JULY & AUGUST OUTINGS HIGHLIGHTS

What an incredible couple of months we have had on our Outings Program! July and August have been filled with laughter, friendship, delicious food, new experiences and, most importantly, plenty of wonderful memories made with our clients. Behind every successful outing is a huge amount of planning, coordination and teamwork, and we are incredibly proud of what our team has achieved over the past two months.

July was certainly a month to remember!

We kicked things off with a lovely lunch at The Growling Grog, followed by a visit to the Tyabb Packing Shed, giving our clients the opportunity to explore, enjoy a delicious meal and spend time together.

One of the biggest highlights of July was our Magical Christmas in July Lunch at Chirnside Park. This outing was an absolute favourite, with two full coaches of clients joining us for a wonderful Christmas-inspired lunch. There were plenty of smiles, laughter and festive cheer throughout the day.

We then enjoyed an experience for the ages at Melbourne Museum, where our clients had the opportunity to explore the incredible Rome Exhibition. It was a fantastic day of history, culture and discovery, with so much to see and enjoy.

Another July highlight was our Winter Wonderland Lunch at Fortnums, which once again saw two full coaches of clients enjoying a beautiful Christmas-inspired lunch. The festive atmosphere, delicious food and wonderful company made this another very special outing.

We also enjoyed Morning Melodies, with another two coaches full of clients. It was a wonderful day filled with music, singing, delicious food and plenty of dancing. Our clients certainly showed us that they know how to have a great time!

AUGUST – NEW ADVENTURES & NEW BEGINNINGS

August brought some exciting changes for our Outings Program, including the beginning of a new chapter as we started operating from our new Preston Office.

Our last outing departing from Thomastown was the Daylesford Convent Outing, which was a lovely day and also a chapter closing with our program.

Outingsd to Clifton Springs & Pelicians Landing in Williamstown, had a Temporary pick up and drop location at Prace College until our office was ready

Our first outing departing from our new Preston location was Pandamart, and wow, what an amazing day it was! It was fantastic to see our clients enjoying the new departure point and making the most of another wonderful outing together.

We also visited Creswick Woollen Mills, which was another fantastic outing and a real highlight for our clients. The tour was a particular favourite, giving everyone the opportunity to learn more about the mill, see the farm animals and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Of course, no outing is complete without good food, and the delicious lunch afterwards was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone.

Our visit to Maldon was also a great success. Our clients really enjoyed the earlier start and appreciated having more time to explore and enjoy the day. Coastal lunches to Clifton Springs and Williamstown were lovely days but the weather wasn’t on our side, as it was cold, windy and rain.

Moving forward, we will continue looking at ways to make our outings more comfortable and accessible for our West clients, particularly when outings require very early starts.

Where possible, we will look at introducing a West pick-up point, helping to reduce very early morning starts and long coach journeys for our West clients. On occasions where the coach is already travelling through the West, we will also look at whether our West clients can enjoy a sleep-in and have a shorter overall journey.

We are always looking at ways to make the outing experience as enjoyable, comfortable and accessible as possible for everyone.

A SPECIAL ADDITION – PARLIAMENT HOUSE: Due to the high demand for places at our Parliament House lunch, we were excited to add an additional outing to finish off August.

This time, instead of a coach, we headed out with three of our Link vehicles – our two Iveco vehicles and our Hino.  Seeing the three vehicles leave our Preston Office together in convoy looked fantastic!

It was a wonderful way to showcase the flexibility of our Outings Program while providing another opportunity for our clients to enjoy a highly requested outing.

When we look back over July and August, we don’t just see coaches, vehicles, destinations and itineraries.  We see clients laughing together, making new friends, singing, dancing, enjoying delicious meals, exploring new places and creating wonderful memories. That is what our Outings Program is all about.

Every outing takes a huge amount of work behind the scenes, and I would like to take this opportunity to say a very special THANK YOU to everyone who helps make these days possible. TO OUR OUTINGS TEAM Thank you for all your hard work, dedication and commitment. There is so much that happens behind the scenes that our clients don’t always see – from planning and bookings to coordinating venues, transport, dietary requirements, client information and all the little details that help each outing run smoothly. Your hard work, dedication and commitment are what keep our program moving forward and allow us to continue providing such wonderful experiences for our clients.

TO OUR PLACEMENT STUDENTS

A huge thank you to our placement students, who have been supporting the team with administration and other tasks.

Your assistance has been greatly appreciated and has helped our team manage the ever-growing workload behind the scenes. Thank you for being part of our team and for everything you have contributed during your placements.

TO OUR OUTING HOSTS

Thank you to all of our Outing Hosts for your time, patience, care and commitment.You give your time to spend the day with our clients, helping them feel supported, included and welcomed. Your smiles, conversations, assistance and willingness to jump in wherever needed make such a difference to the experience our clients have.

TO OUR VOLUNTEER & PAID DRIVERS

A very special thank you to our volunteer and paid drivers.

Your early starts, late finishes, long days and commitment to safely transporting our clients are what make these outings possible.  We truly appreciate the time, patience and dedication you give to getting our clients safely to and from each destination.

A huge thank you to our Scheduling Team. So much work goes into making each outing happen  coordinating vehicles, drivers, pick-up points, times and schedules to ensure everything comes together. Without your hard work behind the scenes, none of these wonderful outings would be possible.

THANK YOU, EVERYONE!

July and August have certainly been busy, but they have also been incredibly rewarding.  We couldn’t do any of it without the incredible people who work behind the scenes and those who join our clients on the road. Thank you to everyone who continues to make our Outings Program what it is. Here’s to more adventures, more laughter, more friendships and, most importantly, more memories to be made together!