October 2020
Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT were the winner of the 2020 Play by the Rules Award for State Associations.
What we did
ROLLING CONVERSATIONS was a live content series designed to keep the disability sports community in NSW/ACT connected during the COVID-19 shutdown period in NSW/ACT during 2020.
ROLLING CONVERSATIONS included 24 half hour live Interviews with 33 fantastic people from in and around the wheelchair sport community in NSW/ACT. The interviews were done by CEO Mick Garnett, with guests including Louise Sauvage OAM, Kurt Fearnley AO, John Maclean OAM, Liesl Tesch AM and more. In addition to the superstars of wheelchair sport, ROLLING CONVERSATIONS Included juniors from the community as well as influential figures such as Mrs Yvonne Talbott OAM, the 39 year veteran of our Junior Wheelies Camps.
ROLLING CONVERSATIONS ran from April 8, as the pandemic hit, until we were rolling again with sport In July. The series was broadcast on the Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT Facebook page, including live comments on screen and wonderful interaction with our community.
We caught up with Mick Garnett, CEO of Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT, to congratulate Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT on winning the 2020 Play by the Rules Award for State Associations.
Why we did it
Having provided wheelchair sport opportunities since 1961, we know the social benefits of sport for people with disabilities. Given the additional transport challenges some of our Members face, we understand that the possibility of social isolation is even more prevalent in our community, particularly during a pandemic where further restrictions on gathering exist.
Therefore, Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT believed it was critical we offered our community a way to get together, albeit virtually, twice a week during the lockdown period. We knew we wanted it to be live and interactive, ensuring our community was able to share time together, see their heroes and discuss topics that they are so passionate about.
What were the results
ROLLING CONVERSATIONS achieved a total of 79,500 views and had a final viewing time of 782 hours. Further, the series generated 1,000 new Facebook followers for the organisation, and played a role in educating the relatively new staff team at Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT about the giants of wheelchair sports history.
Finally, ROLLING CONVERSATIONS also provided visibility to our corporate partners, all of whom continued backing us during the lockdown period and regularly watched the series. You can find their playlist on YouTube here.
