By Lia Bichel
ABOUT 150 people gathered at Yaringa Boat Harbour for the inaugural A Day for Special Kids on Saturday 21 March.
Children as young as two and adults aged up to 31 with disabilities and terminal illness were treated to a boat ride, where they could enjoy fishing or just relaxing on the water.
“This was one of the first times on the water for a lot of them,” one of the organisers, Anita Dowling said.
“They had a great time on the water, fishing or sailing, and they made a lot of friends. Many of the families exchanged phone numbers so the children can come back and do it again.”
A group of residents came up with the idea to host the event in the summer, when they were sitting on a balcony looking out over Western Port Bay and spotted a young girl in a wheelchair doing the same thing from the shore.
“We just thought then and there that it would be nice to be able to take kids with disabilities out on boats,” Rob Dowling told the News last month.
The group received approval from the Yaringa pier owner, recruited volunteers and boats, and invited disabled youth and young adults from local special schools to join the fun.
Ms Dowling said the response was fantastic, and there was a lot of community support that made the day a success.
“There were about 20 volunteers, plus carers and family members, so there were about 150 people who came to the event,” she said.
“It was a fantastic day. The wind stayed away, the sun came out, and everyone had fun.”
Ms Dowling said A Day for Special Kids was expected to become a bi-annual event.
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