Helping build community
Well attended lunch in Sydney
22 people met for an informal get-together at JB’s Bar & Grill in the Holiday Inn near Darling Harbour, Sydney in early July. The gathering was organised by the members of the H.S.P Australian Support Group on Facebook and communicated to the broader HSP community by the Foundation.
Committee Member, Margaret Flood and her husband Brendon attended the event and while some of the names were familiar to her, Margaret, who managed the Foundation database for several years, commented that it was fantastic to put a face to the names she had seen on a screen.
This was a fantastic opportunity to meet others with the same condition, with people attending from Sydney and surrounding areas showing the value and need for this sort of activity. Comments and feedback received included appreciation of people attending and sharing their experiences, a great event and the motivation to continue such get togethers keeps growing, with some individual comments such as “great to have finally met you”.
Second 2017 get together in Brisbane
Just over 6 months after their initial get-together over dinner, a number of HSPers gathered once again at the Catalina Restaurant in the Novotel Brisbane Airport in August for dinner and fellowship. Originally 11 (7 with HSP) were booked to attend but unfortunately due to bushfires on the Sunshine Coast, 2 were unable to attend and 2 others coming from Maryborough arrived too late to share dinner but were able to meet the other attendees for a quick chat.
Committee member, Ken Price (nearest camera on the left) who had a hand in conjunction with the H.S.P. Australian Support Group in organising the get-together, said “It was disappointing that the event was disrupted but was pleased that the small group was able to meet and openly discuss issues, experiences and challenges with each other in a comfortable, easy to listen environment”. Kay and Jim who travelled from Maryborough were pleased to at least meet others with HSP.
Feedback from attendees on the evening indicated a future catch up event on the Sunshine Coast would be well received and may be the next social get together event in Qld.
It was a wonderful coming together of fellow HSPers and we all felt relaxed and that we had known each other for a long time. We shared our challenges, strengths and hopes. We went away feeling uplifted and supported. Nothing compares to meeting up with each other face to face. My Husband and I enjoyed the Sydney 1st HSP Gathering in July this year as well as the 1st Brisbane Gathering in February and the 1st Illawarra HSP Gathering. We are hoping this is the start of future HSPers meeting each other and getting together. Such an Uplifting Experience. Thanks.
Suzie and Greg 🙂