This year, instead of holding a coastal community camp, HFACT decided to bring the bleeding disorders community together for a Staycation. As the name suggests, the day involved a range of locally-based activities:
- Treetops Adventure for the young and young-at-heart
- a BBQ lunch by the lake
- ten pin bowling
- dinner at the Southern Cross Club.
The beauty of the day was that individuals and families could opt into one or more (or all!) of the activities, all of which were easy to get to. There was a great turnout across the day, with each activity very well attended (and in the case of Treetops and bowling, fully subscribed). From the look of it and the feedback received, there was something for everyone and people had a lot of fun!
Some of the highlights included: the kids (and some brave adults) zooming along zip lines and traversing obstacles high up in the trees at Majura Pines; enjoying a delicious spread of marinated chicken, sausages, salads and fruit on a very summery afternoon at Black Mountain Peninsula; witnessing the skills and in some cases, competitive edge, of some of our members at ten pin bowling; and wrapping up with a relaxed chat over a meal at the Southern Cross Club.
The aim of the day was to bring our community together in a relaxed setting, to enjoy each other’s company and chat – whether about bleeding disorders or topics not at all related to bleeding disorders. The connections we make in these social settings are an invaluable complement to the medical care we receive – not only as a means of sharing our lived experiences, but in the case of the younger members of our community, as an opportunity to see that others their age also have bleeding conditions and face similar challenges. The realisation that they aren’t alone in this can be very powerful.
HFACT looks forward to continuing these community-building activities – the next to be held in March next year (see the flyer below). For those who weren’t able to make the Staycation, we hope you can come along to our next event!
