Cowabunga! Phillip heads to the Collector Convention

See how Phillip's love of Ninja Turtles has helped him achieve new goals.

January 14, 2025

Phillip from our Pagewood home in Sydney, recently attended the Collector Convention in Penrith, where he got to indulge in all things nerdy! It was however, more than just a day of fun, and marks another new milestone in what has been a life-changing few months for Phillip.

“As anyone who knows me will agree, I’m a bit of a geek myself, and when I found out about the convention, I instantly thought Phillip would absolutely love it,” shared Aladdin Abu-Sarary, Manager Shared Living.

“I spoke to his mum and dad about the convention, and they were thrilled about getting Phillip out of the house. They are very involved in his life, and this is his first time living out of home, so it felt great that they trusted me to organise an outing that I thought was suitable for him.”

Aladdin met up with Phillip and his support staff at the convention, and they had a fabulous time wandering through the 350 vendors and 3-4 full halls of stalls, it was like stepping into a wonderland of toys, memorabilia, and collectibles.

“Phillip had an absolute blast. He’s a big fan of things like Deadpool and Pokémon, and his love for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and comic-related T-shirts is well known. He was so engaged, taking photos with his iPad and soaking in the atmosphere. We ended up buying matching Ninja Turtles shirts as a memento of the day,” said Aladdin.

This outing was also significant for Phillip because it was the first one since he moved into the home during September. It represents a step forward in his journey to re-engage with the community and meet his NDIS goals.

“One of Phillips main goals is to start using his communication device more consistently and conversationally. He is great at using the device to express his needs, but now the next step is using it to engage in more social conversations. Even if it’s just a 10–15-minute chat with someone, we want him to have new communication opportunities.”

There was lot of conversations at the Collector Convention and many more to come.

We can’t wait to see what Phillip achieves next.