Calling all buddies, we’re asking you to ‘save the date’.
We appreciate people have busy schedules, especially around the festive period. Therefore, we’re requesting buddies to set aside the evening of Thursday 21 November.
More details on our Christmas catch up will be announced in due course.
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
Roll up, roll up
Our August catch ups are up and running.
Between now and the end of the month we’ll be connecting with buddies in Erina, North Sydney, Five Dock, Penrith, Auburn and Manly.
Of our remaining SIX socials, three are taking place this week: on Thursday (15/8) we head to Erina on the Central Coast for a movie night - details of which have been updated in the shop. On the same night our 40+ cohort are meeting up in North Sydney, and on Sunday (18/8) we’ll be catching up in Five Dock for the Ferragosto Festival.
To sign up for any of our August outings, click on the links below:
The September switcheroo
And looking a little further ahead, in September Gig Buddies’ staff will be taking to the road and connecting with buddies in the CBD, Coogee, Rhodes, Campbelltown, Cronulla, Avalon Beach, Gosford and Kellyville Ridge.
Our ‘September switcheroo’, where the majority of our gatherings will be hosted by a different Gig Buddies’ hub coordinator, include outings to The Archibald exhibition, a fish and chips catch up, lunch offerings and lots of live music.
To join sign up (and to find out which Gig Buddies’ staff member is hosting), load up the links below.
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.
Changes within
As mentioned in our August flyer above, we’ve made some changes to a couple of catch ups taking place this week.
Firstly, for this week’s movie gathering in Erina, Hoyts will be revealing their Thursday schedule tomorrow night (Tuesday 13/8).
Our plan is to find a film that starts at around 7pm (we’ll be meeting between 6 - 7pm). We’re currently encouraging would-be attendees to sign up using the link above. A text will then go out on Wednesday (14/8) to all registered attendees with confirmed details for the gathering.
With regards to our gathering in Five Dock, we recently announced a change of time. Now taking place between 2 - 5pm, our trip to Ferragosto Festival will coincide with one of our amazing volunteers, Yasmin Arkinstall, taking to the main stage. Her performance begins at 4pm.
To find out more about Yasmin and the changes to the two events, load up the respective event links above.
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.
Prepped and ready to go
Since our last update we’ve been busy overseeing matches, hosting online training sessions and facilitating face-to-face catch ups.
Firstly, we’ve readied another batch of willing volunteers.
Thanks to Charlotte (1), Arielle (2), Eliza (3), Callum (4), Gemma (5), Max (6) and Gemma (7) for logging on. With training now complete, we look forward to pairing all up in due course.
Paired and ready to go
And on the subject of pairings, we’ve got news of four new matches to share.
It’s wonderful to welcome Catherine and Lloyd (top, L - R), Yas and Tash (left, L - R), Lauren and Kimberley (right, L - R) and Clare and Alice (not pictured).
Here’s some we did earlier
And our August socials are up and running. In the past fortnight we caught up with buddies in Paddington, Mortdale, Roseville and Marrickville.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for a Sunday roast, burgers, the movies and axe throwing. To see more photos from our most recent gatherings, click here.
Thanking you
We would like to take this moment to say a massive ‘thank you’ to the team at Maniax, Marrickville. They not only donated Thursday’s session to us (saving us some $900 in the process), but they also provided two staff members to assist us on the night.
Their sense of community is wonderfully appreciated.
And to see more from our night of axe throwing, press play on the clip below.
Join the team
And lastly, our user-led team, Soul Fly Buddies, are on the lookout for THREE new members.
For those not in the know, Soul Fly Buddies, formerly known as Soul Fly Band, is the project’s advisory group. Made up of participants from Sydney and the Central Coast, they meet monthly, advising and overseeing the ongoing work of Gig Buddies.
In line with our desire to ensure a fair representation from the areas we cover, we’re looking for the following:
- 1x member from the Western Sydney area. This means buddies based in any of the following council areas can apply: Blacktown, Parramatta, Fairfield, Cumberland, Canterbury-Bankstown, Liverpool, Castle Hill (and the Hills Shire area).
- 1x member from the Southern Sydney area. This means buddies based in any of the following council areas can apply: Sutherland Shire, St George, Georges River, Liverpool or Bayside.
- 1x member from the Northern Beaches area. This means buddies based in any of the following council areas can apply: Northern Beaches Council.
For those of you wanting to know more about Soul Fly Buddies, check out this brief video containing past and present members.
And if you want to know why you should join our current members (Stavros, Lachy, Jack, Alex, Nalyn, Bevan, Karen and Audrey) for our monthly meetups, the following video may provide you with some answers.
Our user led-team have been around since 2016. They meet on the last Friday of each month for around 1 hour, usually via Zoom. They have an in-person meeting twice a year.
If you would like to join the Soul Fly Buddies, register your interest by clicking here. Alternatively, if you would like more information, feel free to get in touch. We can be reached via Facebook Messenger, email: info@gigbuddiesydney.org or text: 0412 145 819.
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) Gemma: Northern Beaches coordinator (0466 793 100)
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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