to say bye to Harri.
Last week we said hello to Harri’s replacement, Chelsea, and today we bid farewell to our inaugural NDIS Coordinator (below), who’s returning to the UK.
Harri’s final day with us is this Wednesday (27/11). Before she leaves us, she had this to say:
Hey Gig Buddies!
Wow, what a brilliant six months this has been as the Gig Buddies NDIS coordinator. Having worked for Gig Buddies in the UK and in Australia, it’s clear that adults with learning disabilities/autism are awesome at partying no matter where they are in the world!
On a serious note though – working with the team to transition the organisation to a funding model which utilises the NDIS has been challenging but incredibly rewarding. Through paying using NDIS to make Gig Buddies Sydney a sustainable project, the ‘fight for the right to party’ can continue.
The Gig Buddies Sydney community is doing an amazing job at ending old fashioned ideas of what having a learning disability/autism means to someone’s social life and I look forward to seeing where Gig Buddies Sydney will be going in the future!
Thank you for all the fun times – stay awesome!
Harri
We wish Harri all the best with her future endeavours and we hope she enjoys taking in some of the sights of Australia before returning to the UK in time for Christmas.
Extra! Extra! Read all about it
For those who may have missed the news, buddies David and Will (below, L - R) made a splash on the ABC this weekend.
Talking about impact of loneliness, they detailed their involvement with Gig Buddies Sydney - discussing their friendship and the way the project plays a role in tackling social isolaiton.
You can read more about Will and David’s interview by clicking here, listen to their words by loading up this link, or watch a clip or the two.
All trained up and ready to go
In other news, we’d like to say thanks to Marina, Laura, Kyle, Alex, Adrian and Archie (below, L - R) - our newly trained batch of volunteers.
Welcome to the the Gig Buddies Sydney family, we’re looking forward to introducing you to your respective buddies.
Ho, ho, ho
Last week we revealed we’ve increased our allocation of Christmas party tickets.
Our Christmas party takes place on Saturday 7 December at Bristol Arms Hotel, and we’re down to the final few tickets. If you’d like to join us at our last social for 2019, click here.
More men for Movember
And lastly, as we head into the last week of Movember, we make one final appeal to recruit more male volunteers.
To date we have signed up 10 male volunteers - thanks to those who have joined us in helping tackle social isolation.
But we’re always looking for more. If you’d like to be like one of the lads pictured above (snapped at last season’s Big Bash match between Sydney Thunder and Adelaide Strikers, one of our very first social events for 2019), click here to head to our online application form.
Matthew Collins
Gig Buddies Sydney Community Engagement Coordinator
matt@assistcom.org
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.
