Three days
we clear the calendar for.

Samoa Independence Day is one of the biggest days on our calendar. Food cooked in the umu the night before, dance practised in living rooms for weeks, and the Pacific community in full voice, together in one room.

This isn't a sponsorship or a photo opportunity. Samoan culture lives inside our workforce, our families, and the people we support. We close the office, set the tables, and turn the music up loud because these are our people.

A day to commemorate all the Hunter people with disabilities who wanted to do well, give back, and have fun. Raffles, sponsorships, team entries, stands, and a grandstand packed with families — The Mutual Bank Hunter Disability Games is a start line, a cheer squad, and a medal for every athlete.

All fees collected from team entries and stands went to the Susan Roskell Toy and Gift Drive, a charity founded in 2016 to aid children in domestic violence situations and now supporting all disadvantaged children — over 70,000 toys and gifts donated to date. Every toy dropped in the gift baskets at the venue was passed on through Susan Roskell's partnership with Sione's Foundation to kids in Tonga for Christmas 2024.

Participants and providers were encouraged to bring a small gift for children and young teenagers — sports equipment, books, clothing, anything that could bring joy to a child's life.