Hunter Circles

21/04/2026

We're so pleased to be hosting Angela Amado in Newcastle this June.

Angela is an internationally recognised leader who has spent over 40 years working on how real relationships grow between people with intellectual disability and community members.

Not relationships based on support or service — but mutual, human relationships where people know each other, share life, and belong.

It feels pretty special to be bringing her out to Australia — and to have the chance to learn directly from her in a small, practical setting.

Because even now, many people can be in the community without being connected — without friendships, being known, or a real sense of belonging.

This workshop is about what it takes to build those kinds of relationships in practice.

Tuesday 16 June
Newcastle Museum

Please register: https://events.humanitix.com/connecting-with-community

Hunter Circles Inc and Side By Side Advocacy are hosting this event as part of our "Community For Everyone" project.

Side By Side Advocacy will also be hosting the workshop in Sydney on 18 June, with further events planned across Brisbane, Canberra and Melbourne - stay tuned for more details.

We’d love your help to get this out to people who care about building connection and community. Please share with your networks.

Image description: Banner that says, "Connecting with Community - Workshop with Angela Amado, 16 June, Newcastle". Includes a photo of Angela Amado, alongside two images with a person with intellectual disability and a community member together — one at ukelele group and one at a parkrun.

17/04/2026

Don't miss this upcoming online event from CRU - Community Resource Unit Ltd.

The Right to Be Disabled - with Norman Kunc and Emma Van Der Klift: https://events.humanitix.com/the-right-to-be-disabled-with-norman-kunc-and-emma-van-der-klift

If you don't know their work, start with "Credo for Support" (written in 1995). It remains one of the most powerful calls to action for inclusion - and is just as relevant today, if not more so in this country right now.
https://youtu.be/wunHDfZFxXw?si=kPSm97dJGo1fp5nE

This is an event is for everyone — people with disability, families, friends, allies, support workers, educators, and community members.

Their work invites us to rethink support, inclusion and belonging.

Norman Kunc & Emma Van der Klift's video, "A Credo for Suppport" - spoken by members of San Luis Obispo People First. Order DVD from SpecialNeedsProject.com ...

19/02/2026

We’re excited to be heading to Adelaide next week for the Australia’s Disability Strategy National Forum 2026 — and even more excited that Leigh Creighton will be part of the conversation on safeguarding.

Leigh is clear about what keeps people safe:

“It’s people who keep people safe.”

We’re looking forward to sharing what we’re learning through our "Community for Everyone" work with Side By Side Advocacy.

Because real safety comes when people are known, connected, and part of everyday community life.

Image description: Photo of Leigh smiling with a speech bubble that says, "It's people who keep people safe."

25/01/2026

Edited: Sorry everyone we have to cancel the January Meet Up
See you all in February

Our first Meet-Up for 2026 is Friday 27 Feb

Come along to meet our team, chat with great humans, share ideas and build connections. Each month we explore a different topic and bring together local people who care about inclusion and community.

This is a great chance to:
🔸 Learn about our Community For Everyone project
🔸 Explore what it means to get involved. You don't need to be an expert, just a human.
🔸 Connect with people who like turning ideas into action

23/01/2026

Next Wednesday in Geelong, peer leaders Robert King and Leigh Creighton will be presenting with Shu Hua Chan and Jeffrey Lai, peer leaders from Side By Side Advocacy.

Together, they are 4 peer leaders.

They work on a project called Community For Everyone.

Community For Everyone supports people with intellectual disability.

The project is about:
• Meeting new people
• Joining community groups
• Making friends
• Feeling included

At the conference, they will share:
🎥 Short videos
📖 Real stories
💬 Ideas for making communities more inclusive

Rob, Leigh, Shu Hua, and Jeff are excited to be there.

If you are coming to the VALID Having a Say Conference, we hope you can join them.

As Shu Hua Chan says, "Now is the time to change the world!"

Image description: Photo's of Jeff, Shu Hua, Leigh and Rob

16/01/2026

Hello 2026!

We’re kicking off the year feeling excited about what’s ahead.

Our latest newsletter is out, with a snapshot of what we’ve been up to and what’s coming next. If you’d like to stay in the loop, have a read and sign up to our mailing list.

🔗 Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/f544226c9211/join-us-in-building-a-community-for-everyone-12844264
✉️ Join our mailing list: http://eepurl.com/iTuQVQ

We’re also restarting our monthly Hunter Circles Meet Ups — always on the last Friday of the month. They’re relaxed, friendly, and a great way to connect.

📅 First meet up: Friday 30 January, 12 - 1.30pm
If you’ve been meaning to get involved, this is a great place to start.
🔗 Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/meet-ups-with-hunter-circles

Here’s to a year of connection, learning and building community together!

Photo 1: Rob and Leigh at the AGM
Photo 2: People at a house party
Photo 3: Jen and Leigh at the ASID conference
Photo 4: Panellists at the UTS Disability Law Conference

15/01/2026

In 2017, Leigh Creighton and Robert King presented for the first time at the VALID "Having A Say" Conference in Geelong.

They shared their film "A Time Of Change", about the closure of the Stockton institution.

At the time, Leigh and Rob were involved with Community Disability Alliance - CDAH - a big shout out to CDAH for supporting self-advocacy work and the making of that film. That support mattered - it helped important voices to be heard.

Now the institutions are closed — but the work is not finished.

Leigh and Rob continue to work to remember institutions and make sure the past is never forgotten.

At Hunter Circles, our work is about repairing the harm caused by institutions by supporting people to build real friendships in the community.

Too many people were cut off from ordinary life and ordinary relationships. We need to bridge that gap.

We do this by supporting people to build friendships in mainstream community groups — not paid relationships or programs. Friendships where people are known, valued and included.

Alongside this, Leigh and Rob are also advocating to:
• tell the truth about what happened in institutions
• acknowledge the people who were harmed
• make sure institutions never happen again

Nine years on, Leigh and Rob will be presenting together again at the 2026 VALID Having A Say Conference, speaking about "Moving Forward From Institutions".

We hope you can join them.

Image description: A photo of Leigh with his quote, "Everyone deserves the chance to live their life to the full"

15/12/2025

Statement Condemning the Bondi Shootings and Expressing Solidarity with the Victims and all Affected Communities

The Australian National Imams Council (ANIC), the Council of Imams NSW and the Australian Muslim community unequivocally condemn the horrific shootings in Bondi.

These acts of violence and crimes have no place in our society. Those responsible must be held fully accountable and face the full force of the law.

Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack. We acknowledge the pain, fear, and distress felt across the community and extend our sincere compassion and support to all who are grieving.

We urge the community to remain vigilant, exercise caution, and support one another during this challenging time.

This is a moment for all Australians, including the Australian Muslim community, to stand together in unity, compassion, and solidarity, rejecting violence in all its forms and affirming our shared commitment to social harmony and the safety of all Australians.

13/12/2025

Yesterday, Robert King and Leigh Creighton were part of a panel at the "Accountability, Resistance and Disruption! Conference" at UTS - University of Technology Sydney.

The session, “Remembering Disability Institutions: Moving Forward By Looking Back,” brought together a coalition of advocates and researchers taking action to learn from the history of disability institutions so we don’t repeat the same harms.

Rob shared his story, including from his film "Moving Forward from Institutions in NSW". He reminded us that people who lived in institutions have important stories to tell — and that these stories must be heard, respected and remembered. You can watch Rob's film here: https://youtu.be/YwRggkinJRY?si=qfePr99ACG_8jOsr

Leigh spoke about the risk of repeating the past. He reminded us that group homes can become the new institutions if people remain isolated, lonely, and disconnected from community life.

Leigh also spoke about the restorative work we are doing — community-led repair that can only happen through real relationships between people, not systems or services alone.

It was an honour to be part of this panel alongside Jack Kelly, Phillippa Carnemolla and Linda Steele (UTS), Jim Simpson (Council for Intellectual Disability) and Kelly Willis (Action for People with Disability Inc.).

This session reinforced that we must keep listening to people with disability who lived in institutions. Remembering institutions is not only about the past — it is about how people are living now. It's about making sure these injustices are not repeated, and that people can take their rightful place at the heart of community — living big, rich lives filled with purpose, love, connection and equal life chances.

Our call to action:
- Listen to people with lived experience.
- Support community-led approaches that repair the social bonds broken by institutions.
- Take responsibility for the past through truth-telling, acknowledging harms with an apology, and meaningful change.

Join us in listening, learning, and building communities where everyone belongs.

Image description: Photo of all the panellists standing in front of a slide that reads “Remembering Disability Institutions: Moving Forward By Looking Back,” and a banner that says “UTS Faculty of Law.”

26/11/2025

We recently held our first house party — we wanted to bring a little more fun, connection and community spirit into our work. These gatherings are a relaxed and easy way for us to connect with each other, share stories and take action together to build inclusion in our community.

It’s a chance for us to reach new people in our local neighbourhoods, spark conversations about what we’re doing, and grow our movement for change.

We have a big goal — 40 community leaders for social inclusion by 2026 — and these get-togethers are one way we can make that happen. By inviting more people to join in, we open the door for more of us to be part of something meaningful.

If this kind of community organising worked for Jacinda Ardern, then we’re giving it a crack here in Newy too. It’s time to put the power to build inclusion back in the hands of the people — where it belongs.

If you’d like to find out more, please join us at our AGM next Wednesday 3 December — International Day for People with Disability. Come and celebrate with us as we share stories, films and resources about building community connections and friendships — one person at a time.
https://events.humanitix.com/hunter-circles-2024-2025-annual-general-meeting

Also big thanks to Scarborough Wine Co for making our house party even more fun.

Photo of 13 people and one dog sitting on couches and on the floor of a lounge room, smiling.

16/11/2025

We were so privileged to speak at the Australasian Society for Intellectual Disability (ASID) 2025 Conference last week. Our theme was "Making Friends".

There is still a big gap in knowledge and practice when it comes to supporting people with intellectual disability who are profoundly isolated to build real friendships and connections. Sadly, for all its promises, we are worried that the NDIS has further disconnected people from community life.

We see people being ignored, neglected, or completely disengaged in group homes — all in the name of “supported independent living.” Too often, “community participation” becomes little more than "community tourism": wandering aimlessly in shopping centres, sitting in food courts while support workers scroll on their phones, or going on endless drives and walks that go nowhere. Huge amounts of funding are spent keeping people segregated, isolated, and lonely — instead of acting as a bridge to real relationships and community.

That’s why we’re so excited to be working on the "Community For Everyone" project with our partners at Side By Side Advocacy. Together, we’re learning that small, practical actions can create real opportunities for connection and community membership for people who have experienced deep social isolation. Much of our learning is guided by Angela Amado’s principles, which continue to shape how we work:

See the person as their gifts

Find the people and places where those gifts can be shared

Be consistent — same place, same time, with the same people, over time, and always over shared interests

Always ask, what more is possible?

And always, always — one person at a time, one situation, one environment at a time

If you’d like to hear more about this work, where we’re heading, and how you can get involved, we warmly invite you to join us at our AGM on Wednesday, 3 December from 4pm, International Day of People with Disability:
https://events.humanitix.com/hunter-circles-2024-2025-annual-general-meeting

Image descriptions: 2 photo's of Leigh Creighton and Jenny Cush presenting in front of slides titled, "Making friends" and "About the Social Connector role" featuring Dan's photo and name.

05/11/2025

Everyone can communicate. Not everyone is listened to.

That's why we’re excited that Dr Jo Watson is coming back to Newcastle for her sought-after workshop:
"Listening to People Rarely Heard"
Wednesday 3 December – in person
9.30am - 3.30pm
Hunter Worker's Building, 406-408 King Street

Jo is a Speech Pathologist, researcher, and advocate with 30+ years supporting people with complex communication support needs.

This workshop is hands-on, practical and justice-oriented - grounded in the belief that everyone has the right to autonomy!

✅ Supported decision-making
✅ Strategies you can use everyday
✅ Real stories

🎟️ Tickets: $100 / $30 (students)
Register here: https://events.humanitix.com/listening-to-people-rarely-heard