We’ve news of a few of changes that have taken place at Gig Buddies HQ.
Firstly, we’ve made some alternations to the geographic regions that Bec, Charlotte, Aylin and Lara cover. As outlined by the map above, Bec has now taken on the South Sydney regions (Sutherland Shire, Georges River, Bayside Council and Kogarah). Bec will also continue to cover the City of Sydney, Randwick, Waverly, Randwick, Woollahra, Canada Bay, Inner West and Ryde.
Charlotte’s Northern Beaches portfolio now also includes the regions of Mosman, North Sydney, Willoughby and Lane Cove. Lara will take care of Hawkesbury River Council, City of Penrith, Camden Council, Campbeltown Council, Blue Mountains City Council, Wollondillly Shire and Blacktown, and Aylin will be supporting Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, City of Parramatta, Fairfield, Liverpool, Strathfield, Burwood and Hills Shire Council.
There’s no changes to Matthew’s region, he continues to cover Central Coast, Hornsby and Ku-Ring Gai.
Gig Buddies and the NDIS
And in other Gig Buddies’ news, Chelsea - the project’s NDIS Coordinator - has gone on parental leave.
Lara, our Greater Western Sydney Hub Coordinator, will be overseeing Gig Buddies NDIS related queries in her absence.
Lara will be working closely with Jo, our Service Coordinator. Please note Lara will be working part-time Monday to Thursday, and her hours may vary due to Gig Buddies socials/training/other meetings.
If you have any questions relating to Gig Buddies and the NDIS, your Gig Buddies Service Agreement, or if there have been any changes to your NDIS plan - you can get in touch by emailing lara@assistcom.org or admin@assistcom.org.
Participants can also call our Gig Buddies NDIS mobile number directly on 0412 145 819, or call the Gig Buddies office Monday to Friday during business hours on 02 9419 6951.
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
New for March
For those of you who may have missed the news, we’ve added THREE new social offerings to our March itinerary.
In addition to our already announced outings in Penrith, Gymea, Moore Park, Warnervale and Newtown, you’ll now also find us in Parramatta, Brookvale and Chatswood.
To join us for lunches, dancing, virtual golf, crazy shakes, stand-up comedy, dinners and Camp Rock the Musical, jump on the links below:
In addition to our newly announced trio of gigs, we’ve also made a change to the ‘crazy shakes and lunch’ gathering, taking place at Warnervale.
Originally scheduled to take place on Saturday 15 March, we'll now be catching up one week later on Saturday 22 March. The gathering will run at the same time, midday - 2pm.
Our summer send off
But before we arrive in the first month of autumn, we have the small matter of FOUR remaining February socials to facilitate.
Please note, this Saturday’s intended kayaking catch up in Narrabeen has been cancelled. To join us in Hornsby, the CBD, Macquarie or Oatley however, load up the links above.
And 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.
The seven socials of January
As for what went on during the month of January, we want to say thank you to the 86 of you who joined us either at the art markets, for fish and chips on the beach, at our 35+ catch up, in Chinatown, at one of our two brewery stop offs, and for an evening of delicious deserts.
It was great to connect with buddies in Milsons Point, Avoca Beach, Burwood, Brooklyn, Mona Vale, Merrylands and Kirrawee. To see more snaps from our January catch ups, click here.
Are you in the market for Gig Buddies’ merchandise?
Click on the image above to get your fill on Gig Buddies goodies. If we haven’t got the size you’re after, get in touch via text Facebook Messenger.
Paired and ready to go
It’s great to share news of our latest match.
Welcome aboard, Pippa and Eleni (above, L - R). We look forward to hearing more about their forthcoming catch ups.
Prepped and ready to go
And we’re delighted to welcome SEVEN newly trained volunteers to the fold.
We want to say a huge thanks to Pam (1), Alex (2), Dannis (3), Bea (4), Karen (5), Janine (6) and Roshan (7) for joining us on Zoom recently.
Front and centre
British rock band IDLES were recently in town and buddies John and Nick (below, L - R) were front and centre for their sold out gig at the Horden Pavilion.
Thanks to the generosity of the band - all made possible due to a connection between guitarist Dev and the team at Gig Buddies Wales, we were able to provide John and Nick with free tickets!
Following the gig, Nick had this to say: “John and I had a fantastic time at the IDLES gig. It was my second time seeing the band and John’s first time listening.
A little bit of nerves at first about going too far into the moshpit, but that went away pretty soon. John and I made some friends with some lads from the UK who were soon enough hoisting him on their shoulders above the crowd.
Fantastic night, and John’s first proper rock gig / foray into post punk!”
Team America
Late last year we were contacted by the team from Ability Matters, a disability organisation based in Columbus, Ohio.
Ability Matters is a large organisation who facilitate and support their clients to travel to other countries and experience different cultures - and in 2025 they visited Australia, specifically Sydney.
At the end of January ten Ability Matters’ staff members came out to do a reconnaissance, looking to ensure their clients will have a great time when they come next month.
Bec and I, along with Soul Fly Buddies’ Stavros, went out to dinner with the team, introducing them to the delights of Australian cuisine - especially the chicken parmi!
We had an exchange of t-shirts and many brilliant conversations about the similarities of our two organisations.
They are due back in Sydney next month with around 40 of their clients, and we are hoping to organise a social to enable gig buddies, our volunteers and the Ability Matters team to get to know each other.
We will keep everyone posted when we have more details.
- Carol, Gig Buddies Sydney CEO
"…the perfect way to wrap up the day"
Each and every month we bring you the news and views of those who make up our user-led team, Soul Fly Buddies.
Today we hear from Karen, who tells us more about Pixar Putt and catch ups with Santa.
"I recently had the chance to catch up with my buddy Lisa at Pixar Putt in Gosford just before Christmas, and it was such a fun day! We went with our families to enjoy some Pixar themed mini golf. Each hole had its own unique theme, but the standout was the last one — the "Up" hole, where the ball goes up in the Up house. So cool!
As it was close to Christmas, Santa was there, and the kids absolutely loved it. He even gave them books, which was a nice touch. After the mini golf, we went to a gelato shop for a sweet treat, and it was the perfect way to wrap up the day.
It had been a while since I last caught up with Lisa, so it was really great to spend time together. While Pixar Putt was a bit underwhelming and you’re definitely paying for the Pixar name, the kids had an awesome time, and it was a great day overall."
- Karen, Soul Fly Buddies
Meet the team
And finally, this forthcoming Wednesday (12/2) you’ll find Bec and Tony at the St George volunteer mini expo.
If you’re in the area and would like to know more about who we are and what we do, be sure to head to Hurstville between 10am and midday.
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: Project officer, Sydney (0411 252 228)
Aylin: Western Sydney coordinator (0466 389 961)
Lara: Greater Western Sydney coordinator (0478 045 121) Charlotte: Northern Beaches coordinator (0403 184 404)
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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