The adventures of Maple – supporting a client to Vivid Sydney 2022.
After what has felt like a lifetime, Vivid Sydney has put on a spectacular show, welcoming the world back to the shores and buildings of Sydney City. With the festival coming into its final week of display, an adventurous Maple duo have a few things to share about their Vivid experience, hoping to convince you to make your way before the final day on 18 June 2022.
What started as a casual drive around, our client, Kerry, expressed her eagerness to visit the iconic light festival. Naturally, our Maple Support Worker, Melissa, just couldn’t pass on the request.
“Going to Vivid was the best decision, Kerry was so excited and really did not expect what was to come!” – Melissa, Maple Support Worker
Meet Melissa
Melissa knows no comfort zone! She is a driven character and ecstatic about sports, using this as an outlet to relax – if you’re looking for a mentor in tennis or golf, Melissa is your go-to.
After Melissa’s friend recommended her to apply to be a support worker, one year of providing memorable supports quickly followed. As a Maple Community Services support worker, she enjoys taking her clients to places they have never been to, being part of that first-ever experience to a new place brings Melissa a sense of reward and joy.
“Becoming a support worker was a decision I have not looked back on. I love seeing clients happy and excited, expanding on their skills, achieving their goals, and seeing them get out of their comfort zone – it makes each visit 100x better”
To this day, Melissa has a goal to continue working in the NDIS field, and hopes to one day progress into the administrative side of the industry, with her own personal goal of working within the Maple Community Services Head Office Team. Â
Meet Kerry
Kerry joined the Maple ecosystem not too long before Melissa – just over a year ago when Sydney was thrust into hard lockdown.
She is a much-loved client of Maple who enjoys swimming, shopping, and going out for drives – this is how she connects with her staff like Melissa, enjoying the great company of others on the road.
Maple has the pleasure of supporting Kerry with community participation on a fortnightly basis. We are just one aspect of Kerry’s disability supports, with a whole team of specialists, accommodation services, and other supports also assisting Kerry on her NDIS journey.
It’s safe to say that Vivid 2022 did not disappoint either Kerry or Melissa, as they were both shell-shocked at just how extravagant the world’s largest Lights Festival was, making an impactful return after years of frustrating cancellations.
“It was amazing and fun to say the least.”, Melissa described.
 “I was surprised with how beautiful Vivid was, I didn’t expect it to look so good.”, Kerry explained.
Vivid 2022 Recommendations
For those looking to take their clients, family member, or loved one’s to the Vivid festival, there are noteworthy sights to see, such as:
- Light Show in Circular Quay
- National and International Music Artists (Book tickets online for exclusive shows)
- Music Performance at The Rocks
- One-of-a-kind Art Galleries across the Sydney CBD
- Water Show in Darling Harbour
Our Maple duo strongly recommends the Water Show in Darling Harbour, “We really enjoyed just sitting and watching the water show, it was like a mix of everything – lights, water, music. You can’t miss it.”
This light festival is a wonderful community participation opportunity! For those looking to take their clients to Vivid, here are a few tips from Melissa:
- If you are driving in, book parking in advanced, check out the options provided by Secure Parking. There is also a very helpful guide for transport on the Vivid website.
- Plan and research in advanced, maximise the Vivid online program.
- Don’t go without knowing what you’re going to do.
- Have fun!
Vivid Sydney is running every night from 6pm – 11pm, until June 18, 2022.