Entertainer Scott Radburn, Just Better Care owner Jason Ballerini, Festival of Fun founder David McFarland and UOW Professor Brendan Lyon. Photo: Jen White.
David McFarland is a firm believer that there needs to be more fun in the world, especially for people living with disabilities.
The man known to thousands of Illawarra Hawks and Roller Hawks fans as Macca, the man behind the microphone, is also the man behind the Festival of Fun, to be held at WIN Entertainment Centre in February 2025.
It will be Macca’s third Festival of Fun (FoF), following two successful events on the Gold Coast.
Macca has been a volunteer in the disability sector for more than 25 years, but it was the support given to his mother, Jean, before she died that prompted the first event in her honour.
FoF is a free, full-day event open to all the community but specifically designed for people with a disability, their families, friends, carers and guardians.
Macca said the festival aimed to give a voice to people with a disability, in what can sometimes be a voiceless world.
He joined forces with former IMB CEO Wayne Morris to form the charity ARHG Foundation, which runs the festival and other events to raise funds.
“We set up the charity and we wanted to create more inclusive and accessible events because there’s not many for people with disabilities,” Macca said.
“We came up with this idea about having a festival, which has a Try Me sports arena, where we have multiple disabilities sports including AFL, rugby league and wheelchair basketball, and we get local international sporting teams, players and Olympians show up, get amongst it and have fun.
“We have a business expo for people working in disability to come and promote what they do and we even have a petting farm with animals with disabilities, just to show that it’s not just people who have disabilities.
“In the afternoon we have a concert which is much like a carols by candlelight, with singers coming on for a couple of songs, a live band with and without disabilities and singers. It’s just a family-friendly day that’s free to attend with no alcohol.”
Macca is excited to bring the festival to his hometown of Wollongong but he doesn’t plan to stop in the Illawarra.
“The idea is to create a Festival of Fun in every state of Australia,” he said.
“We want to make it one of the largest participation events for people with disability, potentially in the world.
“Give us a couple of years and we’ll bring them all on at the same time, all singing the same songs, live via big screen and we’ll bring the country together to sing as one voice to celebrate disability.”
Owner and director of disability services provider Just Better Care, Jason Ballerini, said the Festival of Fun was a good fit, both for his business and personally as a person with a disability.
“Events are getting better in terms of having facilities available for people with disabilities, but it’s generally an afterthought,” he said.
“Whereas this Festival of Fun is aimed at being inclusive and putting people with disabilities at the forefront about what we can achieve and what’s possible, so it’s a complete reverse of what normally happens when an event is put on in the community.
“I can’t wait for it; I think it’s going to be fantastic and just the start of many things to come.
“People with disabilities are getting much more exposure in the media and the Paralympics is getting more TV exposure so these things can only help to display what we can do.”
The festival has attracted the backing of a number of sponsors – and Macca would welcome more – and some government grants towards running the event.
A dinner which aims to raise $100,000 will be held this Friday (21 June) at Wollongong’s Sage Hotel. Former Four Kinsman funnyman and Wollongong celebrity Scott Radburn will MC the event, which will include guest speakers Paralympian and Roller Hawk basketballer Tristan Knowles, Australian comedy legend Vince Sorrenti and Aussie tennis great Jelena Dokic.
The gala dinner follows on from previous men-only and women-only ‘Physical and Mental Health and Wellbeing’ luncheons held in the Illawarra.
University of Wollongong guest speaker Professor Brendan Lyon and his wife Alicia Merck will talk about how they fought back from their own stormy days.
Brendan was a whistleblower from a national accounting firm who exposed misreporting which ultimately posed risks to public rail safety.
“My wife and I will be talking about a fairly dim period that we went through where there was a lot of sadness and a lot of pressure and what we’ve done to rehabilitate our own lives,” he said.
“One of the messages that we want to give people is, even though the storm might be beating strong for a large period of time, the storm will eventually pass and you will emerge alive, better and stronger.
“I’m hoping that would be a message of relatable strength for people who are suffering disadvantages whether they be physical, mental, emotional, or others.”
Visit Festival of Fun for more information and sponsorship opportunities.
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