Celebrating art and bright smiles

Persistence and patience have paid off for our customer Fiona who enjoyed an end-of-year barbecue thrown by Arts Project Australia (APA), in her honour.

Fiona lives in one of our SIL homes in the Melbourne suburb Reservoir and is a talented artist who had her work featured on a special edition print for fashion brand Gorman in 2021.

Among a canopy of trees on a lovely Melbourne afternoon (yes, the weather can play nice sometimes!), a large group of fellow artists and fans gathered beneath a colourful hand-painted sign saying ‘Fiona Longhurst BBQ’, which Fiona’s artist friends had created just for her.

House Supervisor Jan Sharman was thrilled to join Fiona at the event, which was part of APA’s annual gala where artwork by people with a disability is showcased at an exhibition.

We entered into an outstanding greeting from many of Fiona’s fans, some I knew and many I didn’t, Jan said.

We all work in this sector for these moments, and this was just pure joy for me.

While Jan sat with Fiona enjoying a can of soft drink, she noticed many people wearing a badge with a brightly coloured print.

On closer inspection, I realised the badges had none other than Fiona’s face with her infectious smile printed on the front with an artistic pattern in the background! Jan explained.

She tracked down someone she knew from APA, and Jan was able to find out more about the badge and how this special event came about.

The lady explained that Fiona had spent the entire year asking every Arts Project staff member daily for a BBQ, Jan said.

The Arts Project team would discuss Fiona’s requests at their staff meetings and decided the end of year gala was the time to host Fiona’s BBQ.

APA didn’t stop at just setting up the food and beverages for Fiona. They created special badges that showcased the ‘Fiona effect’ by donning her infectious smile with her artwork in the background and rallying her peers to create a banner expressing the colourful joy she brings to everyone she meets.

We’re so pleased Fiona enjoyed her special day! And we’re thankful to organisations like Arts Project Australia who share our purpose of helping people with a disability live the life they choose.