Over the course of the weekend we posted a number of cryptic clues about our mystery event in May.
For those of you who joined the dots and worked it out, we are pumped to reveal plans for our belated 6th birthday.
We’ll be taking over the iconic Cockatoo Island on Thursday 20 May. Come join your fellow buddies and help us blow out the candles on our birthday cake!
After going so long without dancing, we can’t wait to come together once again - partying with Sydney Harbour as our backdrop. The event runs from 6-9pm and tickets cost $36 per person.
For more information about the event, and to purchase your ticket, click here.
Please note, tickets will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. We have room for 150 attendees and we’re unable to increase our booking.
The ticket price covers food only. Attendees are required to pay for their own drinks and transport (partygoers can use their Opal Cards to cover the return ferry cost from Circular Quay to Cockatoo Island).
If you have any questions or would like more information about our birthday celebrations, send us an email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org, get in touch on Facebook Messenger or contact us via text or on the phone on 0422 061 990.
Keep bowlin’, bowlin’, bowlin’
On the subject of gigs, this forthcoming Saturday (8/5) we’re off to Manly for a spot of lawn bowls.
Come join your fellow buddies as we remove our shoes for a spot of bare foot bowling. Things get going at 4pm and we’ll be sticking around afterwards for a bite to eat.
We only have a handful of tickets left. They cost $16.50 each and are available by clicking here.
Our other May events, the silent disco at Scary Canary and the Cronulla to Bundeena ferry and lunch outing, have now sold out.
The week that was
Thanks to everyone who joined us last week at our music bingo and pub trivia events.
It was great catching up with buddies at the city’s Side Bar and at Castle Hil RSL - and well done to our champions on the night: Andrew was our music bingo victor, while Chelsea, Nick, Yasmin and ‘lucky draw’ winners Jack, Callum, Anushka, Kirstee, Donna, Emma, Bevan and Vishal took home honours at the pub trivia.
To see a full photo gallery from both outings, click here.
May the 4th be with you
For this week’s online offering we invite buddies to join us on Zoom for ‘talk the talk’.
In honour of this week’s May 4th we’re running with a Star Wars theme.
Come join your fellow buddies at 4pm on Friday and tell us about your love for Star Wars. You can talk about your number one character, a particular movie from the franchise or a favourite scene - the options are endless. We actively encourage attendees to bring along videos, photos, costumes, figurines or anything that brings a smile.
To register for the event, click on the item below:
Friday 7 May
- 4pm: Gig Buddies ‘talk the talk’
We’re a week ahead of you
For those who may have forgotten, here’s a little reminder: this Sunday (9/5) is Mother’s Day.
To mark the occasion we’re hosting a ‘bring your mum to Zoom’ online event, scheduled to take place next Monday (10/5) at 7:30pm.
We’re inviting buddies to join us on Zoom as we want to celebrate the role mum’s play. Come introduce your mum to the Gig Buddies group and tell us what she means to you (if mum can’t make it come and share a story about ‘mother dearest’).
To register for the event, click on the item below:
Monday 10 May
All online games will take place via Zoom. For information on how to use Zoom, load up the following easy read guide written by Learning Disability Wales. Alternatively, click here to check out our 'how to use Zoom' video.
If you have any questions or would like more information, send us an email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org or info@gigbuddiescentralcoast.org or call/SMS us on 0402 708 814.
Four more to the team
Say hello to our newest matches.
We’re delighted to welcome to the family Cleo and Amy (top left, L - R), Jasmine and Christine (top right, L - R), Rich and Marcel (bottom left, L - R) and Jenna and Matt (bottom right, L - R). We look forward to hearing about their forthcoming adventures.
A trio of newbies
We’re also excited to match up our latest batch of trained up volunteers.
Thanks to Nathan (top), Laura (middle) and Kate (bottom) for coming in last week.
National volunteer week
National Volunteer Week is almost upon us and to celebrate this year we’re calling on Sydney-based buddies to help inspire those located on the Central Coast.
As you may know, we recently launched Gig Buddies Central Coast.
We’re excited to connect with buddies and volunteers within the region - and to mark National Volunteer Week we’re calling on our Sydney-based buddies and volunteers to share your stories, quotes and photos. We’ve written five questions, all intended for you to talk about your experiences with Gig Buddies.
The plan is to share your clips via our social media channels during National Volunteer Week, Monday 17 May to Friday 21 May. This means we’d need to receive videos before Monday 10 May.
If you would like to share your stories and inspire buddies based on the Central Coast, please get in touch: you can send us an email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org, connect with Gig Buddies staff via Facebook or call/SMS us on 0402 708 814.
The National Disability Employment Strategy
As lastly, for buddies who have experienced disadvantage while looking for work, we bring to your attention a government proposal.
The Australian Government is developing a National Disability Employment Strategy to address the disadvantage experienced by people with disability looking for work.
The Employment Strategy will be a ten-year commitment to improve the employment outcomes for people with disability, and supporting more jobseekers with disability into long‑term, meaningful employment.
Through the Employment Strategy, the Government is looking to make meaningful changes to the way supports to jobseekers with disability are delivered, and empower employers to confidently recruit people with disability.
To inform the development of the Employment Strategy, the Government is seeking your feedback and ideas on how meaningful change can be achieved.
A consultation paper has been published, outlining the proposed vision and priority areas, key findings and suggested actions.
Everyone is invited to have their say – whether you are a person living with disability, carer, service provider, teacher, career counsellor, employer or member of the community – everyone’s voice matters!
For more information, including how to make a submission, visit the consultation website at DSS Engage and you can read the consultation paper by clicking here.
Matthew, Carol, Tony, Bec and Chelsea
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.
