SWS Lawyers is proud to be the Honorary Legal Advisors and Platinum Corporate Sponsor to the 2022 Australian Deaf Games, which will be held in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie from 16-23 April 2022.

In April 2022, our region will welcome over 1000 athletes from across the country to compete in 16 medal and 4 demonstration sports.  The aim of the Australian Deaf Games is to provide a four yearly event that brings together Deaf and hard of hearing Australians in a multi-sport environment that enables all participants opportunities to compete to whatever level they aspire.  The Games will also include a supporting cultural and social program.

The event is supported by Destination NSW and the City of Newcastle and Lake Macquarie City Councils and will offer a chance to showcase our cities and region to the athletes and their supporters.

As part of its pro-bono program, SWS Lawyers has been working closely with Deaf Sports Australia Project Manager, Garry West-Bail for more than 12 months to provide legal support to the games organising committee to secure venue and sponsorship arrangements for the Games.  We are very pleased to be able to contribute to an event which provides the opportunities to the athletes, while also providing economic benefits to our region.

While the impact of COVID-19 has provided some challenges, the planning and organisation for the Games has been progressing steadily and on 16 April, fellow SWS Lawyers Principals Derek Charge and Andrew Windybank and I attended the ‘One year to Go’ milestone event at the Newcastle Museum.

The event included an update on the preparations for the Games, a demonstration game of touch football, a Q&A with an aspiring young swimmer and an introduction to one of the games co-patrons, Cindy-Lu Bailey-Fitzpatrick OAM.  The other co-patron and ‘friend of our firm’, Katie Kelly OAM, was unable to attend due to training commitments for the upcoming Tokyo Paralympics.  With the positivity and enthusiasm of all involved, the Games looks like being a fantastic event.  Further details can be found at the Games website: https://austdeafgames.org.au/