Special Olympics ACT

We're thrilled to share that Capital Region's very own Angela Braido has been appointed as an athlete representative on the Special Olympics Australia board. How good!

Angela started with Special Olympics Capital Region in 2017, just before the national selections held that year. Angela then attended the Special Olympics Australia National Games 2018 before being selected for the 2019 summer Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi. Angela’s basketball team even won a gold medal against Special Olympics España 🇦🇺🇪🇸🏀!

In 2022, Angela was honoured with the Australian Sports Medal, which was presented to her by the ACT Disability Minister at a gala luncheon. In the same year, she also became an athlete leader, and has been actively involved in basketball training and supporting athletes to grow their skills.

Angela loves being involved in her local community, whether she’s volunteering or advocating for people with intellectual disabilities. Angela is an advocate for people with an intellectual disability in Canberra, and has co-facilitated the Confident Speakers program since 2019 at the ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability Association. If all of this wasn't enough, she also works part-time in The Australian Public Service too! Angela values spending time with family and friends, and enjoys painting, watching movies, travelling, and going on bush walks.

From everyone in the Capital Region family, Angela, we couldn't be prouder 💙💛.

Keep up the great work!

On Sunday May 3rd, Special Olympics ACT held an inter-club bowling tournament together with our friends from Special Olympics South Coast. It was a fantastic day out and, while we're a bit sad that ZONE BOWLING Tuggeranong has closed its doors for the final time, we hope to be back lighting up the lanes with our bowling talents sometime soon! 🎳

Returning for the final time, the Big Meeting is a conference event led by people with disability, for the social and sexual safety of people with disability.

Help celebrate the conclusion of the Safer Me Safer You Project (care of SHFPACT (Sexual Health & Family Planning ACT)) with an incredible line-up including Natalie Wade, Associate Commissioner and Chief Legal Counsel at NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, Heidi La Paglia, performers, panel discussion and more!

The event will be free in Canberra and also live-streamed.

Tickets are available at SaferMeSaferYou.org.au

Registrations close for the in-person meeting on 9 June. The organisers hope to see you there!

Image: A white tile with blue, pink, green and purple decorative circles. Text reads ‘Safer Together. Big Meeting 2026. 23 June. ANU, Canberra/ Online’.

BEAR CAT PULL 🚛

Thursday 9 April saw the much-anticipated Bear Cat Pull, which was a splendid day out at the NSW Police Force Academy in Goulburn. We're tremendously grateful for all of the support, and hope that you all had as much fun as we did! Seeing the pull sure was a sight to behold 💪

Looking for a new sport or a fresh challenge? How about boccia!

Boccia 4 Beginners is a free program open to all ages, abilities and experience levels, where you can learn the fun and inclusive sport of boccia! Boccia is a paralympic sport where players use a ramp, a roll, or a throw to propel balls as close as possible to a target. It's deceptively skilful...and great fun 🔴🔵⚪

The Boccia 4 Beginners program is a safe, welcoming, and supportive introduction to the sport for those located in the Canberra region. The program will be held weekly on Sundays from 12:45pm to 2:45pm at the Holt Neighbourhood Hall, and will run from 26 April to 31 May. The organisers would love to see you there (and we would too) 💙💛

If you have any questions or would like any more information, please don't hesitate to contact the page. You can also check out the Boccia Australia page or website (https://www.boccia.com.au/). Happy boccia-ing!

(photo credit: Australian Paralympic Committee, creative commons)

UPDATE: BEARCAT PULL POSTPONED

Please be advised that the Bearcat pull at the Goulburn Police Academy has been postponed until further notice. It may go ahead up the line—of course, we hope it does!—but for now please keep an eye out for future communications regarding any new date and time.

SWIM COACH WANTED

Are you keen to make swimming more accessible? Do you love swim coaching? Then you might be just the volunteer we’re looking for!

Special Olympics Capital Region is seeking a coach for our Tuggeranong-based squad on Thursday evenings, and we would love to hear from you. If you:

🌊 Are a great communicator able to work with and adapt to the needs our athletes;
🌊 Hold (or would be willing to get) a Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) card;
🌊 Would be willing to sign on as a Special Olympics South Australia volunteer (it’s free!); and
🌊 Are or would be willing to get qualified as a coach with Swimming Australia,

Then please reach out to us at [email protected] 🏊🏼‍♀️

GOLF COACH WANTED 🏌

Do you love golf and want to put your skills to purpose by volunteering? And do you have a spare morning/afternoon during the week? If so, we want to hear from you!

Special Olympics Capital Region has a cohort of passionate golfers in need of a coach, with competitions coming up through the year. Our ideal candidate would:

- Be a great communicator able to work with and adapt to the needs our athletes;
- Have a Working With Vulnerable People (WWVP) card and be willing to sign on as a Special Olympics Australia volunteer (its free!); and
- Have, or be able to attain, coaching qualifications with Golf Australia (we can help with this!).

Our golfers play a round of golf out at Duntroon every second Sunday, and pitch and putt the alternate Sunday at the Driving Range in Narrabundah. That said, we’d be happy to discuss arrangements which might better suit our successful candidate!

This is a great opportunity to get involved with a fantastic group of athletes and to make a meaningful contribution to the Special Olympics mission here in the capital region. Interested prospective coaches should reach out to [email protected] for more information and to apply.

Hoops, heart, and holiday cheer 🏀💙🎄

There's nothing quite like the bond that comes with being part of a team—something our Capital Region basketball side know all about. They wrapped up a stellar 2025 with lots of laughs, some festive flair, and, of course, plenty of time on the court ⛹

Looking back on a year of growth, friendship, and inclusion, we couldn't be prouder of Sarah and her crew!

We hope you can spend some time with your team this holiday period, and we look forward to returning refreshed and raring for a great year in 2026 🎉

On Sunday, 7 December, we got together to celebrate our wonderful athletes and coaches for their many achievements across 2025. Everyone had a fantastic time, and it was a great opportunity to cap off, and look back on, the wonderful year that the club has had. Our thanks go to Gallagher Australia for their fantastic support of this year's event. See you in 2026!