Fun times at Taronga Dreamnight!

In early December, some of our customers and staff got the opportunity to attend Taronga Dreamnight.

What is Taronga Dreamnight? 

Held at Taronga Zoo every year, Dreamnight is an exclusive event that kicks off the December holiday celebrations. It gives children with disability or serious health issues the opportunity to share in a unique program where they can feel like VIP guests, with animal encounters, bird and seal shows and much more.

Northcott customers were invited by our Therapists. About 20 customers and their families who love animals or who would otherwise not be able to afford to go to the zoo attended the event.

Noah is a Northcott customer and loves the outdoors, however, has limited opportunities to explore due to his disability. 

Noah’s brother Paul said, “The zoo can be overwhelming with crowds. This is the perfect setting for Noah to understand the outdoors, explore and meet animals with fewer crowds and have some fun. Thank you so much, Northcott.”

Another Northcott customer Cooper and his parents John and Dianne were thrilled to be invited to the exclusive event.

“Since the time Dianne got the email we were excited about the opportunity to go out somewhere. This has given Cooper the chance to be outside of the hospital. We haven’t been to Taronga Zoo for over 20 years. We are happy to see the changes that have happened,” said John, Cooper’s father.

An opportunity for staff to attend 

Ten family passes were also distributed to staff in recognition of the amazing work they do to support our customers. In November, support workers were asked to submit their name and work location to go into a draw to win one of the ten passes.

Meena, a Support Worker at our Ingleburn home was one of the lucky winners. Meena and her family were excited to be treated as VIPs and had a wonderful time.

“We got a chance to see the animals during their settling time with less crowds. My kids were delighted to see and take pictures with their favourite superheroes and the Police. There was great music and dancing, the zoo was completely transformed to make everyone have a great time. It is truly once in a lifetime experience. Thank you very much Northcott for this wonderful opportunity,” said Meena.

“The smiles this night put on all the guests faces were priceless, especially for people with disabilities. I believe these kind of programs are very important and gives lots of inspiration to the community” adds Meena.

We would like to acknowledge and thank Good 360 and LEGO for providing gifts to the attendees and Taronga Zoo for inviting Northcott to be a part of this exclusive event.