As it’s the last Monday of the month, it’s time to open our vault and hear from another of our volunteers.
For March’s testimony we hear from Jack (below left), who tells us more about his pairing with buddy Kade (below right).
- How long have you been volunteering with Gig Buddies?
I’ve been with Gig Buddies for about 1.5 years. Kade and I started hanging out in November 2022.
- Is Gig Buddies your first volunteering role?
It is! But doing some kind of volunteer work had been on my radar for a while before Gig Buddies.
- Why do you volunteer with Gig Buddies?
I liked the way Gig Buddies paired buddies up.
On the website, there were anonymous profiles of people who were looking for buddies, and there was such a wide range of age groups and interests. There were people in there early 20s, and people in their 40s. Some people wanted to go on relaxing bush walks, others wanted to go clubbing. I thought that was such a cool way to get people involved.
- How would you describe your volunteering experience with Gig Buddies?
It’s hard to keep this one short, but it’s been an absolute joy. Kade is just a legend, he loves a laugh, he’s up for anything, and we can chat about anything and everything. The Central Coast Gig Buddies team and community are brilliant too.
- Tell us about some of the highlights from your time volunteering with Gig Buddies?
I think the best thing Kade and I went to do was Treetops in Ourimbah. It’s a ropes course with a bunch of different difficulty levels. We started out on the easiest one and worked our way up. Once we got to the intermediate course we realised towards the end that we might’ve bitten off more than we could chew, but we made it in the end!
Another highlight was having Kade and his dad along to my engagement party. It was really great being able to introduce some of my nearest and dearest to a mate I’d been going on all these fun new adventures with.
- What would you say to someone reading this who is thinking about volunteering with Gig Buddies?
It’s an easy way to do something good in the world. When I started, I was honestly worried that the things I was interested in would be too boring for Kade (he likes to hit the clubs, whereas I’m a homebody!). But at the end of the day, it’s about spending quality time with a new friend.
On some weekends, Kade and I have done some really exciting stuff. On others, we’ve just watched the footy at home or gone for a pub feed. That’s what’s great about Gig Buddies, the two of you decide how you want to do things, so it always ends up being a good time.
"…. it’s about spending quality time with a new friend"
Thank you, Jack, for taking the time to share your words.
Both he and Kade are a perfect example of what Gig Buddies is all about.
"I thought that was such a cool way to get people involved"
We’re always looking for more people like Jack. If you would like to volunteer with us, look no further: to sign up with our Sydney project click here, and jump on this link to get involved on the Central Coast.
And to find out more about our current openings, click on the 'volunteers wanted' images below.
Are you looking to volunteer?
We need volunteers! Click on the image above for current Sydney roles and the graphic below for opportunities on the Central Coast.
If you have any questions or would like more information, contact us via Facebook or email: info@gigbuddiessydney.org
Happy birthday to us!
Our 9th birthday is only a matter of weeks away.
As a reminder, on Thursday 2 May we’re heading to North Sydney’s Greenwood Hotel - taking over the Chapel and partying from 7 - 10pm.
Tickets are selling fast! Whether you’re based in Sydney or on the Central Coast, we invite you to dust off those dancing shoes and party with us.
Tickets to our birthday cost $40 per person and include food, live music, lucky door prizes and much more.
To book your ticket, click here.
Join us in May
In addition to our birthday bash, we’ve two other events scheduled to take place in the month of May.
We invite buddies to join us in Greater Western Sydney and the Central Coast for two foodie outings.
Firstly, on Saturday 18 May you’ll find us in Gregory Hills for burgers, shakes and street art. Then later in the month, on Wednesday 29 May, we head to Long Jetty for a catch up over some Aussie pub grub.
To sign up for either gig, jump on the links below:
Seven heaven
But before we get to May, we have the small matter of SEVEN April socials to facilitate as we connect with buddies in Campbelltown, Newtown, Castle Hill, Hornsby, Chatswood, Burwood and Helensburgh.
Tickets are selling fast! To join us for movies, laser tag, pickle ball, trivia, pub dinners, a mini-festival or our a trip to Symbio Wildlife Park, load up the links below.
Please note, our pub lunch in Clovelly has now sold out.
If you have 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.
Doubling up
We’ve been busy in the past week, facilitating two online training sessions and confirming another match.
Firstly, we’re delighted to welcome Lola and Alyssa (below, L - R) to Gig Buddies.
We look forward to hearing about their forthcoming catch ups.
Prepped and ready to go
And we’re equally as happy to introduce our latest batch of trained volunteers.
It was great to connect with Rosie (1), Georgia (2), Michael (3), Michele (4), Tom (5), plus Georgina (not pictured). Thank you for joining us on Zoom last week.
Spice buddies
And to round off the week, we caught up with buddies in Chippendale.
Last Thursday (21/3) a bunch of us heading to Spice Alley, spending the night sampling Thai, Singaporean, Malaysian and Cantonese food offerings.
To see more snaps, click here.
Radio ga ga
Our very own CEO, Carol, took the airways this week - appearing as part of The Expanding World Podcast.
Chatting with host Debra Caldow, Carol spoke about who we are and what we do as a project.
Depending on your podcast platform of choice, you can listen to the interview via Spotify or Apple Podcasts by clicking on either link.
Out of office
And lastly, the newsletter will be taking a break next week.
We’ll return after the Easter holidays, on Monday 8 April.
Matthew: Central Coast coordinator (0402 708 814)
Carol: CEO (02 9419 6951)
Chelsea: NDIS coordinator (0412 145 819)
Tony: Funding and sponsorship coordinator (02 9419 6951)
Bec: Sydney coordinator (0411 252 228)
Aylin: Western Sydney coordinator (0466 389 961)
Lara: Greater Western Sydney coordinator (0478 045 121)
Sandon: Southern Sydney coordinator (0478 043 996)
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.
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